Heritage’s Smith, North Broward’s Coughenor: Broward Overall Coaches of the Year
Winning a state championship wasn’t anything new for the American Heritage football team.
But securing this one required much more resilience than usual.
For North Broward Prep’s volleyball team, however, winning a state championship was a new feeling.
Under the leadership of coach Mike Smith, Heritage won their seventh state football championship since 2013 and second in a row despite a 4-5, injury-riddled regular season.
And at North Broward Prep, Brian Coughenor led the Eagles to a major breakthrough year as they won their first ever state championship after securing their first berth in the state final four since 2010.
Smith and Coughenor are the 2025-26 Miami Herald Broward County Overall Coaches of the Year.
Smith earns the honor for Boys’ Sports while Coughenor wins it in the Girls’ Sports category.
Heritage’s season began with a dramatic 31-28 comeback win on national television over Pennsylvania powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep.
What followed was a tough, albeit competitive three-game stretch where the Patriots lost three in a row.
They also lost key starters such as quarterback Dia Bell, running back Jonathan Bueno and receiver Brandon Bennett to early season injuries.
Things looked even more bleak when Heritage lost the district title to rival Archbishop McCarthy. But led by transfer quarterback Leon Strawder, the Patriots put together an impressive five-game winning streak, which included a payback win over McCarthy in the regional finals, and ended with a 33-28 win over Orlando Jones in the Class 4A state final.
Coughenor’s team had been building up to make a run in recent years. It all clicked this past season when the Eagles put together a 26-2 record with the only losses coming back-to-back in late September against state qualifiers Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest and Doral Divine Savior.
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Coughenor’s squad will try to reload for a repeat run next season with the return of talented rising freshman setter Emma Leuhrs and rising senior outside hitter Jayda Palumbo.
BOYS’ SPORTS FINALISTS
Brian McCartney, West Broward football: The Bobcats advanced to the Class 6A state championship game for the first time after putting together an impressive 12-game winning streak following an 0-2 start.
Jaysha Carter, Flanagan, track and field: Carter’s talented squad secured their first ever team state championship after a commanding win in Class 4A.
Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas baseball: The Eagles persevered through a tough start and extended an already state-record state championship streak to six consecutive seasons.
Joey Wardlow, St. Thomas Aquinas baseball: The Raiders established themselves as a state powerhouse by winning their second in a row in Class 6A.
Dave Roca, Pembroke Pines Charter basketball: At the helm of one of Broward’s most consistent programs, Roca guided the Jaguars to their third state title in the past six seasons.
David Roe, Sagemont basketball: The Lions became only the second Broward program to win four consecutive state titles.
Cilk McSweeney, Calvary Christian basketball: The Eagles maintained themselves as a top 5 nationally-ranked program and repeated as Class 3A state champions.
Julius Sandi, St. Thomas Aquinas basketball: The Raiders put together a dominant run to win their second consecutive Class 6A title and third overall.
GIRLS’ SPORTS FINALISTS
Mark Montimurro, Coral Springs Charter softball: The Panthers overcame two huge obstacles by beating reigning state champion Somerset Silver Palms and nationally-ranked Cardinal Gibbons to win their first state title since 2019.
Davidson Gil, Dillard track and field: The Panthers continued their run at the top with a third consecutive state team title.
Greg Farias, American Heritage basketball: After losing several key players to graduation and transfers, the Patriots were still able to maintain their streak of 10 consecutive seasons of advancing to the state final four.
Emily Williams, St. Thomas Aquinas basketball: In her first season, Williams guided the Raiders to their fifth state championship in the past six seasons.
Robert Perez, Archbishop McCarthy volleyball: Perez led the Mavericks’ girls to their first ever appearance at the state final four and later led the boys to state as well.
Cindy Marcial, American Heritage soccer: The Patriots won their fourth consecutive state title and were once again voted winter season national champions by MaxPreps.
Bryan Hantak, St. Thomas Aquinas soccer: The Raiders won their first state championship since 2017 and won their 16th overall, which is a state record.
