Despite four new starters, Center Grove girls golf returning to state

The departure of the most accomplished class in program history precedes a shanked drive of a season at a lot of schools.

Cale Hoover viewed it as a challenge.

Center Grove graduated five players with state finals experience from the past four Octobers, including current Grace College freshman Camille Short, a starter for squads finishing fifth a year ago, tied for second in 2022 and eighth her freshman and sophomore years.

The objective this weekend is to earn space on the awards podium (top four teams) at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel because, yes, the Trojans are back after finishing third at the Franklin Regional on Monday.

Hoover, in his seventh season as the CG coach, knew the cupboard wasn’t bare and looked forward to proving it. So did his seniors.

“London (Dodson) and Amanda (Wallace) have been on the second team forever,” Hoover said. “We knew coming into the season we would have the three seniors at the top, then the two sophomores and (freshman) Olivia Alvey.

“We’re a good, solid team. They’re fun to be around, and they get along well.”

Seniors dominate the top portion of the CG lineup, starting with No. 1 player Magnolia Miller, who missed time early in the season to recover from an automobile accident but has been outstanding since. Classmates Wallace and Dodson hold down the second and third spots, respectively.

Three of the players expected to lead the Trojans’ fortunes next season, Alvey and sophomores Zoe Land and Madisyn Bell, have gained valuable experience as well.

“I think our mindset was that it would be awesome to make it to state. We’re so happy to make it,” Dodson said. “I’ve been playing golf with Magnolia since the sixth grade, and we’ve played with Amanda since our freshman year. We lost so many seniors last year, but we worked super hard to get to where we are right now. If we all work hard and play our best, we can make it on the podium.”

Miller, who played No. 3 for last year’s squad and is the only starter back, fired a 78 to lead Center Grove to second place at its own sectional last month at Hickory Stick. Wallace, meanwhile, carded a 76 and Land a 77.

Host Franklin, the team champion at sectional, captured its own regional on Monday at The Legends with a score of 319. Batesville finished second with a 321, followed by Center Grove’s 327 — Miller’s 75 and Wallace’s 82 leading the way.

The experience of the season to date should benefit Center Grove’s players now that they’ve returned to the biggest of stages.

Wallace, who counts her ability to consistently hit the ball straight as one of her main attributes, doesn’t devalue the importance of Center Grove’s depth.

“We were able to step up while playing in tournaments we’ve never played in before,” Wallace said. “We’ve all scored pretty close to each other on JV last season. It really helped us get better. And we could see other team’s JV kids who might be moving up this season.”

Hoover is confident his team can again score well enough to place in the top eight, and perhaps even better. Should Prairie View be set up to be at its most challenging, all the better.

“Honestly, you look at it and we can get between third and eighth,” Hoover said. “If it gets miserably difficult, I think that’s better for us. I think we’re prepared for that.”

IF YOU GO

IHSAA state finals

Where: Prairie View GC, Carmel

When: Friday and Saturday, 8:30 a.m.

Admission: $15 per person (good for both days), digital only via Eventlink; children 5 and under free