By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Sometimes a leader doesn’t have to just be one particular person.
Los Fresnos has four seniors who each bring their strengths to the team, creating a leadership-by-committee approach.
Seniors Lynette Duran, Kelsi McDonough, Cristi Garza, and Allie Flores bring a wealth of experience to the Lady Falcons’ squad and use their qualities together to lead the team.
“There are such good kids,” Los Fresnos coach Kim Edquist said. “They’re smart, good in the classroom. But bottom line, they’re just really good kids, really good role models for anyone to follow.”
Garza is a defensive specialist and usually is assigned to guard an opponent’s top scorer. She takes pride in that every game.
“It actually excites me, it gets me pumped up,” she said. “Knowing that coach will rely on me to shut down a certain person. Knowing after the game that I did my job, it’s just amazing.”
Garza is more of a quiet leader, letting her play speak for herself and setting an example for her younger teammates.
Duran may be the smallest of the four, but she has the biggest voice among her fellow captains. She admitted to being very quiet in middle school but she started to speak up when she entered high school. Now hers is the voice to which her teammates listen.
“It’s either me or nobody talks,” she said. “I guess it’s pretty cool that everyone listens to me. I’m trying to teach (the younger girls) that you have to have a leader out there, having a voice out there.”
Duran is trying to make sure her younger teammates understand that next year will be different and that they need to be ready.
“They need to listen,” she said. “Because we won’t be here next year, we’re losing all five starters.”
Flores is a scorer and plays a defensive role, but she also tries to be an example for her teammates.
“I push myself, and I help push my teammates,” she said. “Push them and tell them not to give up. To keep going, no one’s perfect, just keep trying not to give up.”
Last year’s early exit from the postseason has helped push Flores and the other seniors to achieve more.
“We have this one big dream to go the Sweet 16,” she said. “Keep the tradition going (to the postseason). I hope we can go further this year.”
McDonough is the team’s point guard and has been since her sophomore season. She felt the pressure but used it push herself with three senior starters at the time.
“I was kind of forced to step up and realize my role and my responsibilities,” she said. “I really wanted to be an example for even the girls that were older than me at that time. I wanted to be one of the ones pushing the hardest, doing my best on the court.”
Now in a role reversal, McDonough is trying to help her younger teammates understand the similar situation.
“The three senior starters were passionate about the game, so that helped fuel me,” she said. “I wanted to do it for them, it was their last year. So we’re hoping we can instill that into the younger girls, it’s our last year, but we want to push it for you and for us to continue (the standard) in the future.”
Edquist told her team how much her seniors’ experience early on helped them down the road.
“They all were on the team as freshman, but that little playing time helped them with experience,” she said. “They wouldn’t be able to do what they’ve done, wouldn’t have that confidence (without it).”
The Los Fresnos coach hopes that experience will help her team reach the playoffs again this season.
“They’re great leaders, good role models,” Edquist said. “You couldn’t learn from a better group of girls. Everyone needs to step up, and hopefully with their leadership that will come forward.”
McDonough said the seniors have made sure the rest of the team knows how important each remaining game is.
“Every upcoming game for the rest of the district season is a playoff game,” she said. “If we don’t take it we have a chance of not making the playoffs, so that’s what we’re reminding the younger girls, it’s do or die.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.