BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — For the girls, it was expected. The beginning of a journey that could culminate in a third consecutive trip to state. For the boys, it was a chance to erase the stain of last season’s disappointment at the expense of a familiar foe.
For Sharyland High School, it was just another day on the greens.
Behind a concerted focus on their short game, the Rattlers swept the District 31-5A Championships on Tuesday at Shary Golf Course. The Lady Rattlers won in decisive fashion with a team score of 597, beating second place Sharyland Pioneer by 86 strokes. The boys contest was more dramatic, however, as Sharyland High (610) clipped Edinburg Vela by just 12 strokes.
“Winning district championships at Sharyland is all about the tradition,” coach Fernando Rodriguez said. “It’s expected for us.”
The victory secures an automatic bid to compete in regional competition next week in San Antonio. To qualify, a team must place first or second at district.
The Rattlers were led by freshman Jun Min Lee, who claimed the individual boys title with a two-day score of 138. Lee has been playing the game since he was 7 years old, and frequently competes in tournaments outside the Valley.
Traveling hundreds of miles outside the area is a relative stroll on the fairway for Lee, who moved from South Korea with his family in 2007. It was in his native country where Lee developed an infatuation for the game. His father owned an indoor range, and Lee would work on his swing whenever he could.
Despite his impressive showing during district competition, Lee was concerned heading into the tournament. He scored a 94 at a pre-district meet earlier this year that left his confidence shaken.
“I really focused on my short game,” Lee said. “I went back to working on my putting and my chipping about three months ago. My short game has been getting a lot better, that’s why I shot the scores that I did. My long game has always been good, but I just needed my short game to catch up.”
For the Lady Rattlers, it was another dominating performance for a team that considers anything short of an appearance at the state meet a bust. All five members of the Sharyland ‘A’ team scored in the individual Top 10, including Mariana Flores, who won the girls crown with a two-day score of 138, edging out teammates Ana Jose Eraña and Laura Rodriguez by one stroke.
Like Linn, Flores emphasized her short game during practices leading up to the tournament.
Although focusing on putts paid dividends in district, all the work comes with an eye towards something bigger.
“Everything we do here, are swings, where we put the ball on the fairways, our driving, everything is only going to help us keep getting better,” Flores said. “We especially need to keep getting better because of the courses up north, they’re a bit more difficult.”
Despite high standards to which they hold themselves, the Lady Rattlers play not like a team coiled up by nerves and anxiety. Instead, they carry themselves like a team who’s been there before, and hope to get back to where they know they belong.
“You just have to make sure the kids stay focused this time of year,” Rodriguez said. “You can’t lose focus because once you start doing that, you start throwing strokes away, and you can’t do that.”
jlafollette@themonitor.com