Second place is too often maligned in the world of (winning is everything) sports, but second was a real achievement for both Llano teams in district golf: it meant they will head to regionals. This isn’t new for the boys but it’s a rarity for the girls.

“We were all pretty excited when we saw the scores posted and did the math,” head coach Brandon Walters said. “The girls had just a four-stroke lead over third-place Bandera after the first 18 holes, and we held them off and got closer to the eventual champion, Wimberley. It was the same order of finish on the boys' side.”

On Monday, March 31, the Jackets’ Jonathan Gonzales fired a one-over par 73 at Quicksand Golf Club in Wimberley, and that was the best score by anyone in either round. Jordan Montgomery carded an 83; Travis Lawrence had a 101, and Justin Fullen turned in a 103. These would be the four boys whose scores were used in the final total. After round one, the Texans led Llano by 22 strokes, and the Jackets were in front of Bandera by 32.

“I told the boys to continue playing their own game,” Walters disclosed. “I did not think we could catch Wimberley, but we should certainly play well-enough to get second place and hold off the Bulldogs.”

The girls, on the first day, found themselves in second place, and they were four shots in front of Bandera after the last putts fell at Quicksand. Anne Christopher posted a 102; Sarah Rucker had a 105; Kelley Bradley recorded a 106 and Bailey Price shot a 118.

Walters, who can coach between rounds, is limited to the advice he can give during the tournament to comments between the ninth green and 10th tee. “Before the second day (April 2 at Hidden Springs in Harper), I told the girls, ‘this is your chance to make it to regionals.’ None of the seniors had made it that far. I wanted them to forget about the first round and remember ‘every stroke counts. Don’t turn a six into a nine.’”

The girls, on a mission, either listened well, or played well, or both. The foursome went out and shot better at Harper than in Wimberley.

They either stayed out of the sand (quicksand?) or got out of it sufficiently enough to beat Bandera by 15 strokes and lose to Wimberley by just 10. Christopher had a 100 at Hidden Springs; Rucker matched her opening-day 105; Bradley improved six strokes to 100 while Price also chopped six off her first 18 holes and her scorecard read: 112.

The Llano boys found Harper’s layout tougher, but they still ended the Bulldogs’ season by six shots while Wimberley won easily. Gonzales shot an 88 and his 161 total was second overall among the individuals. Montgomery had a second-round 99; Lawrence was a critical key-to-victory by reducing his first 18 holes’ number by seven strokes to a 94; and Fullen had a 104.

Other Jackets who played 36 holes in the 25-3A event were Alex Homesley, Saul Lopez, Taylor Coffey, Tejana Lanford, and Lenzy Lewis.

The Region IV tournament is April 21 and 22 in Corpus Christi. The competiton will, naturally, be tougher, but the hope is the golfers wearing Orange and Black spikes will be playing well, and they will be comfortable with the courses.

The girls will be at the Gabe Lozano Golf Club while the boys play at the Oso course. A fine accomplishment is in the books; possibly, a second solid