Center Grove boys coach Howard Harrell talks to his team before the start of Saturday’s regional meet in Shelbyville.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
SHELBYVILLE
Were Center Grove’s boys going to qualify for the state meet as a team this year? The answer could have varied wildly depending on when you asked coach Howard Harrell the question.
“On Wednesday? No. On Thursday, yeah, and then Friday no,” Harrell said. “And then this morning it was like, it’s a big maybe. But when I saw them warming up, the focus and the drive that I saw, I knew that things were going to work out.”
During Saturday morning’s regional meet at Blue River Memorial Park, Harrell’s team indeed made sure that they did work out. The Trojans advanced to state in fairly comfortable fashion, finishing fourth with 123 points.
Indian Creek sophomore Libby Dowty was the overall winner in the girls race, leading a group of four county girls who earned trips to the state finals at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute this coming Saturday. Three local individuals advanced on the boys side as well.
The Trojan boys did what was needed up front, with Gavin Rockwell and Kyle Montgomery finishing third and fourth overall with respective times of 15:45.61 and 15:46.59. Cameron Cox added a 19th-place showing (16:15.66).
The team’s fate then rested on the legs of the fourth and fifth runners, and both delivered. Curtis Williams crossed in 16:45.61 to place 53rd, and Rylan Mullins followed shortly thereafter with a time of 16:49.72, good for 58th. That was plenty good enough to ensure Center Grove another week of running.
Harrell was beaming with pride after seeing his team answer the bell down the stretch and ensure a top-five spot.
“I was like, screaming,” the coach said. “They could tell, the volume of my voice, that there was urgency. And I say, ‘pass,’ you needed to pass some people. You’ve got to close the deal.”
Greenwood senior Samuel Grimes, who narrowly missed out on a state spot a year ago, also closed the deal and will finish out his high school career in Terre Haute after blazing to an 18th-place individual finish with a time of 16:15.35.
“At 4K I was a little bit winded, but I’m just like, ‘1K left — we’ve got to go,’” Grimes said. “(Making state) has been a goal since last year at the beginning of the season. I didn’t get it last year, but this year I was like, I’ve got to get it.”
Indian Creek’s boys will have two representatives at state. Luke Neibert came in right on Grimes’ and Cox’s heels to finish 20th at 16:15.78, while teammate Noah Greenwood claimed the final individual qualifying spot by crossing the line 33rd in 16:29.76.
The Braves wound up 12th in the team standings with 363 points. The Woodmen, who also got a 42nd-place effort from Jacob Squier (16:39.42), were 15th with 401. Franklin, which was led by Liam Fennig (69th in 16:58.33), wound up 17th with 473 points.
In the girls race, Dowty was dominant from the start. She led by nearly three seconds after the first kilometer, stretched that to eight seconds by the 2K mark and continued pulling away. Her time of 17:45.79 left her well ahead of the runner-up, Franklin Central’s Kylie Cline (18:07.89).
Dowty had been less than thrilled with her sectional performance on this same course a week earlier, but she made amends with her regional run, especially early.
“I wanted to try to get out fast,” Dowty said. “Last week I didn’t start very fast, and it kind of brought me down a little bit, so I started out faster this time.”
Whiteland senior Tori Jackson also had little trouble punching her state ticket, finishing sixth in 18:36.28. Greenwood sophomore Lilly Rollings (16th in 19:10.72) and Whiteland freshman Lena Shipp (18th, 19:24.91) were also among the advancing individuals, as were Roncalli’s Tessa Mize (23rd, 19:39.28) and Ava Shirley (33rd, 19:50.66).
Center Grove’s girls nearly joined the boys in qualifying for state, finishing sixth in the team chase with 202 points. Marissa Pogue paced the Trojans with a 34th-place finish (19:55.24), with Allison Cohen right behind her in 35th (19:55.82) and Gretchen Meisberger 38th (19:57.45).
Roncalli was eighth with 280 points; Whiteland, which also got a 43rd-place finish from Isabella Fuentes (20:00.91), was ninth with 283. Franklin, 14th with 370 points, was led by senior Lauren Klem (42nd in 20:00.49), while Indian Creek (456) was 17th.
