Trojans prefer being the road team at state finals

One order of business taken care of at the state finals coaches’ meeting earlier this week was the coin flips determining home and away teams.

Heads. Tails.

Center Grove would have been covered either way.

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The majority of high school programs prefer to showcase its dominant color if fortunate enough to play on such a stage.

Trojans coach Eric Moore has never been afraid of running misdirection.

When given a choice, Moore happily eschews the home red jerseys in a state finals setting — including Friday night’s Class 6A title matchup against Carmel.

“Honestly, I think we look bigger. We look more like a team in our whites — white socks, white pants, white shirts. Everybody looks the same,” Moore said. “I’ve tried to make that more of a motivational thing when we go on the road.

“But for the state finals, we’ve played in that place (Lucas Oil Stadium) five times, and every time we’ve played in there we’ve been the visiting team. I’m talking about playing Whiteland a couple of times, North Central and the two state championships.”

Lucas Oil Stadium had just opened its doors in 2008 when Center Grove, wearing all white, rallied from a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter to post a dramatic 36-33 victory against Carmel for the 5A crown.

Last fall the Trojans played the role of road squad in downing Penn, 28-16, in the 6A championship game to complete a 14-0 season.

Compare these trips to downtown Indianapolis to Center Grove’s initial venture to a state finals in 2000, Moore’s second season.

The designated home team, the Trojans wore red jerseys for the 5A matchup against Penn inside the since-imploded RCA Dome.

Penn won 21-0.

“That building’s not there anymore,” Moore said with a laugh.

Pre-finals coin flips are always a win-win situation.

If Moore wins, he chooses for Center Grove to be the visiting team. If the opposing coach wins the coin flip, he immediately selects being the home team, and Moore shifts into aw-shucks mode while pretending to be disappointed.

Center Grove won the coin flip in 2000, picked red jerseys and lost. In 2008, Carmel won, chose to wear blue jerseys and lost.

Last November, Moore won the coin flip with Penn coach Cory Yeoman, selected to wear all-white uniforms and won.

However, there are other positives to being the road team at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Trojans coaches and players know from experience exactly how long it takes to go from the locker room to the playing field when designated as the away team.

They know the locker room, the walk to and through the tunnel.

Being the so-called visitors is empowering as it’s the ultimate in us-versus-them thinking. Furthermore, players tend to be more focused for road games as there are fewer distractions than playing at home.

“I love red, but, again, it’s about being in that visiting locker room,” Moore said. “I love red here in Ray Skillman Stadium.”