GREENFIELD — There’s nothing quite like facing a county rival in a sectional opener.
With this year’s sectional draws and schedules complete, the six Hancock County soccer teams know who they are playing and when.
For most of them, the answer as to who they are playing is somebody they know quite well.
On the boys side, the New Palestine Dragons take on the Mt. Vernon Marauders in a Sectional 12 opening-round game at Mt. Vernon. Greenfield-Central, also in that sectional, faces Shelbyville in the opening round, a Hoosier Heritage Conference opponent.
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On the girls side of the tournament, the hosts of Sectional 12, Greenfield-Central, will face off against HHC champion Mt. Vernon in the opening round. New Palestine, in Sectional 28, will take on the same opponent they began sectional play with last year, Connersville.
The road to a championship begins Monday. Here’s what to expect from each sectional.
Girls: Sectional 12
The Greenfield-Central Sectional is a loaded one, with the hosts, Mt. Vernon, Richmond, East Central, Warren Central and Franklin Central all taking part.
While the Marauders are the slight favorites after a 14-1 regular season and undefeated Hoosier Heritage Conference run, the competition is stiff.
“It’s not the easiest road. I would assume that we’re probably the team to beat in that sectional, but having said that, it’s tough to beat a team twice,” Mt. Vernon coach Steve Williams said. “We have to go to Greenfield, then could have to play East Central, who won it last year and is going to bring that mojo they had with them last year. That sectional is tough.”
East Central won this sectional a year ago by eliminating both Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon by one goal. They’ve only given up 11 goals in 13 games so far this year, but the defending champions are going against some seriously high-powered offenses next week.
The Marauders are an offensive force, with 80 goals this year. They are led by Cleo Mills’ 27 goals, with Lucy Brand adding 16.
The host of the sectional, Greenfield-Central, has 60 goals this year, with Anne Marie DeKeyser leading with 14, Kelsi McLaughlin with 13 and Lucy Brand with 12.
Richmond, while scoring five less total goals than the Marauders, boasts a pair of goal-scorers with eye-popping statistics in Payton VanMiddlesworth, who has 31 goals and 19 assists, and Nakala Bennett, who has 29 goals and 8 assists.
The opening round has two high-profile matches, with Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central squaring off, the winner to play the winner of East Central and Richmond.
It will be the second meeting of the year between the Marauders and Cougars. Mt. Vernon prevailed at Greenfield-Central on Aug. 20, 3-1.
“These types of games are the reason you play and why you put in the offseason work and all the effort leading up to the tournament,” Greenfield-Central coach Erin Clark said. “The players get excited for these kinds of games. We’ve changed lineups, changed starters, changed formations … everything is to try to bring your best for sectionals.”
The Cougars are looking for a chance at revenge, to best the Marauders this time and advance past the first round of the sectional.
The Marauders know the Cougars won’t be an easy out. The teams were scoreless after an hour in August, and both have improved since that meeting. Mt. Vernon is coming in with a bit of added momentum after an emotional, conference-championship-clinching win Monday against Pendleton Heights.
“It takes a lot off our mind, certainly,” Williams said. “All we’ve got to do is think about Greenfield now. Greenfield’s tough. They played us as tough as anybody this year. We had that a couple years ago where we owned them in the season, won the conference, and they got us in a shootout. We don’t want to do that again.”
Girls: Sectional 28
The New Palestine Dragons are the lone Hancock County team in the Rushville Sectional, joined by Connersville, Rushville, Shelbyville and Beech Grove.
It’s a sectional the Dragons won last year, taking down Connersville and Beech Grove to win the title.
That would be the same path the Dragons would have to take this year to get to the sectional championship game, as they open with Connersville and Beech Grove has a bye, awaiting the winner of that game.
Last year’s results don’t mean a whole lot this season. The Dragons cruised to 6-0 and 9-0 wins in the 2017 sectional. But these Dragons, and their opponents, are much different teams.
“We need to come out ready to play,” New Palestine coach Gina Fannin said. “We are down a few players due to injury and they are questionable to return by next week, but we are still confident that our style of play and our skills will allow us to be successful in sectional.”
The Dragons are in a sectional that looks to be a three-team race for a title, with Connersville and Shelbyville being New Palestine’s top competition.
New Palestine has by far the most potent offense of the five sectional teams, and the Dragons’ defense has given up the least goals as well.
The offense of the Dragons is balanced, with Victoria Crowder and Maddy Miller leading the way with 10 goals, Olivia Lambdin adding nine and Lucy Miller at seven.
They should be the favorites again this year, as they look to defend their sectional title and advance into the regional round yet again.
“The girls know that we are coming into the last few games that our seniors will ever play as New Palestine Dragons, and so I know that the girls are going to give it their all for each other to defend their sectional title,” Fannin said. “I expect them to rise to the challenge and to work as a team to be successful.”
Boys: Sectional 12
All three county teams are in the same sectional on the boys side, with Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine being joined by Richmond, East Central, Shelbyville and Connersville.
The Marauders are the sectional hosts, while Greenfield-Central is the defending sectional champion, having defeated Mt. Vernon, East Central and Shelbyville a year ago.
It’s a tough sectional, with four teams — Mt. Vernon, Greenfield-Central, East Central and Connersville — having at least nine wins.
The Cougars will come in as at least co-HHC champions, but one of their losses this season was to East Central, a team that also defeated Connersville and Richmond this season.
“After seeing the draw we know we have our work cut out for us,” Greenfield-Central coach Bobby Holden said. “Our sectional is very competitive and we knew no matter how the draw went it was going to be tough. Every single game in the bracket is a big game.”
The Cougars open the sectional against Shelbyville, who they faced Sept. 17.
A final-minute penalty kick sent the game to overtime, where Greenfield-Central turned up the offense on their way to a 6-3 win.
“Frankly, the overtime match happened to go our way but could have easily gone against us,” Holden said. “Our team is very talented, but you need more than talent to win our sectional. It’s going to take a lot of work to come out on top. Shelbyville is a tough squad who will be firing on all cylinders the first match of sectionals. If we don’t come ready to play, it could be a short run.
“However, if our boys are in top form, we would put them against any team in the state, and I like our odds.”
Hoping to unseat the Cougars this year are the Marauders and Dragons.
They will have to go through one another to get the opportunity, though, as the two county rivals open sectional play against each other.
“Going into the sectional draw, we always know that no matter who we play it is going to be a battle,” New Palestine coach Justin Sass said. “We will have to put forth our best effort if we want a chance to win sectionals. Sectionals is always tough when you have four conference teams playing each other for a second time during the year and competing for a sectional championship.”
“We know it is going to be a tough battle,” Mt. Vernon coach Matt Mayhew said. “Coach (Sass) does a great job preparing his team and motivating his boys to work hard. So we know we have to play our best game to advance.”
The Marauders got the best of the Dragons in the regular season, a 4-2 win Aug. 28.
That victory doesn’t give the Marauders any extra confidence heading into the game, though. They know that sectionals are a different game altogether.
“We play in a tough conference and on any given night anyone can beat anyone,” Mayhew said. “So, regular season was our night. We now have to prepare and get ready. Both teams have improved since that early season game.
“To get past first round, we have to prepare more focused, because from this point on, it is one game and done if you lose. So you can’t save anything for the next game. There is no tomorrow.”
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GIRLS
Sectional 12
Teams: Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon, Richmond, East Central, Warren Central, Franklin Central
Favorites: Mt. Vernon
Darkhorses: Greenfield-Central, Richmond, East Central
Players to watch: Mt. Vernon – Cleo Mills, Alexi Hardie, Jaici Wright; Greenfield-Central – Anne Marie DeKeyser, Lucy Brand, Kelsi McLaughlin; Richmond – Payton VanMiddlesworth, Nakala Bennett; East Central – Jessica Shipman, McKenzie Brown
Outlook: The Marauders are the favorites here, but this is a tough sectional with four teams that could realistically win it. The gap between Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central, Richmond and East Central isn’t large. Whoever emerges from the Cougars/Marauders opening-round game should be the slight favorite, but the second round matchup between that winner and the Richmond/East Central winner will be the highlight game of the sectional.
Sectional 28
Teams: New Palestine, Connersville, Rushville, Shelbyville, Beech Grove
Favorites: New Palestine
Darkhorses: Shelbyville, Connersville
Players to watch: New Palestine – Victoria Crowder, Maddy Miller, Haley Weinrich; Connersville – Maddie Gregory, Elise Bottomley; Shelbyville – Hannah Murray, Sophie Parker
Outlook: New Palestine is the clear favorite in this sectional, with Shelbyville and Connersville being the only other two teams with a winning record. Rushville is winless, and Beech Grove picked up just a handful of victories this season. To avoid an upset, the Dragons will need more offensive consistency than they’ve had at points this season. A letdown is possible, but the expectation should be the Dragons making it to the regional round again.
BOYS
Sectional 12
Teams: Mt. Vernon, Greenfield-Central, New Palestine, Richmond, East Central, Shelbyville, Connersville
Favorites: Greenfield-Central, East Central
Darkhorses: Mt. Vernon, Connersville
Players to watch: Greenfield-Central – Zack Bell, Tyler Murphy, Abe Buescher; Mt. Vernon – Tylin Broaders, Jacob Knepper; New Palestine – Zach Martin, Adam Hunt; East Central – Jared Tiemann, Landen Weis; Shelbyville – Trae Hassebroek, Evan Witte; Connersville – Jugman Dhami, Cooper Griffin
Outlook: This sectional is the most wide open of the three, with Greenfield-Central and East Central neck-and-neck as favorites. The Trojans got the best of the Cougars, 3-2, in mid August, but it’s a long road for each to get to a potential championship rematch. There’s not much separating the top four or five teams in this sectional — defense might be the key to getting to the regional, as several teams boast high-scoring, impact players.
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GIRLS
Sectional 12 (Greenfield-Central)
Tuesday
Richmond vs. East Central, 5 p.m.
Greenfield-Central vs. Mt. Vernon, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Winners of Tuesday’s games, 5 p.m.
Warren Central vs. Franklin Central, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 2 p.m.
Sectional 28 (Rushville)
Tuesday
New Palestine vs. Connersville, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Rushville vs. Shelbyville, 5 p.m.
Tuesday’s winner vs. Beech Grove, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 2 p.m.
BOYS
Sectional 12 (Mt. Vernon)
Monday
Shelbyville vs. Greenfield-Central, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
New Palestine vs. Mt. Vernon, 5:30 p.m.
East Central vs. Richmond, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Connersville vs. Shelbyville/G-C winner, 5:30 p.m.
NP/MV winner vs. EC/Richmond winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
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