Center Grove’s Tyler Lane hits a forehand during Thursday’s sectional final against Greenwood.
Chris Williams | For the Daily Journal
Jack Dybwad has played seven varsity matches in his high school tennis career, the last two being the most significant.
The Center Grove sophomore, inserted into the No. 3 singles spot in place of injured teammate Daksh Patel, won both to help the 12th-ranked Trojans raise the championship trophy at their own sectional on Thursday.
After a hard-fought 4-1 victory against No. 20 Whiteland in a Wednesday semifinal that was eventually moved indoors due to weather, Center Grove required only 63 minutes to shut out Greenwood, 5-0, in the finale.
Dybwad’s contributions are further proof of the Trojans’ depth.
“I was playing mostly No.1 JV doubles with the occasional 1 or 2 JV singles,” Dybwad said. “(Wednesday) was my sixth varsity match, but it was definitely my most important. I was very nervous.
“There’s nothing like this, really. It’s really just a dream come true ever since I started playing tennis a few years ago.”
Dybwad handed Greenwood’s Ian Ratliff a 6-2, 6-1 loss. A day earlier, he rallied after losing the first set to Whiteland junior Jeremiah Hurt to win in three sets.
“It was a lot to ask of him because Jack hadn’t played a varsity match until this year,” Center Grove coach David Beasley said. “He’s never going to cheat you on effort, and he just went and fought his tail off.
“Our kids train all year round. They take the sport seriously. And the other part is I think we play a really tough schedule, and that schedule allows us to know what we’ve got in the tank. We know our limits and capabilities.”
All of the Trojans’ wins on Thursday were in straight-set fashion, as they claimed the program’s seventh consecutive sectional title and 36th overall.
Junior Tyler Lane defeated Woodmen senior Noah Paswater at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-0; CG’s Max Williams, a senior, downed Greenwood junior Carter Chatham at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-0.
The Trojans proved every bit as dominant in doubles.
Center Grove’s top duo of juniors Carson Bush and Russell Dean won 6-0, 6-2 over Brayden Holman and William Davidson. The combination of Dimitri Kandris and Ben McCarty downed Dominic Soubeih and Nick Pruett of Greenwood, 6-2, 6-2.
The Woodmen, who finished the season with a 15-9 record, graduate four of the seven players who started on Thursday. Chatham and Ratliff will be back to lead singles next season; Pruett, a junior, also returns.
Greenwood coach Jeremy Runge knew his squad had its work cut out in trying to bring home its sixth sectional championship and first since 2003.
“It’s an uphill battle. I mean, we’ve beat them in years past, but it takes a lot. They’re always a good team,” Runge said. “To me, on paper, we’re the underdog. I expected us to be competitive, and we were the first part of every single match.
“It was tight, and then I would argue Center Grove kind of woke up a little bit and kind of turned it on. Honestly, I thought we played pretty well. In the offseason, we’ve got some work to do, so I’m ready to roll.”
