Center Grove’s Max Williams hits the ball during last season’s state quarterfinal match against Floyd Central.
Daily Journal file photo
A team’s potential often hinges on the various skill levels and leadership abilities of its seniors.
Or in Center Grove’s case, senior.
Max Williams, a fixture at the No. 1 doubles the past two seasons, isn’t the only 12th-grader on the Trojans’ roster, but he is expected to be the lone starter from that class.
Where, exactly, remains to be seen.
“Max plays a lot of tournaments, and is super experienced, so that kind of kid can play anywhere,” said second-year Center Grove coach David Beasley, whose team is coming off a season in which it advanced to the state semifinal.
“When you have a kid at a certain level, he can play both singles and doubles equally. It’s really helpful in building that lineup for specific lineups you’re going to play against.”
Center Grove opens its season at Franklin on Aug. 12.
Meanwhile, sectionals are slated to begin on Sept. 26, allowing Beasley a little over six weeks to determine which of his players are best suited for specific spots in his postseason lineup.
Williams, who as a freshman in 2020 stepped in to play singles after two of his teammates were quarantined due to COVID-19 contact tracing, isn’t partial either way.
“I’m just a tennis player, really,” Williams said. “Right now, I’m probably better at doubles, but I’ll play wherever my coach needs me. Nothing is determined right now.”
Williams and his since-graduated doubles partner for most of last season, Evan Davis, were named first team all-state following the 2022 campaign, as was No. 1 singles player Tyler Lane, the Daily Journal’s two-time county player of the year.
Center Grove’s current squad features the level of depth that could have Williams paired with as many as four different doubles partners (juniors Daksh Patel, Carson Bush and Dimitri Kandris among them) as the season plays out.
“I look for someone I get along with, who can set me up well, and who I can also set up at the net,” Williams said. “It doesn’t really matter, though. They’re all great doubles players.”
That is, as long as Williams isn’t playing singles.
Either way, his presence promises to be vital whether during early morning practice sessions, matches or any off-the-court functions the Trojans take part in.
“Right now, Max is the only senior we expect to start,” Beasley said. “We have a huge junior class, and those players look to him for intensity, leadership and just focus.”
By no means is Williams backing away from what his coach expects from him.
“Obviously, there’s a lot more responsibility to being a leader, but I’m ready for it,” Williams said. “I’m just trying to set a good example for the team.”
SCOUTING THE COUNTY
Center Grove Trojans
Coach: David Beasley
Last season: 24-6, won sectional, regional and semistate championships; lost to North Central in state semifinal
Key returnees: Max Williams, senior; Carson Bush, Dimitri Kandris, Tyler Lane, Daksh Patel and Quinn Smith, juniors; Jack Dybwad, Max Fosnot and Louis Teed, sophomores
Top newcomers: Jonathan Cracraft, Austin Crow and Yuvraj Dasari, freshmen
Outlook: “With making it to the final four last year, and losing a close match to North Central, we’re looking to build on last year’s successes,” Beasley said. “Our primary goal is to stay healthy during our loaded season, and be fresh and ready to play for sectionals. We’re looking to the experiences of senior Max Williams to lead the team, and for many seasoned juniors, such as Tyler Lane and Daksh Patel, to play a crucial role in the success of our season.”
Edinburgh Lancers
Coach: Pete Khensouri
Last season: 8-12, lost to Columbus East in first round of sectional
Key returnees: Austin Brockman, senior; Milas Burkman, junior; Bailey Totten, sophomore
Top newcomers: Jared Myers and Ryan Londeree, juniors; Teddy Crawhorn and Samson Parkhurst, sophomores; Braden Cox, freshman
Outlook: “We lost Max Blandford to graduation, who played No. 1 singles for us the last three seasons,” Khensouri said. “We hope we can improve on our overall record for a young team as the season progresses.”
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Holyn Stonebraker
Last season: 12-10, lost to Center Grove in sectional championship match
Key returning players: Reid Davidson and Nathan Neville, juniors; Luke Sherry, sophomore
Top newcomers: Colin Anderson and Jaxson Doddridge, sophomores
Outlook: “This team is young, and has a lot of potential to grow. They are a great group of guys who are always putting in hard work and pushing each other,” first-year coach Stonebraker said. “Our goal this year is to continue to grow and develop as players and a team. My goal is for us to be better by the end of the season and push some of those teams ahead of us.”
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Jeremy Runge
Last season: 11-9, lost to Whiteland in first round of sectional
Key returnees: Will Davidson, Noah Paswater and Dominic Soubeih, seniors; Carter Chatham and Ian Ratliff, juniors
Top newcomers: Brayden Holmon, senior; Isaac Apgar, Seth McCauley and Nick Pruett, juniors
Outlook: “This group has put in a ton of effort in the weight room, as well as conditioning during the offseason,” Runge said. “We are top-heavy in terms of grade-wise, but several players have not had any — or limited — varsity experience, so I’m curious to see how we handle adversity. I expect us to be very competitive with the bigger schools in the Mid-State Conference. We are looking forward to the season starting and expect it to be a good one.”
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Mike Perry
Last season: 19-1, lost to Franklin in sectional semifinal
Key returnees: Aaron Spurgeon, Peyton Strunk and Trent Volz, seniors; Landon Sichting, junior; Grant Dalton, sophomore
Top newcomers: Alan Ellis and Hayden Westerfeld, seniors; Trevor Cravens, junior; John Cave and Will Shobe, sophomores; A.J. Emenhiser, Mason Frische, Aaron Hickson and Nick Winters, freshmen
Outlook: “After going 35-2 and remaining undefeated in the WIC the past two seasons, we lost a couple of our key leaders to graduation,” Perry said. “With that said, I feel our team is positioned to be even stronger this year with the experience and depth we have. Quite a few or our guys have been playing year-round, and with the five returning varsity players expected to earn back their spots, we are going to have 10 or more guys battling it out for the other two varsity spots. This is a very athletic, hard-working team, and I expect this to be a fun season.”
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Mike Gillespie
Last season: 19-5, lost to Center Grove in sectional semifinal
Key returning players: Carson Baumann, Chase Koester and Kai Koester, seniors; Jeremiah Hurt, Spencer Gillespie, Isaac Phegley and Gavin Stubbe, juniors
Top newcomers: Tyler Copenhaver, Amos Hubler and Mason Levingston, seniors; Yuvraj Badwal and Haroon Mardanzai, juniors; Quintin Gieseking and Rhett Monday, sophomores; AJ Stephenson and Tysen McGary, freshmen
Outlook: “Six of our top seven players from last year are back. It’s always nice to have players who have played varsity,” coach Gillespie said. “We look at our conference, which is a pretty big deal for us, and we have other tournaments we’ll be trying to win, too.”
