Center Grove’s Brody Holubar chips onto the green during Monday’s sectional at The Legends.
Chris Williams | For the Daily Journal
Much like a basketball player who’s made his first few shots, Center Grove sophomore Brody Holubar could feel his confidence swelling with every putt that went in.
By the time he reached the end of his round during Monday’s Franklin Sectional at The Legends, the putts were starting to feel automatic.
“I saw it go in on 15, and it felt good,” Holubar said of what became the first of four consecutive birdies to end the day. “On 16, I had about a 12-footer and I was like, ‘All right, it’s not breaking that much; I think I can get it.’ So I made it, and then 17 and 18 I just stepped up to it and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got it.’”
Holubar’s closing stretch capped off a 6-under-par 66, good enough to earn medalist honors and to help the Trojans secure their 10th sectional championship in a row. Center Grove’s team total of 290 was 10 shots better than the host Grizzly Cubs.
Trojans coach Matt Rodman was thrilled with how his young lineup, which features three sophomores and a freshman, responded with poise after an anxious start.”
“They were nervous the first couple of holes,” Rodman said, “and we kind of expected they would be, so we just went simple on them and talked about just breathing properly, staying locked in the moment — and the beauty of the way we play high school golf in Indiana is it’s a team sport, so you’ve got four other guys out there that are working with you, not against you, to pick you up.”
Freshman Nathan Springer carded a 73 for the Trojans, followed by a 74 from sophomore James Beetz and 77s from senior Brady Schier and sophomore Noah Parsetich.
Joining Holubar in red numbers was Franklin No. 1 Kadin Gibson, who had a similar hot stretch — highlighted by an eagle — on the way to a 2-under 70.
“I played really well,” Gibson said. “I finished rough, but that’s the best golf I’ve played, and I hope that I can do better on Thursday.”
Gibson had plenty of help; Jake Lock finished with a 73, while Luke Bechert shot a 77 and Reid Davidson added an 80.
Franklin co-coach Ted Bishop feels like the Grizzly Cubs are playing with house money from here on, heading into the regional as a very capable underdog.
“We have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain in the regional,” he said. “There’s no pressure on us whatsoever, but you know what? We go out there and play like we’ve been playing, you never know what might happen.”
Roncalli, led by a 71 from Bayley Schoettle out of the No. 3 spot, secured the third and final team berth in the regional with a 303. Greenwood Christian was fourth with a 330, but brothers Noah and Ian Reed advance as individuals after turning in respective rounds of 72 and 76. Parker Satre added a 77 for GCA.
Though the Cougars didn’t make it back out as a team, Noah Reed is excited to have his older brother making the trip to Champions Pointe with him.
“It’s great,” he said. “We always go practice together, play together, so it’ll be fun to do it with him, and I’m happy that he gets to advance as a senior. Let’s hope one of us can make it to state, if not both of us.”
Greenwood tied Indianapolis Lutheran for eighth with a team score of 354, one stroke back of Franklin Central. Jahlen Burton paced the Woodmen with an 85, while Davis Arthur shot 87.
Will Smith’s 83 led 10th-place Whiteland (364), while Max Blandford’s 77 — one shot away from advancing — showed the way for 11th-place Edinburgh (375). Indian Creek was 12th with a 392.
Those advancing will face an always challenging Champions Pointe layout, one that not only saw Center Grove’s state-record run of six straight regional titles end last spring but also saw the Trojans finish one stroke short of the state finals.
Rodman says the team is maintaining a more competitive attitude throughout the stretch run; the Trojans will keep score and battle one another during Wednesday’s practice round. He’s also hopeful that the youth and inexperience of this year’s lineup will be a plus when it comes to blocking out memories of last spring’s disappointment.
“The good news about putting last year in the past is only two of the five played last year,” he said, “so three of them don’t even have that experience of what happened last year.”
