True North, Palmetto, Doral coaches are Dade Tennis Coaches of the Year
Doral Academy has set a standard in recent years for its boys’ tennis teams under coach Justin Puppo.
And this season, the Firebirds upheld it by returning to the top spot in Class 4A.
The girls’ teams at Miami Palmetto and Miami True North Classical Academy have set similar annual goals for success at their respective schools under the guidance of their coaches.
Each remained among the top teams in the state again this season with Kelly Gibson guiding Palmetto and Andre Chow leading the way for True North.
And so, Puppo is the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade County Boys’ Tennis Coach of the Year while Gibson and Chow share honors as Girls’ Tennis Coaches of the Year.
After finishing state runner-up last season following a narrow 4-3 defeat to Orlando Lake Nona in the Class 4A state final, Doral Academy won the state championship by avenging its loss to Lake Nona in the semifinals and beating Weston Cypress Bay in the final.
Puppo has led Doral’s boys to three state titles and two in the past three seasons. In addition to the team title, the Firebirds’ top doubles team of Samuel Rosales and Vincenzo Palmiotto won the overall doubles state championship.
Gibson guided Palmetto’s girls back to state in Class 4A this season and through a tough region that included Doral Academy. The Panthers were unable to overcome Lake Nona in a difficult 4-3 state final, but advanced to that round for the second consecutive season and to the state tournament as a team for the fourth year in a row.
Chow led the Titans’ girls’ squad, as well as their boys’ squad back to the state finals in each Class 1A division. But after an unbeaten run through the regular and postseasons, Boca Raton St. Andrews denied True North state titles by handing them 4-3 defeats in the state finals on each side.
Still, the Titans extended their streak of four consecutive seasons advancing to the state finals on the girls’ side.
