22-06-2025
Columbus' Moran and Doral's Viruet are the Miami-Dade Overall Coaches of the Year
Both the Columbus boys' basketball team and the Doral Academy softball team shone brightly at a national level seldom, if ever, achieved by a Miami-Dade County team in their respective sports.
Columbus' coach Andrew Moran helped build a state championship dynasty, which set a state milestone and achieved something never done in the long and storied history of Dade boys' basketball when they won a national title.
And at Doral, Willie Viruet has built one of the most dominant programs in the sport in recent memory and capped this stellar season with a state championship.
Moran and Viruet are the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade County Overall Sports Coaches of the Year for the 2024-25 season.
Moran is the Boys' Sports Coach of the Year after leading the Explorers to their fourth consecutive state title and their first national championship.
Led by their star twins, Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Columbus became only the second team in Miami-Dade County history, joining Miami Norland, to win four consecutive state titles.
They took things up a notch after the season when they became the first Dade team to win the prestigious 16th annual Chipotle Nationals, cementing their No. 1 national ranking.
They are the first Dade boys' basketball program to secure a national title.
Moran, who joined new University of Miami head coach Jai Lucas' staff after the season, led the Explorers to a 138-32 record during his six seasons at Columbus and 109-13 over the past four seasons.
Moran, who has won five state titles overall, was also named the Naismith Boys' Basketball National Coach of the Year.
'It's obviously amazing and an incredible feeling,' Columbus coach Andrew Moran said after the Explorers' title-clinching win at Chipotle Nationals. 'It's the cherry on top. These kids won everything they set their minds to win. It was always their mindset and they played their (butts) off. It's an incredible feeling.'
Doral Academy had been seeking a similar feeling for years.
But despite setbacks at the state final four in recent years, Viruet has kept his team as the best in South Florida and one of the best in the state overall.
Viruet is the Coach of the Year for Girls' Sports.
This season, the Firebirds finally ended their six-year state title drought, winning their second state title ever and losing only one game all season.
Viruet's team, led by University of Texas commit Anabela Abdullah and Clemson signee Sarah Breaux, spent the season ranked among the best in the nation and finished ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps.
'It's been six years since we won a state title. We were long overdue,' Doral coach Willie Viruet said after the state final victory over Santa Rosa Pace. 'The community, the school, well, I think we deserved it.'
BOYS' SPORTS FINALISTS
▪ Frankie Ruiz, Belen Jesuit cross-country: The running dynasty for the Wolverines continued to reach new heights as they secured their eighth consecutive state title and once again finished among the top 10 teams in the nation.
▪ Anthony Shahbaz, Riviera Prep basketball: Despite having their top player transfer out in the offseason and having two key players suffer season-ending injuries late in the regular season, Shahbaz steered his team to a historic third consecutive state title in Class 2A.
▪ David Fanshawe, Miami Springs baseball: Fanshawe led the Hawks to a historic first state title for their program and first for their school in any sport since 1988 when they won the Class 3A championship.
▪ Teddy Bridgewater, Northwestern football: Bridgewater returned to his alma mater with a goal of restoring their program to former glory. In one season, the Bulls accomplished their mission winning the Class 3A state championship in dominant fashion.
▪ Katia Garcia, Braddock swimming and diving: Following back-to-back state runner-up finishes, Garcia made sure the Bulldogs didn't settle for anything less than first place, winning their school's first state championship this past fall when they won the Class 4A title.
▪ Brandon Neifeld, Mater Lakes wrestling: After coming close in recent years, Neifeld led the Bears to their first ever state duals title in Class 1A and followed with a dominant performance to capture the 1A title in the individually-bracketed tournament.
GIRLS' SPORTS FINALISTS
▪ Gator Rebhan, Somerset Silver Palms softball: Rebhan saw a five-year process culminate with the Stallions first state championship for their program and their school when they secured the Class 3A title. It was Rebhan's third after leading Palmetto to titles in 2000 and 2003.
▪ Julie Doan Kurenuma, Westminster Christian volleyball: After five years of leaving the state tournament with runner-up trophies and medals, Doan Kirenuma and her players finally celebrated a state championship when the Warriors won Class 2A. It was the school's third all-time and first since 2016.
▪ Ochiel Swaby, Miami Country Day basketball: Swaby's Spartans made it a decade of state titles when they won their third in a row and 10th overall, tying them for the most by any South Florida team.
▪ Dylan Hermelee, Carrollton track and field: In a sport often dominated by the larger schools, Hermelee guided the Cyclones to their first state championship. A squad of nine competitors made every point count as they edged Montverde Academy by half a point for the 2A team crown.
▪ Stephasia Doctor, Southridge basketball: Doctor spearheaded one of the most remarkable runs to the state tournament in recent memory by a Dade team when she coached a roster of just seven players within one victory of the school's first state title.
▪ Antonio Boada, Ransom Everglades soccer: After years of contending as one of the county's better programs, Boada's squad took the next step and advanced to the state final four for the first time in program history.
