True North's Chow and Usina and Palmetto's Gibson are the Dade Tennis Coaches of the Year
Miami Palmetto has long been one of the premier programs in the state for tennis.
Longtime coach Kelly Gibson saw their girls add to that rich history this season when they won the Class 4A state team championship.
Meanwhile at True North, it was a milestone season for both tennis programs.
The Titans girls, coached by Andre Chow, have become a powerhouse with some of the top players in the state. They added to their trophy case by winning another Class 1A team championship.
But this season, there was more for True North as its boys, under the tutelage of Wilson Usina, secured their first team championship.
As such, Gibson, Chow and Usina are this year's Miami Herald Tennis Coaches of the Year for Miami-Dade County.
Gibson and Chow share honors for Girls' Coach of the Year after each led their teams to state titles.
Gibson watched her girls dominate in Class 4A as they rolled their way to their eighth state championship and second in the past three seasons. Palmetto's girls are now tied for the fourth-most state titles in Miami-Dade County history with Ransom Everglades and behind Miami Beach (13), Miami Sunset (10) and Miami Gulliver Prep (10).
Led by No. 1 singles player Catherine Cardona, the Panthers topped Coral Gables, Doral and Cypress Bay to advance to state and then took down Wellington and a tough Orlando Lake Nona squad, 4-3 in a tough overall match.
Cardona and Camille Chellas also ended up winning the team brackets to qualify for the overall finals.
In Class 1A, True North's girls were their usual dominant selves. It was the Titans' third consecutive state title on that side.
True North did not drop an individual match in team play at state, sweeping Maclay and Boca Raton Grandview Prep. The Titans were led in both singles and doubles by the powerful duo of Daniela Chica and Alba Martinez.
Chica has signed with Rice University, and Martinez is going to the Air Force.
Usina, the Boys' Coach of the Year, guided the True North boys to their first state title after beating perennial powerhouse Boca Raton's St. Andrew's and ending the Scots' impressive streak of five straight state titles.
Miami Herald Player of the Year Gabriel Valdes and Caleb Chow, who is Andre Chow's nephew, led the Titans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Vikings Trade Idea Sees J.J. McCarthy Joined by Titans' Will Levis
Vikings Trade Idea Sees J.J. McCarthy Joined by Titans' Will Levis originally appeared on Athlon Sports. This season, the Minnesota Vikings venture into the quarterback unknown. According to data gathered from The Football Database, the average number of career starts rostered per team for the upcoming season is 120 -- bolstered by either a proven starter or a veteran backup supporting a rookie-scale QB on each team. Advertisement The Vikings have neither. With just 22 career starts between all four of their quarterbacks, the Vikings have the second-fewest quarterback starts in the NFL, ahead of only the New Orleans Saints. It's J.J. McCarthy or bust for Minnesota this year after the Vikings watched Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens depart in free agency. They declined to sign a veteran quarterback in free agency, instead opting to trade for Sam Howell, whose 5-13 record as a starter is far from encouraging. That has led to some outside consultation suggesting that Minnesota should be in the market to improve the quarterback room before the start of the season. Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images One trade idea floated by Anne Erickson considered the possibility of the Vikings landing 2023 second-round pick Will Levis. Advertisement While Levis has his blemishes, he has more physical talent than Howell, Brett Rypien or rookie Max Brosmer, prompting Erickson to suggest a Day 2 or Day 3 pick could be enough to pry Levis away from the Tennessee Titans. "The Tennessee Titans made a big move and drafted quarterback Cam Ward No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL draft, which says a lot," Erickson wrote. "Will Levis isn't happy about it. So, the Tennessee Titans could trade Levis for a late Day 2 or early Day 3 draft selection." While landing Levis for that price could be a stretch, the Titans may be ready to rid themselves of Levis after they fired the man who drafted him, former general manager Ran Carthon. Considering the three first-round picks the San Francisco 49ers invested to get Trey Lance, only to trade him to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-rounder, it isn't preposterous to consider the Titans offloading Levis for a similar recoup of draft stock. Advertisement Levis is 5-16 as a starter for a struggling Titans organization and could merely need some quarterback rehab from Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. While the same argument can be made for Howell, Levis has better physical tools that could offer more upside behind McCarthy. Howell could even be considered for a quarterback swap if both teams deem their prospects need a change of scenery. Related: Budding Vikings Star Issues Official Goodbye After Injury Related: Vikings' $21 Million Starter Eyeing Exit After Season This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
The bright spark on dark night for Scotland
Life could have easier for Lennon Miller when he was thrown on for his Scotland debut. Despite Friday's match being a non-competitive encounter, there was nothing friendly about the mood at Hampden when the Motherwell teenager entered the pitch with Steve Clarke's side 3-1 down to Iceland. Advertisement It would have been easy for the 18-year-old to hide in a challenging atmosphere, but the midfielder constantly made himself available as an option as the Scots desperately searched for a way back into the game. In only 22 minutes on the pitch, the youngster had 30 touches. He created one chance and misplaced just five of his 27 passes, putting six of them into the final third. By contrast, fellow midfielder Billy Gilmour managed nine passes into the attack in a 90-minute display. Lewis Ferguson, who also played the entire match, registered eight. Miller caused a stir when he said he had hopes of becoming Scotland's "best player" in the near future after being called up to the senior squad for the first time in March. Advertisement Scotland assistant coach John Carver said those remarks were a mistake by the teenager. Clarke, meanwhile, backed the midfielder for showing ambition. Three months on, a brave and fearless cameo did Miller's talking for him as he delivered a bright display on a dark night for Scotland. It remains to be seen whether that brief outing will reward him with a start in Liechtenstein on Monday, but any doubts about his capability of starting international games will now be somewhat quieter.
Fox Sports
16 hours ago
- Fox Sports
How to measure success for Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, other rookie QBs in 2025
Collectively, the latest crop of quarterbacks entering the NFL has drawn little enthusiasm. But that ultimately doesn't matter. Settling into their NFL homes, the QBs have an opportunity to write their own story in the league. All the rookie quarterbacks are starting from square one, though with differing expectations. Here is how a successful 2025 should be measured for each of the first eight quarterbacks taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Cam Ward Team: Tennessee Titans Round 1, No. 1 overall 2025 goal: start 17 games (flashing star potential) As the top overall selection, Ward is expected to be a franchise-altering quarterback for the Titans. But it could take a few years for him to reach that level, even if he's a "hit." What Jayden Daniels (2024) and C.J. Stroud (2023) did the past two seasons are outliers. If Ward can show an ability to elevate in spurts what appears to be an average supporting cast, display composure in critical moments and limit turnovers, that should be viewed as a win for the Titans. And that should be the case even if Tennessee's record does not reflect a substantial improvement from the team's 3-14 finish in 2024. Jaxson Dart Team: New York Giants Round 1, No. 25 overall 2025 goal: learn by watching; ready to take QB1 reigns in 2026 If all goes according to schedule, Dart won't play meaningful snaps in 2025. Russell Wilson is the starting quarterback for the Giants, who also have Jameis Winston as a capable veteran backup. The best case scenario is that Dart takes in everything he can from them in a "redshirt" year so he's ready to start Day 1 in 2026 — while still being ready to play in 2025 if New York's quarterback plan falls apart. Tyler Shough Team: New Orleans Saints Round 2, No. 40 overall 2025 goal: hold on to starting job In the wake of Derek Carr's retirement, the Saints are saying that they have a quarterback competition between Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. They're splitting first-team reps. But the reality is that Shough should win the job, given the draft investment in him as a second-round pick. So it's paramount that he doesn't give them a reason to think twice about his readiness. Decision-making and ball security will be key for the former Louisville quarterback, like with all rookie passers. Jalen Milroe Team: Seattle Seahawks Round 3, No. 92 overall 2025 goal: win QB2 job; flash promise in specialty role With Sam Darnold being the unquestioned starter in Seattle, Milroe's first goal should be earning the top backup role over Drew Lock, who returned to the Seahawks this offseason on a two-year, $5 million deal. The team has talked about the possibility of playing Milroe a few snaps per game in packages that utilize his rushing ability. If he can bring value there and make steady progress as a passer, the former Alabama standout could be in the mix to start in 2026. Dillon Gabriel Team: Cleveland Browns Round 3, No. 94 overall 2025 goal: become a regular on the gameday roster In Cleveland's crowded quarterback room, which includes 40-year-old Joe Flacco and journeyman Kenny Pickett, Gabriel may have the most roster security as a third-round rookie. But as a Day 2 quarterback, he'll need to show poise and comfort in Kevin Stefanski's system. Even if he's not QB1, Gabriel could get an extensive look if the offense struggles, keeping him in the Browns' quarterback plans moving forward. Shedeur Sanders Team: Cleveland Browns Round 5, No. 144 overall 2025 goal: become a regular on the gameday roster A projected top pick early in the pre-draft process, Sanders' status as a Day 3 pick puts him at the bottom of the Browns' quarterback pecking order to start his career. But he's firmly in the QB1 competition and should stay on the 53-man roster as an early-round talent. Like Gabriel, Sanders earning his way into a regular role on the game-day roster — even as a backup — would cement his place in Cleveland for 2026. Kyle McCord Team: Philadelphia Eagles Round 6, No. 181 overall 2025 goal: win QB2 role While he certainly won't supplant Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts as the starter, McCord has an opportunity to fill the top backup quarterback role vacated by Pickett, who was traded to the Browns earlier in the offseason. The FBS leader in completions per game and passing yards in 2024, McCord has competition in Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who've started a combined six NFL games. Will Howard Team: Pittsburgh Steelers Round 6, No. 185 overall 2025 goal: win QB2 job Now that Aaron Rodgers has signed with Pittsburgh, Howard will compete with Mason Rudolph for the primary backup role. A national champion at Ohio State last season, Howard will have to impress Pittsburgh's coaches to beat out Rudolph, who started 13 games for the Steelers between 2019-23 before playing for Tennessee last season. But there's a scenario in which Howard gets meaningful snaps as a rookie, based on Rodgers' age and Rudolph's low-end potential. Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
