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Sammy Ray Hysquierdo missed out on a berth in the regional tournament by one stroke as a junior.

As a senior, he's vowed not to let that happen again.

"He's really playing with intensity and focus," said East coach Troy McIntosh. "He's been practicing hard, and he has the goal of getting out of district.

"I think it really burned him that he missed out by a stroke last year."

Now the Titans' No. 1 golfer, he's not just their best golfer, he's a mentor and leader for the team. Just four short years ago, he was in the same spot many of them were in.

Hysquierdo said he put in a lot of practice over the summer, working on the fundamentals of the game, with one goal in mind: Get out of district.

"It's my senior year, and I want to get to regionals, hopefully with my team behind me,"

The majority of the Titans squad picked up golf recently, and many have come a long way from starting out in just a few short months or years.

Hysquierdo did not disappoint on Friday, despite some struggles on a few holes, shooting a round of 85, with thanks to fortuitous putting.

"My putter saved me a lot today," he said. "I had a couple of bad shots, and I didn't let it get to me. ... Sometimes, you just can't give up."

Hysquierdo serves as the team's elder statesman

"The guys that have the most experience, especially Sammy since he's been playing the longest," McIntosh said. "He's the one the guys look to for leadership and to show them the direction.

"He's been coaching them up and mentoring them up to get them to get where he wants to be. He wants to go to regionals desperately. He's been mentoring and coaching them himself."

The Titans golfers have come a long way from where they were as beginners. Sophomore Nick Norman, who struggled Friday at Victoria Country Club, has shown improvement this year and has cracked the top five despite only playing since last year.

So has Josh Moya, McIntosh said, who has been playing a little over a year, but earned a medalist spot at regionals last year.

Almost all the team had no experience prior to high school. Hysquierdo played a few varsity tournaments as a sophomore at Memorial, and became East's No. 2 golfer last year.

"Sammy Ray is probably the only one (with experience)," McIntosh said.

But the senior speaks from experience when he tries to calm his teammates down. His demeanor on the course, even when the course is crashing down on him, is one of calm. It comes with experience, and it's something he hopes to impart on the team's younger members.

"I try to be a big brother to them," Hysquierdo said. "A lot of guys get hung up after a bad shot, they take it hard. I just tell them that they have a while left and not to take it so hard. A lot of them do."

VEGA LEADS TOURNAMENT; WEST IN FIRST BY A STROKE

After some rough play on the front nine, Victoria West's five golfers combined to put together a rally of sorts that has landed them in a good spot heading into Saturday's final round.

After shooting 3-over on the first nine holes, senior Trevor Vega seized the lead of the tournament by shooting 1-under on the back nine to finish with a round of 74, two strokes ahead of his nearest competition, Bryan's Clayton Hudson, who shot a 76.

Vega is joined at the top by teammate Trent Lee, who posted a 76 on the first day of the tournament. Overall, West shot a team score of 322 and is in a tight race with Corpus Christi King (323) and defending champion Bryan (324) for the top team spot.

If the Warriors shoot scores like they did on Friday, it should come to them easily on Saturday at Colony Creek Country Club. Four of the team's five players - Vega, Lee, Colton Escamilla and Shannon Hawes - posted lower scores on the back nine on Friday than they did on the front.

But what stood out, said West coach Fred Neuman, was Escamilla's round. After finishing the front nine with a mediocre 45, he cleaned up the back nine with a 38. Three of those strokes came on the final hole.

"When he turned, he took a big number on the front," Neuman said. "He's really contributed and put us in a good position going into the second day along with the rest of the team."

The team spent the front nine shaking off the rust and settling down, Neuman said.

"I think the adrenaline was flowing , it's our tournament and they want to post a low score and be in contention going into the second day," he said. "I know that was in the back of their mind."

The Warriors will need to maintain Friday's performance on Saturday at Colony Creek to have a shot. And that goes back to the fundamentals, Neuman said.

"They just have to go out there, make some putts and not make a big number," he said.

OVERHEARD AT THE GOLF COURSE• A coach, joking with one of his golfers after a bad round: "You gotta focus, man. You gotta lose the girlfriend!"

• A coach, at the 10th tee box, remarking on the weather: "Man, who would've thought this was January?"

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