The La Feria girls golf team might have had its best finish at a regional tournament, but it was not good enough for the players.
The Lionettes finished fifth at the Region IV-4A tournament Thursday, only missing out on state by 11 strokes. Not bad for a team that finished near the bottom in 2023.
“We were off a little bit,” La Feria head golf coach David Briones said. “We did not play our best but we played good enough to keep up, and I think if we would have been at our best we could have came out in the top three.”
Briones said the goal was to be at least top five in 2024. The team accomplished that with a group that will have a chance to redeem itself next year. Maria Pizano was the only senior on the team.
Only four scores count from a team of five, and Pizano’s was not one of them for the two-day tournament.
La Feria’s Karina Rios, Miah Munoz, Alliana Briones and Zoe Flores combined for a score of 166-over par, finishing behind Davenport’s 69-over, Fredericksburg’s 87-over, Devine’s 155-over and Calallen’s 161-over.
Flores, Briones, Munoz and Rios are all coming back next year.
Rios did not shy away from admitting her disappointment despite her coach being more optimistic.
“I just got to work harder next year and expect more for myself,” Rios said.
Rios finished in 12th individually out of 95 competitors, 14 strokes off of qualifying individually. The top three finishers did not come from a team in the top three, which does not happen often. The top three schools and top three individuals not on the top three teams qualify for state.
“Hopefully, we come back next year a little stronger,” Briones said. “We will have the base of our team coming back next year, and once we find a new No. 5 we will have a complete team.”
Briones said it was a good experience for his team again as it has shown progression from 2023 to 2024, but next year the goal is not just to improve.
The goal in 2025 is state for the La Feria girls golf team.
