Cardinal Gibbons’ Mike Zarate is the Broward Boys’ Volleyball Coach of the Year
Mike Zarate has had plenty of great players on his Cardinal Gibbons boys’ volleyball teams over the years.
But the core of one of his most talented rosters including UCLA signee Thiago Zamprogno graduated last season, leaving the Chiefs with one of their younger rosters in recent memory.
Still, Gibbons found a way to return to the state tournament.
Led by junior setter Gabriel Nejad, the Chiefs extended their streak of advancing to the state tournament to four consecutive seasons.
And so, Zarate is the Miami Herald’s Broward County Boys’ Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Zarate lost three of his best players in Zamprogno, Logan Keovathy and Daniel Sappa to graduation.
With a roster that included only two seniors including starting libero Callan Fry, Gibbons struggled early in the season and held an 11-12 record heading into late April against some of the state’s toughest competition.
But the Chiefs regrouped and won six consecutive matches to make it to the state quarterfinals before losing to Miami High.
That streak included a dramatic five-set comeback win over Boca Raton in the regional finals.
Nejad, a two-time All-Broward first team selection, is at the core of this new wave of Gibbons players who are hoping to lead the Chiefs back to state in 2025 and chase what would be the school’s third state championship and first since 2018.
