By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
It was quite an accomplishment a year ago when Brownsville Veterans Memorial sent the city’s first girls golf team to the UIL state tournament.
And now the Lady Chargers are going back to state.
The Class 5A girls state tournament tees off today at White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown. The final round is Tuesday.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of competition, but I feel we’re ready for it,” said Gigi Ramirez, a junior member of the squad. “We’re very competitive and we’re like a family, so it helps us work together.
“We want to stay focused and calm and not think of it as the state tournament,” Ramirez added. “Our approach is we want to take it as just another tournament. There’s less pressure that way.”
The Lady Chargers qualified for state again by taking second place as a team behind Sharyland High at the Region IV-5A Tournament in San Antonio on April 26.
Besides Ramirez, other members of the Brownsville Veterans squad are Julie Lucio, Fahtima Avila, Cecilia Garza and Anisa Nieto.
Lucio, Avila and Garza played on the team at state last year, while Ramirez and Nieto are newcomers to the squad, which is coached by Thomas Abete and assistant Richard Stewart.
“This team is very hard-working and it’s a great group of girls who work together well,” Abete said. “For them to come out here (to practice) and work hard every single day in all kinds of weather (throughout the school year) is something that is truly a blessing for me as their coach.
“These girls don’t expect anything (to be given to them),” he added. “They know they have to go out, work hard and get it. Their work ethic has helped us get to this level.
“They also have a short-term memory on the course. Whether it’s a good or bad hole, they shake it off and move on. We have a lot of leadership as well from Julie, Fahtima and Ceci, who are the ones from last year’s state squad.”
Lucio is one of only two seniors (the other is Garza) and she recently signed a scholarship agreement to play for the University of Houston women’s golf team at the NCAA Division I level next school year.
Lucio carries a 71.38-stroke average for 18 holes, which is the best mark in the Valley among high school girls. Avila is the Valley’s No. 3 golfer with a 76.67 average. Garza is No. 8 with an 80.94 average.
“This year as a senior, I just want to be in the top five individually and help my team the best I can (at Georgetown),” said Lucio, who will be playing for the third time at state this week. “This will be my last tournament to play (in high school). It’s going to be fun. I’m excited to be with the girls and just have a good time while doing our best. I’m looking forward to giving it 100 percent for this last time (playing for the Lady Chargers).”
Avila, a junior, is approaching state with a similar mindset.
“Our expectations are to play well, concentrate, stay focused and to just have fun,” she said. “That’s all you really can do. You have to be relaxed and enjoy yourself out there. You can’t be stressing out.
“We just work together and pick each other up,” Avila added. “I would say that’s what has made us successful in our tournaments and gotten us to state.”
The Lady Chargers were fifth out of 12 teams at state last year and finished just one stroke behind fourth place.
“We want to win and bring home that state trophy,” said Nieto, a sophomore. “We’ll have to work hard and all of us do our part (to achieve it). We want to play our best and see what happens. Hopefully we get first.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess