Sectional 13: Previewing The Upcoming Season
The coming high school season is almost upon us. With that, we are taking a look at each Sectional in the state. Starting with 64 and ending with 1. Today, we are previewing Sectional 13 at Martinsville. Teams: Franklin Central, Martinsville, Franklin…
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Continue ReadingThe coming high school season is almost upon us. With that, we are taking a look at each Sectional in the state. Starting with 64 and ending with 1. Today, we are previewing Sectional 13 at Martinsville.
Teams: Franklin Central, Martinsville, Franklin Community, Whiteland, Center Grove, Greenwood
Last Season: This past season, you saw a very young, but very competitive Sectional. Ultimately, Franklin Central took down Franklin Community in the Sectional Championship before falling in the first round of Regionals to Evansville Reitz. All teams, except for Center Grove, had more than 12 wins and were above .500. Franklin Central, Martinsville, and Franklin Community were loaded with seniors and were able to be solid all year long.
Contenders For 2016-17: The dynamic will change quite a bit this season as Franklin Central loses a lot of their roster and won’t be the odds on favorite. Jimmy Weinke, Antoyne Jackson, and Marcus Burk are all gone. They will still compete at a high level with guys like Will Huber, Grant Pedigo, and Mason Hardimon as the key players. The competition at the top will be even tougher as Center Grove and Greenwood will likely improve upon last season. Center Grove is built around their talented group of sophomores, Greenwood around their juniors. Whiteland could be about the same as this group grows up. Brennan Neal and Noah Hale, sophomores, will be asked to replace a lot of offense from last season. Lanky wing Mike Valle will be a key part of that team as well. Martinsville will be very young with a lot of unproven players. Too early to know if they can mount any type of competition in this loaded Sectional. From the start, Center Grove, Greenwood, and Franklin Central should be the top contenders.
Players to Watch: The player to watch in this loaded group is Center Grove’s Nate McLain. The 6’2 guard has a lot on his shoulders to run this team after the departure of key seniors in Bailey Barrett and Trevor Harrell. This group is talented but losing your starting backcourt is tough. If he can help to relieve the pressure and still add some offense, this team has a chance to be really good this year, not next.