<p>The four weekends of postseason cross country don’t offer guarantees.</p><p>Nonetheless, should the seventh-ranked Center Grove boys squad put in the work in order to return to the state finals for a second consecutive year, measures have been taken to reduce pre-meet jitters.</p><p>Last weekend, coach Howard Harrell ran his top runners at the 25-team Valley Twilight Meet on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, site of the state meet since 2004. In early September, Center Grove also competed in the Terre Haute Invitational at the same course.</p><p>Intimidation, it seems, has been replaced by familiarity.</p><p>“It was definitely good,” Trojans junior Raef Sauer said. “One of the reasons we did the race was to get more experience on the course. We ran down there earlier in the season, and got second in that one. We all like the course now and are excited to run there.</p><p>“We are always focusing to make sure we’re all on the same page. Last year, we ran more races in a row, and maybe that caught up with us.”</p><p>Center Grove warmed up for Saturday’s Franklin Sectional by placing fourth at the Valley meet. Only top-ranked Columbus North, No. 2 Carmel and fifth-ranked Fishers fared better in the team standings. Individually, sophomores Drew Costelow, Griffin Hennessy and Parker Mimbela garnered top-20 finishes to make the all-meet team.</p><p>Costelow took second in a time of 15 minutes, 32 seconds. Hennessy and Mimbela were 19th, and 20th, respectively, in times of 16:06 and 16:07.</p><p>It was a far cry from a year ago when the Trojans, making state for the first time in program history after an inspiring runner-up semistate finish in abysmal weather conditions, performed below their standards and finished a disappointing 14th.</p><p>The decision to run the top eight runners in the evening meant Harrell used his second wave of athletes in the morning at the annual Johnson County meet at Franklin.</p><p>Center Grove still won, more evidence of the team’s depth.</p><p>Senior Aidan Galt and freshman Gavin Rockwell did the virtually unthinkable by representing their school in both meets. Perhaps more unusual is both Galt and Rockwell ran personal-best times at county, then lowered them that evening at the Twilight meet.</p><p>Also running for Center Grove in the evening meet were Sauer, soph Jarrett Rockwell and freshman Kyle Montgomery.</p><p>A productive day for the Trojans in myriad ways, according to Harrell.</p><p>“Now what I’ve seen is the JV runners with the varsity not running, all of the focus was on them,” he said. “I would say to a person the whole team stepped up. It worked out so well. Going back to the same course, that gets rid of a lot of demons.</p><p>“Now they feel comfortable, and it’s not so intimidating. If we have the privilege to get back to the state meet, the meet is not going to be as intimidating and the course won’t be as intimidating, and both of those are positives.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><p><strong>Franklin Sectional</strong></p><p>When: Saturday, 10 a.m. (girls) and 11:15 a.m. (boys)</p><p>Teams competing: Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood Christian, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Whiteland, Christel House Academy, Eminence, Monrovia, Mooresville, Shelbyville, Waldron</p><p>Admission: $5 per person</p><p>Advancement: The top 10 individuals from non‐advancing teams and the first five qualifying teams from each sectional advance to the Franklin Regional on Oct. 17.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
