Ransom Everglades’ Ragan and SLAM’s Giovine are Miami-Dade Golf Coaches of the Year
Pasquale Giovine saw his girls’ golf team at SLAM Miami come extremely close to winning the school’s first state championship.
Meanwhile what could have been a rebuilding season for Ransom Everglades’ boys turned out to be anything but under the tutelage of coach Dave Ragan.
Both coaches envision bright futures for their respective teams and are this year’s Miami Herald Golf Coaches of the Year.
Giovine, who finished his sixth season coaching at SLAM, saw the program reach new heights as they earned a state runner-up trophy in Class 2A. The Titans finished one stroke behind champion Santa Rosa Beach South Walton.
On the boys’ side, Ragan’s young squad - led by seventh-grader Axel Monssoh and eighth-grader Cole Durham - posted the best two-day score of any Miami-Dade County team at the state championships. Ransom shot a 623 to place 11th at the Class 1A meet.
The Raiders put together an impressive season leading up to that performance at state.
Ransom won a district championship and finished fourth in a tough Region 4-1A field. The Raiders also scored wins in dual meets against Columbus, Belen, MAST Academy and Florida Christian during the season. And Ransom graduates only one of its top five golfers heading into next season.
SLAM, which posted its highest finish at state in program history, is in a similar position as far as reloading for another run in 2025.
Titans’ senior Dariana Breto, who was the individual state runner-up in 2A after losing a playoff to Fernandina Beach’s Sadaly Campbell, is graduating. But SLAM returns freshman Ashley Balcom, who placed 10th, as well as sophomores Brianna Breto, Sophia Coronel and sixth-grader Angelina Breto next season.
