MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
The Texas Charter School Academic & Athletic League state final four tournament has become something of an annual tradition at IDEA Donna.
For each of the past four years, the Lady Titans have emerged as one of the four best teams in the state. And in spite of that, the lone figure who presided over those trips is especially anxious this time around.
“I try to keep that from the girls,” coach Heriberto Garza said, chuckling. “The girls, they’re not really nervous. They’re excited. They want to win. But, yeah, I’m pretty nervous.”
Garza has been there before — through a state title in 2011, a third-place finish the following year and a loss in the championship match last season. It’s that experience that has him antsy now. But it’s that familiarity, too, that has this current group at ease.
At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, IDEA Donna will take on YES Prep Southeast Academy at Lyndon B. Johnson High School in Austin. If they win, they’ll play for a state title immediately afterward.
“I think for us, we’ve had two shots before and we’ve never been able to finish,” senior Clarissa Garza said. “We want to prove our point and make one final statement.”
As a sophomore, Garza joined a varsity squad that was coming off a state title. Expectations were high, and so was the belief that they’d hoist a second straight trophy.
“Sometimes the team did get over-confident,” senior Karla Rodriguez. “But we always made sure not to be cocky and not take things for granted. We always tried to stay as humble as possible and just try to do our best. Not just expect a win.”
That’s the approach they’re taking this season. And it’s because of those shortcomings that they learned one important lesson.
“Our coach tells us not to give any mercy,” Garza said. “He says, ‘Finish, finish, finish.’ To not go another set and risk a win.”
The Lady Titans have heeded his advice, going 18-3 in the regular season, 6-0 in district. They lost to Juan Diego Academy and Edinburg IDEA Quest in non-district. But Rodriguez took it in stride, calling it a turning point in their season.
“Even though we lost, we were able to learn a lot from it,” she said. “Those were two teams that were very challenging, but at the same time they did give us the ability to learn to talk with each other better and help each other out.”
Perhaps more than in any of the previous years, IDEA Donna boasts a balance attack — strong hitting and strong passing surrounded by specialists.
It helped the Lady Titans play more competitively against the public schools and it even led them to a first-place finish in a Hebbronville Longhorn Tournament that has long eluded them.
“We used to lose every single time to the bigger schools,” the seventh-year coach said. “But we’ve surprised a lot of people.”
The goal now is to add a more significant trophy to their mantle.
“We want to show the public that we’re able to go to state and finish,” Garza said. “Not just show up.”