Boys soccer: Season preview

Center Grove hasn’t played its first boys soccer match of the season yet — the Class 3A No. 5 Trojans open with a home match against Roncalli on Saturday evening — but Keaton Barnhizer has already started playing it out inside his head.

The senior back, who has been the anchor of the Trojans’ defense for the majority of his high school years, doesn’t like to leave much to chance. He makes it a point to know his opponent’s every move before the move gets made.

Barnhizer says he’s already watched the game tape of last year’s match against the Royals at least three times, trying to soak up every detail he can about how they operate individually and as a whole. He’s always a step ahead of the action, and that’s not an accident. It’s a product of tireless preparation.

“I have a good game sense, and I read the game very well,” Barnhizer said. “I read other teams very well; I read other players very well. I read which way they’re going, I can tell where they want to pass, when they want to pass, which foot they want to be on at what times. I work on 1-v-1s all the time, so I’ve gotten hip movements down — if they move this way they’re going to do this, if they do this they’re going to do that. … I’ve got it locked down now.”

Locking opponents down is what Barnhizer does best. He’s been an All-County defender each of the last two years, helping Center Grove win back-to-back sectional championships. The Trojans have had some high-octane offensive players who might have garnered more headlines (such as recently graduated All-State forward Ely Detty, who’s now at the University of Kentucky), but Barnhizer has quietly been The Guy on the other end.

His coach, Jameson McLaughlin, is very appreciative of what Barnhizer brings to the table.

“Leadership, period,” McLaughlin explained. “The kid works his butt off, never quits. As he’s gotten older he’s become more vocal, but what he provides us is leadership — and then on top of that, just lockdown defense.”

Barnhizer has long been a leader for the Trojans. He was named a team captain midway through his sophomore season, though he qualifies that (“no one really listened to me, because I was a sophomore,” he said). But now that he’s a senior, he’s officially got his teammates’ attention and respect.

Being in that position isn’t at all foreign for him.

“I enjoy having more of a central role,” he said. “I enjoy — not necessarily spotlight, but I enjoy having the light on me and being depended on by my team and my coaches.”

Having the light on him this fall should help Barnhizer realize his longtime goal of playing collegiate soccer. He’s still feeling out the recruiting process and seeing what comes his way, but he’s hopeful that he’ll find a good fit over the coming months.

“I’ve got a couple (of schools) that have been emailing back and forth with for a little while now that I’m hoping will see through on me and see me as their potential future center back,” Barnhizer said.

One good way to make those college coaches see him in that light would be to lead Center Grove on a deep tournament run, and perhaps all the way to its first state championship since 2015. Doing that will likely mean getting through the Columbus North team that handed the Trojans regional defeats the last two seasons — the two are now in the same sectional — but Barnhizer has a good feeling about what the next two-plus months have to offer.

“This is the year,” he said. “This is definitely the team that’s going to do it.”

Another case of Barnhizer being able to see things before they happen, perhaps?

SCOUTING THE COUNTY

Center Grove Trojans

Coach: Jameson McLaughlin

Last season: 14-3-2, won Class 3A sectional championship; lost to Columbus North in regional semifinal

Who’s back?: Keaton Barnhizer, Matheus Gubert, Charlie Habig, Evan Hewitt, seniors; Neikos Whitney, junior;

New face to watch: Austin Lowden, senior

What to expect: The Trojans lost two-time county player of the year Ely Detty to the University of Kentucky but are still just as loaded as ever, thanks largely to a big and experienced senior class paced by returning starters Barnhizer, Gubert, Habig and Hewitt. The addition of Lowden — who had spent the rest of his high school years playing for the Indiana Fire Pro Academy in MLS Next — should help bolster the offense. Center Grove begins the season ranked fifth in Class 3A and should be on the short list of state title contenders.

Franklin Grizzly Cubs

Coach: Mike Spongberg

Last season: 13-3-1, won Mid-State Conference title; lost to Columbus North in Class 3A sectional semifinal

Who’s back? Cohen Betts, Carter Breeden, Mason Herbert and Matt Payne, seniors; Ripken Dillon, Gavin Fugate, Joseph Judson, Aybram Moore and Ashton Perry, juniors

New faces to watch: Luke Moore, sophomore; Aaiden Branch, freshman

What to expect: The Grizzly Cubs are hoping for a seamless transition under Spongberg, who had assisted longtime coach Tony Harris in previous seasons. Leading the way is Payne, who should be one of the state’s most explosive playmakers up top, and veteran defenders Breeden and Herbert; Betts takes over as the starting goalkeeper behind them. Realignment has put Franklin into a brutally tough sectional with Center Grove, Columbus North and East Central, but the hope is that this group will be able to contend with any and all of them by season’s end.

Greenwood Woodmen

Coach: Dan Priscu

Last season: 8-7-1; lost to Columbus North in Class 3A sectional opener

Who’s back?: Dominic Barlow, Alex Baugh, Quintin Cain, Alfredo Rosales, Za Sang, Sam Thompson, Braedan Townsend and Brayden Wright, seniors; Landen Bellair, Landon Holt, Zeigen Mahachanh, Jack Thompson and Landon Vaziri, juniors; Emmanuel Jackson, Jose Moreno, Oscar Sahm and Kaden Wilking, sophomores

New faces to watch: Braden Reynolds, sophomore; Tyson Holt, Will Thompson and Iker Valle Navarrete, freshmen

What to expect: Fresh off the first winning record in their history, the Woodmen will look to keep building with a veteran group in Priscu’s fourth season. Third-year captain Sam Thompson heads up a deep and experienced back line, while the likes of Jackson and Moreno provide some scoring punch up front. Greenwood is challenging itself with a tougher schedule in hopes of preparing for the postseason success that has eluded it thus far — the Woodmen have never won a sectional championship. Can this group change that?

Greenwood Christian Cougars

Coach: Kefil Tonouewa

Last season: 15-5, won Class A sectional and regional titles; lost to Forest Park in semistate

Who’s back?: Caden Camden and Preston Van Til, seniors; Cayden Afterkirk, Bo Campbell, Trey Dobson and Andrew Ramlian, juniors

New faces to watch: Max McNichols, Aldo Perez, Johan Perez and Tommy Stines, freshmen

What to expect: The Cougars, who have reached a Class A state final and a semistate the last two seasons, wade into somewhat uncertain territory with some big graduation losses to make up for and a third head coach in three years. Campbell has been an elite scorer since his freshman season, and Camden provides another veteran presence. For GCA to make another deep postseason run, though, it’s going to need some younger players to step into major contributing roles. Don’t be surprised if it all comes together again by October.

Indian Creek Braves

Coach: Jeff Smeltzer

Last season: 7-6-1; lost to Greencastle in Class 2A sectional opener

Who’s back?: Caiden Flora, Tristan Gray, Jude Heaston, Nick Jackson, Kaden Martin, seniors; Logan Jackson, Aiden Long and Casey Seitzinger, juniors

New faces to watch: Emry McShanog, freshman

What to expect: Now in their third season of existence, the Braves are looking to take another big step forward — particularly on the offensive end, where they’ve struggled a bit to finish in the past. Nick Jackson provides a talented presence in goal, while Long is the straw that stirs the drink for Indian Creek in the field. Smeltzer has beefed up the schedule in an effort to challenge his squad, but he believes the group is up for it. A second straight winning record feels like a realistic goal.

Whiteland Warriors

Coach: Justin VanHorn

Last season: 2-13-2; lost to Franklin Central in Class 3A sectional opener

Who’s back?: Austin Cooper, Jackson Crawford, Nalon Knight, Lal Rin Ralte and Jake Witherington, seniors; Isaiah Mendez, Brodie Noel, Cameron Reid and Dylan Singh-Cordoba, juniors; Caden Rains, sophomore

New faces to watch: Mateo Nunez-Alvarez, senior; Joseph Thawng, junior

What to expect: The Warriors have been down in recent years, but VanHorn has 12 returning seniors set to anchor his most experienced squad in quite some time. Newcomers Nunez-Alvarez, a Spanish exchange student, and Thawng, a Southport transfer, should aid the cause as well. Cooper and Crawford head up a veteran defense in front of returning netminder Witherington, and VanHorn believes the offense will have more scoring punch than it did last fall. The Mid-State Conference continues to get tougher each season, but Whiteland is up for the challenge.