Boys Tennis

The forecast called for rain in Carmel, Indiana, but the clouds seemed to have sensed history in the making, as they held their showers for the boys tennis team’s 4-3 win against No. 3 Carmel, the first Center Grove win in the matchup since 2009.

After falling to No. 4 Columbus North and No. 3 Jasper earlier in the season, Thursday was an opportunity for the Trojans to win against a higher ranked team.

“After losing to Columbus North and Jasper, our confidence got a little low,” senior Daksh Patel said. “We knew we could beat both of those teams, but we ended up just slightly losing to them. But after winning a tight game like this, we’re back up. We know we can win the state title and we got Jasper again today. I think we have the confidence to beat them.”

One of the keys to the win against Carmel was the overall improvement of the team’s physical shape to go along with their technique.

“This year I feel like our team is definitely a lot stronger. Me and my doubles partner Daksh, I feel like we’re stronger than some of the teams in the past since we’ve grown and gotten bigger and stronger as seniors, so I feel like that definitely played a big role too,” senior Carson Bush said.

Following the final win by the No. 3 doubles team of senior Dimitri Kandris and sophomore Austin Crowe, the Trojans rushed the court.

“I felt great that it was the first time we won against Carmel in [15] years,” Patel said. “Our head coach has never gotten a point against Carmel, and we did. We won the whole match, and we couldn’t hold back. We rushed the courts and it was just a fun time last night.”

Boys Soccer

Through the bleak Thursday night, the bright floodlights of the Center Grove soccer complex shone through a rainy haze, but the only thing illuminating the green turf was a moment of genius.

With the ball spinning off a Noblesville defender with a minute left, senior Austin Lowden controlled the ball. The No. 2 Noblesville Millers had defended Lowden stoutly all night, often putting two defenders on him. But in the rare moment he was able to get breathing space, not even three defenders could stop him.

A fake shot took two defenders out, a skip to the right took him away from another, and a sublime shot into the bottom left corner found the back of the net. The ball was yellow, the air iwass damp, but under the dark Thursday night sky, a spark of ingenuity shone the brightest. 2-1, game over.

“It’s just crazy,” Lowden said. “The atmosphere was crazy. It was electric. I didn’t even believe it happened. I just thought [about] everything towards the goal: foot, knee, face, anything.”

The No. 1 Trojans took the lead in the first half thanks to a goal by junior Niekos Whitney, who ran into empty space to slot the goal home in a back-and-forth affair. The Millers would notch a goal late in the second half, and the game seemed to be heading toward a tie with a minute left, until a corner kick by senior Charlie Habig found its way to Lowden, who put away the game-winning goal.

“When he’s eight yards from the goal and [tha ball] is at his feet, he doesn’t miss,” head coach Jameson McLaughlin said. “The only way that doesn’t go in is if it deflects off somebody’s leg and goes wide, but when that ball fell to him and he got to gather himself and look at the goal, that’s 2-1. 99 out of a 100 times, he’s hitting that.”

The headlines might focus on Lowden’s game winning goal, but defending a team that had not lost a game since Sept. 29, 2022 was also a key in the game.

“[Senior] Evan Hewitt was immense. Hewitt, [sophomore] Cooper Worley, [junior] Saul Greenwood, [sophomore] Carter Dorrell with the save he had in the first half, [Senior Landen Gilstorf], he didn’t play as many minutes as he normally does, [sophomore] James Ignaut. Everybody defended, we defended as a team, but Evan Hewitt is a monster,” McLaughlin said.

To defend against the three-time defending state champions required the Trojans to press and win the ball high, which took a toll on the players, though a win will see them climb to 13-0, undefeated in the season, with only five goals allowed.

“I was hurting,” Hewitt said. “Playing from the start of the game to the end of the game, it takes a toll on your body. I just had to play through it. Perseverance from the whole team is what won us that game.”