The game against Evansville Memorial on April 5, 2025 wasn’t very competitive. 16-6 read the scoreline, and it was indicative of the general prowess the Center Grove girls’ lacrosse team had shown throughout the game. However, hidden in the unassuming scoreline was a milestone: 200 goals. Not by a team, but by one individual.

“It’s really rewarding. It was nice to get the acknowledgement and everything. Everyone was really supportive and congratulated me all the time, so it was really exciting,” senior Emilee Franklin said.

Franklin has been playing lacrosse since she was in third grade, when she lived in Pennsylvania. After moving to Center Grove, she continued playing, and that was when she realized her passion for the sport.

“I think probably in fourth or fifth grade because when I moved here, I just had a greater start than everyone else,” Franklin said. “I was already so ahead of everyone because I started so much earlier and I love scoring goals. I love being on the field and being involved with the team. Center Grove had a really good program, and all my coaches were really good and pushed me.”

After cracking the varsity roster in her freshman year, Franklin had to adjust to the different level of attention afforded to her in games as opponents realized her ability on the pitch.

“In a lot of games I would get face guarded, which would be really frustrating because it shuts you down, but I would use it as an advantage because I can go set picks for my teammates. That would be a double pick, because my girl would be with me, and she wouldn’t leave my side. Trying to take the negatives and turn them into positives I think helped a lot,” Franklin said.

To take her game to the next level, Franklin joined cross country the fall of her sophomore year to improve her conditioning for lacrosse season. While better stamina helped her finish games stronger, she also had breakthroughs in skill that helped her going into her junior season.

“We had to make sure that we won the fourth quarter because a lot of times we would play the whole half and then in the last half we would get tired, so we had to do a lot of conditioning,” Franklin said. “The summer going into junior year, I realized the game [better] I had a better IQ for the game, and my stick skills got to a point where they were really good, so I could easily pass and catch the ball, and I could work the field better.”

By learning how to deal with the special attention afforded to her by the opposition, and by polishing her game physically, Franklin led the Trojans to a 15-4 record, which was punctuated by a win in the state championship against defending champions Park Tudor, where she scored four goals.

“It was so exciting and so rewarding,” Franklin said. “Our team worked so hard last year and that was our main goal from the very first day we walked in during the fall. That was our main goal from the first practice we had in the fall: that we were going to go and win that state title, and it was so rewarding to see all that work put in and it all paid off.”

Following the state title, the Trojans moved up from 1A to 2A. Although this switch means stiffer competitions, the Trojans are 8-4 so far in the regular season, and ranked No. 8 in the division.

“A lot of people assume we wouldn’t do well [moving from 1A to 2A] and that we would fall to a lot of teams, but I think we’ve put up a really good competition this year,” Franklin said. “I think it’s definitely surprising people and people are getting more worried about state and the playoffs because of that.”

While Franklin aims for a final four appearance in the postseason, what is more important to her is the legacy she leaves behind. She volunteers with lacrosse youth programs in the community, inspiring other kids with aspirations to be “State Champs” in girls’ lacrosse. As her high school career culminates, her legacy will live on in the records she breaks and the people she impacts.

“I want to be known as a good teammate and a good friend,” Franklin said. “I’m a captain and a big thing I’ve focused on is just because I’m a captain doesn’t mean I have authority over you. I’m still your teammate at the end of the day, I’m still your friend, and yes, I may have some captain roles to take care of and I may have to get more on you than other people because of the role that I have, but I think at the end of the day I want everyone to remember me as  positive and encouraging on and off the field, making them a better person.”