By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — The Sharyland High girls golf team entered the final day of the UIL state tournament in 2015 in second place. And by the end of the competition, the Lady Rattlers found themselves in fourth place, falling four strokes shy of a medal.
“I remember telling the girls, ‘Use this as motivation,’” senior Ana Jose Erana said. “‘We can’t let it bring us down. Let this fuel our fire even more.’”
Nearly a year later, the Sharyland girls team is set to make its fourth consecutive trip to state, when it tees off at 7:30 a.m. today at the Wolfdancer Golf Club in Cedar Creek.
Erana has competed at the state level in each of her four seasons, and remains determined to have her team medal in what will be her final high school tournament. Though they finished second at regionals, falling one stroke shy of first place, the Lady Rattlers are riding a wave of momentum heading into state, with a mixture of upper- and underclassmen.
They’ve distinguished themselves as one of the premiere teams in the Valley, with Erana as their undisputed leader, and they’re intent to match or exceed the program’s best finish at state (a third-place finish in the 1990s).
“It’s going to be tough, but I think we could handle it,” senior Mariana Flores said. “Knowing each other for a long time, we know how to work with each other. I think just that experience is going to help us.
“I remember my first time going to state, the pressure of the first hole, the first tee — it was a lot of pressure. But through the 18 holes, I became better.”
Throughout the year, the Sharyland High girls have taken time to visit today’s golf course on their own accord, during Spring Break or an extended weekend, looking to get a better feel for the layout.
Now, they’re hoping that pays off when they return to Cedar Creek for a second straight year.
“A lot of times you find out girls are going to the movies or out doing other things, but these girls are out on the golf course or on the range improving their game,” Sharyland coach Fernando Rodriguez said.
“After last year, losing by four strokes to Vandegrift, you could say that we gave it away. The girls were disappointed after that. But ever since that afternoon, they started getting ready for this year. They wanted to be better than they were last year. So I’m sure it’ll be in the back of their minds (today).”
Determined to get Sharyland over the hump, Erana has reminded teammates Mariana and Raquel Flores, Laura Rodriguez and Christina Shinn-Roldan about their potential, pointing to a third-place ranking in state among Class 5A teams, by High School Golf Scoreboard, among other accolades the past couple of seasons.
“We’re just as talented as anybody else,” said Erana, an all-state selection last year. “The only difference between us and other teams is distance (from San Antonio, Houston or Dallas). I tell them, if we put in the work like we have been, we’ll get pretty far.
“It’s hard for a lot of people in the Valley to sort of picture us going anywhere huge like that (to state). But knowing that we do have what it takes, if each one of us does our job, we can get it done.”