BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
Mission High sisters senior Leah Lerma and sophomore Mia Lerma fed off the competition between each other and led the Eagles to a district title.
“Last year, Mia won the district title individually, and this year Leah got it,” Mission coach Danny Castillo said. “So you can see there is a little rivalry going on. All year long, they have been feeding off of each other.”
Leah Lerma shot a two-round 151, and Mia Lerma was two strokes behind with a 153. Mission took the district title with a score of 676, which gave it an automatic return trip to the Class 6A Region IV girls tournament on April 24-25 at The Republic golf course in San Antonio.
“It means a lot. That’s what they strive for every year, to get to the next level,” Castillo said. “That was our goal, but now our goal is to get to state. We have improved quite a bit from last year, and it’s basically the same team.”
La Joya Palmview (731) was the other team to qualify. Kathia Rivas from McAllen Rowe (189) and Alexis Gutierrez of McAllen High (194) were the individual qualifiers.
COMEBACK KIDS
After the first round of the District 30-6A boys tournament, McAllen High led with a score of 315, but McAllen Memorial was just behind at 326.
All five Mustang golfers dropped strokes off their day one scores, clinching the district title for Memorial with an overall score of 624. McHi took second and the other automatic bid to regionals with a 641. The Class 6A Region IV boys tournament is April 26-27 at The Republic golf course in San Antonio.
McAllen Memorial’s Tyler Pena (156) and Joseph Lopez from La Joya Palmview (160) were the individual qualifiers.
STEADY PACE
The Edinburg Vela boys put up eight rounds between 78-82, leading the team to the District 31-6A title.
“We are really excited,” Vela coach Cory Mayes said. “This season, we started off with some tough tournaments. But going on, we had two out of town tournaments, and the kids started working together and getting better and better. The main thing is they just stayed pretty consistent and levelheaded (in the district tournament). That’s a good thing.”
Vela freshman Ethan Galvan scored a two-round 159, putting him into a tie for first place. The tie forced a playoff between Galvan and PSJA North’s Mathew Jasso. Both hit drives of about the same length, but Galvan’s went right, into the rough. Galvan rallied to save par, but Jasso’s accuracy gave him a good look at the hole. Jasso birdied, taking the district title. In his first year in varsity golf, Galvan showed the poise on the playoff hole.
“(Galvan) is a tough kid. He has a lot of confidence, and that’s what it takes. A lot of kids want the perfect lie, but he didn’t get it, and he made the best of it,” Mayes said. “Even as a freshman. He goes up on his own (to practice) and shows up at 8 a.m., and he’ll be there until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. He’s really dedicated. Now, he’s one of the best golfers in the district.”
Vela scored 649 to earn a trip to the Class 6A Region IV tournament on April 26-27 at The Republic golf course in San Antonio. PSJA North (673) was the second-place team, earning the other team spot in regionals. PSJA High’s Jacob Flores (162) and Pablo Hernandez of Edinburg Economedes (174) were the individual qualifiers.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Edinburg North girls team received a text from coach Joey Zamora just a few hours after winning the District 31-6A title. The text read:
“I’m very proud of you girls for putting the work in and reaching your goal of winning the district championship. Now, its time to represent our district at regionals.”
Zamora wants his team squarely focused on improving its scores. Edinburg North’s 796 was good enough for first place in 31-6A, topping Edinburg High (828) by 32 strokes. But Zamora thinks that score will have to improve for North to contend with the region’s other top teams.
Albeit on a different course, Mission High won 30-6A with a score of 676, and Palmview placed second with a 731. In District 32-6A, Los Fresnos (667), Brownsville Hanna (711) and Weslaco High (722) all scored better than North.
Zamora knows his team has what it takes. Vanessa Arevala showed that on Tuesday. She shot a 50 through her first nine holes, and she was so disappointed and embarrassed that she didn’t even want to see Zamora. She shook off the bad start and proceeded to shoot a 42 on her final nine — the best she has ever shot in nine holes — to earn a third-place finish.
Kayla Quintanilla (187) from Edinburg Vela and PSJA High’s Cameran Rodriguez (195) are the two individual qualifiers from 31-6A who will compete at the Region IV tournament on April 24-25 at The Republic golf course in San Antonio.