BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — When Paige Jones was a sophomore at Sharyland High in 2013, life was easier than it is now. For a second straight year, the Rattlers were a playoff lock and one of the best teams in the Valley.
Then, seniors graduated, and Sharyland Pioneer siphoned off most of the Rattlers’ coaches and players. After a year of looking up to senior leaders Chelsea Saenz and Lauren Treviño, Jones had to step into a headlining role.
“I’m used to older girls doing that,” Jones said. “Now, I have to do it. It’s a lot different, but I think it’s good.”
Sharyland High finished last season fifth place in District 31-5A, a shortcoming they hope to write off as a rebuilding year.
The 2015 team returned five starters, endured a grueling non-district schedule and then opened play in 31-5A with a win against Edinburg Vela on Saturday. The Rattlers hope that’s the first step in a return to the playoffs.
“I think we’ll be having good vibes — I’m just really excited,” senior Maddie Garza said. “We have so much potential.”
Garza is one of only three players on the 2015 roster who was on varsity before the split, along with Jones and Tehya Rassman.
She said she entered last season with no idea what to expect. Pioneer not only took the majority of the returning varsity players, but also coach Laura Cavazos and most of her assistants.
“Going through the split last year, it was different,” Garza said. “We had gone through two years of the same thing, and then we got something completely new. We get that question a lot. ‘What did the split do to you guys?’”
Jones said the effect ended up being greater than she anticipated. Under new coach Raul Castillo, the Rattlers went 5-7 in district play and 20-23 overall. But Jones and Garza said taking a step back never dampened the team’s spirits.
“I took it as a challenge,” Garza said. “’Coach Cavazos left? Well, OK, I’m going to beat you.’ I don’t think it was super discouraging. If anything, it motivated a lot of us.”
On the court, Jones and Garza were pressed into switching positions and becoming the team’s setters.
Although Jones said she prefers hitting and thinks of it as her more natural role, she knew the move would be best for the Rattlers as a whole. Castillo saw how well she handled the position during summer play, highlighting her great hands.
Garza has seen Jones become a more confident player, making smart, reliable decisions as the quarterback of the offense. Jones leads Sharyland in assists and ranks second in kills.
“It can be a bad game for her or a bad game for the team, and if she’s excited, she’s excited,” Castillo said. “It has nothing to do with the way she’s playing. If she feels like being excited that day, she’ll be excited. And you’ll be like, ‘This girl is on.’ And if she’s on, she’s very unstoppable.”
While Jones remained at setter, Garza switched back to middle blocker for her senior season. She described her individual performance so far this year as a “bit bumpy” and with plenty of room for improvement — an overly modest critique for the Rattlers’ leader in kills and blocks.
She said her biggest goal for development through the years has been versatility. In open gym, she usually volunteers to step in at unfamiliar positions.
As she’s matured, she’s also tried to help some of the younger players, providing words of encouragement to whoever makes a mistake.
“She does everything you want a captain to do,” Castillo said. “She’s very emotional, she’s very talkative, and she’s very motivational.”
With Jones and Garza leading the way, Sharyland High is looking to use a smart, sneaky, up-tempo attack to return to its former status.
The group is aiming for a district title, even if that means having to go through Valley powerhouse Mission Veterans and new rival Sharyland Pioneer.
“We have to defend our school,” Garza said. “We are the original Sharyland, and we want to come out on top. We just keep working hard to try to do that.”