To say that 2016 has been an eventful year would be a pretty serious understatement. As we prepare to turn our calendars over to 2017, here’s a look back at some of the top sports stories in Johnson County over the past 12 months:
1 Yeast rises to the occasion
Russ Yeast arrived at Center Grove in the winter after his father accepted the offensive coordinator job with the Franklin College football team. Though he was only around for one season, Yeast made the most of it.
In helping the Trojans to a 12-2 record and a return trip to the 6A state final (see below), Yeast racked up more than 2,500 all-purpose yards and scored 27 touchdowns. He was rewarded for his efforts with numerous postseason honors and awards, the most prestigious of which came when he was named Gatorade’s Indiana Player of the Year.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryYeast, who was also the runner-up for Indiana’s Mr. Football honor, has committed to play his college football for the University of Louisville.
2 Almost #AnotherOne
Battling back from a season-opening home loss to Warren Central and a rash of key injuries, the Center Grove football team reeled off 12 consecutive victories, returning to the Class 6A state championship game one year after finishing off a perfect 14-0 season.
Facing conference rival Carmel in its quest to become the first team to repeat as 6A champ, the Trojans gave up a touchdown late in regulation before rallying to force overtime with a 50-yard field goal by Luke Eckert as time expired. Center Grove’s first possession in the extra session came up empty, however, and the Greyhounds kicked a field goal of their own for a 16-13 victory.
3 Major accomplishment
Just before finishing her freshman year at Center Grove, Erica Shepherd became one of the youngest golfers to ever earn a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open. In a May 23 qualifier at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove, Illinois, Shepherd put together a two-round total of 142, best in the field.
The Open was held July 7-10 at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California. Shepherd rebounded with a 75 after a first-round 82, but the 15-year-old still fell a few strokes short of the cut line.
4 Gillin reaches 300-win mark
After coming up short in his first three cracks at the milestone, Mike Gillin finally recorded the 300th victory of his high school football coaching career when he guided Indian Creek to a 13-7 win at Owen Valley on Sept. 2. Gillin became the eighth coach in state history to reach that mark, and he ranks third among active Indiana coaches in career wins with 305.
Following the season, his 16th with the Braves, Gillin stepped down to accept the head coaching job in his current hometown of Mooresville.
5 Trojans rally for titles
The Center Grove 4×400 relay team was in fourth place heading into the anchor leg at the state finals in Bloomington, but senior Jackson Hohlt came roaring back, outpacing runners from Avon, Merrillville and Plainfield to help the Trojans claim the state crown.
Meanwhile, teammate Cameron Tidd was down to his last throw in his attempt to repeat as state discus champion, and the senior delivered a throw of 181 feet, 11 inches to supplant Rhett Myers of Columbus East.
6 Emberton dominates
Already leading the state shot put final with one final attempt to go, Whiteland’s Ryder Emberton unleashed a heave of 62 feet, 1/2 inch on his last try for an emphatic win over Ben Davis’ Jalil Brewer (60 feet, 6 ¼ inches). Nobody else finished within five feet of Emberton.
Now a senior, Emberton will take aim at a repeat in the spring. This fall, he was an All-State selection in football and the Mid-State Conference’s defensive player of the year.
7 Home sweet home
Hard hats became high fashion at Center Grove and Greenwood, where construction is underway on massive new activity complexes. Both will be completed in 2017, with Greenwood opening the doors to its new facility in January.
Center Grove also played its first football season at the newly renovated Ray Skillman Stadium, which nearly doubled seating capacity to 6,000.
8 Breakthrough season
The Franklin tennis team hadn’t won a county title in 39 years, and it had never won a sectional crown. This fall, the Grizzly Cubs did both and capped their best season ever with a regional title.
Senior Noah Roberts, the team’s No. 1 singles player, advanced to the semifinal round of the state individual tournament and finished with a 21-3 record.
9 It’s about time
By holding off Center Grove for a 48-46 victory at Indian Creek, the Whiteland boys basketball team was able to lay claim to the Johnson County tournament championship for the first time since 1955 — ending a 61-year drought.
Terr’e Moss tied the game late at 44-44 with a 3-pointer and added the winning point at the foul line with 17.9 seconds remaining.
10 Fancy meeting you here
Franklin’s Burk VanHorn and Center Grove’s Gleason Mappes had already met four times during the high school wrestling season, but the fifth was the biggest of all — at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a berth in the 160-pound state title match on the line.
VanHorn won by a 9-3 decision, his fifth straight victory over Mappes, on the way to a second-place finish. Mappes was fourth.
