Doral tennis wins state. ATM, Cypress Bay, Palmetto second. Plus hoops, volleyball, weightlifting
The Doral Academy boys’ tennis team won the FHSAA Tennis State Championship in Class 4A.
In a South Florida showdown in the finals, the Firebirds edged Cypress Bay 4-3. It was a rematch of the 2024 state finals where Doral Academy won, too.
Last season Lake Nona beat the Firebirds for the state title. They met again in this year’s state semifinals with Doral winning 4-1.
Talk about dramatics, two of Doral’s starters could not play in the finals because of heat exhaustion, so junior Marti Sarquella and freshman Nico Escalante stepped up big time. The Firebirds clinched the state title in a super tiebreaker at No.5 singles, when Escalante won 3-6, 6-3, (10-8).
This marks the third state title for Doral Academy boys’ tennis under the direction of Coach Justin Puppo.
The state final match started with doubles, and Doral won both via super tiebreaker.
No.1 Doubles: Samuel Rosales/Vincenzo Palmiotto (Dor) d. Sebastian Graff/Sebastian Elias 4-1, 1-4, (11-9).
No.2 Doubles: Gabriel Cottone/Marti Sarquella (Dor) d. Miguel Angarita/Andres Gerdel 2-4, 5-4 (8-6), (10-7).
Cottone and Sarquella, who played some matches together during the regular season, saved three match points en route to their big victory.
“It’s key for a team to pick up two doubles points,” Puppo said, “but I told the players it’s not over against Cypress Bay.”
Puppo was right. Cypress Bay won at No.3 singles first, then No.4 singles and No.1 singles to go ahead 3-2. Cypress Bay forced a super tiebreaker at No.2 singles to try to clinch the match, while Doral forced a super tiebreaker at No.5 singles.
“The momentum had shifted to Cypres Bay’s favor,” Puppo said, “but I believed in our senior Gabriel Cottone [No.2 singles], and I’ve seen Nico Escalante [No.5 singles] develop and had confidence he could do it.”
Cottone won the super tiebreaker to even things at three, and then Escalante won his super tiebreaker to clinch the state championship as the rest of his Firebirds teammates and some of the Doral girls’ tennis players rushed the court to mob Escalante.
Puppo said: “I’ve never been part of a match like that, that physically grueling, after a grueling match against Lake Nona. It was an entire team effort. It took every person on the team to accomplish our goal.”
No.1: Sebastian Graff (CB) d. Samuel Rosales 2-6, 6-1, (10-7).
No.2: Gabriel Cottone (Dor) d. Sebastian Elias 6-3, 1-6, (10-5).
No.3: Harrison Jang (CB) d. Vincenzo Palmiotto 6-2, 6-3.
No.4: Miguel Angarita (CB) d. Alan Shum 6-4, 6-0.
No.5: Nico Escalante (Dor) d. Andres Gerdel 3-6, 6-3, (10-8).
Graff and Rosales are friends, and Angarita is a former Doral player. The Firebirds lost three starters from last season’s state runner-up team.
The champs also feature Eric Echeverria, who won a key match against Lake Nona at No.4 singles 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.
At 18-1, the Firebirds lone loss this season was to No.9 True North, the defending 1A state champion.
Doral Academy avenged last season’s state final loss by eliminating Lake Nona 4-1 in the semifinals.
This time Rosales won a key match-up at No.1 singles, defeating Lake Nona’s Minato Koido, a top 40 player in his age group in the country, 6-3, 5-7, (10-8). Rosales and Vincenzo Palmiotto later teamed to beat Koido and Krutik Vijay at No.1 doubles, 4-1, 5-4 (9-7). Cottone also won a pivotal match at No.2 singles against Lake Nona.
The semifinal match against Lake Nona took 4 1/2 hours, and then the Firebirds were allowed a 90-minute break, before the finals, resulting in heat exhaustion for two players.
In other semifinal action, Cypress Bay eliminated Tampa Steinbrenner 4-0, setting up a Miami-Dade vs. Broward battle for the state title, like in 2024 when Doral won 4-2.
In the quarterfinals, Cypress Bay 4, Boca Raton 3; Doral Academy 6, Celebration 0; Steinbrenner 4, Lake Mary 2; Lake Nona 5, Spruce Creek 0.
Lake Nona is ranked eighth nationally; Cypress Bay 13th; Doral Academy 19th.
Individually, Samuel Rosales and Vincenzo Palmiotto later teamed to defeat Brayden Amey and Markus Andersson of West Boca Raton 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), (10-4) in another super tiebreaker to win the No.1 boys’ doubles state title.
Doral sophomore Payton Seidle-Lubowitz reached the girls’ state final at No.1 singles, placing second. Seidle-Lubowitz then teamed with Stefany Zamora to take state runner-up honors at No.1 doubles.
State Championship: No.1 Singles: Ashley Narath (Lake Nona) d. Payton Seidle-Lubowitz (Doral) 6-3, 6-2.
State Championship: No.1 Doubles: Ashley Narath/Aspen Wooten (Lake Nona) d. Payton Seidle-Lubowitz/Stefany Zamora (Doral) 6-4, 6-4.
Palmetto’s Beau Gibson was an individual finalist in boys’ No.1 singles. He won two matches, before being defeated in a super tiebreaker.
The FHSAA Tennis State Championships were in (Central Florida) Seminole County with Sanlando Park, Red Bug Lake Park and Sylvan Lake Park the host sites.
More state tennis
The defending state champion Miami Palmetto girls’ tennis team was runner-up in Class 4A of the 2026 state tournament.
Palmetto beat Cypress Bay 4-1 in the semifinal. Lake Nona defeated Tampa Steinbrenner 5-0 in the other semifinal and then beat Palmetto 4-0 in the finals.
In the quarterfinals, Palmetto 4, Winter Park 0; Cypress Bay 4, Boca Raton Spanish River 3; Steinbrenner 5, Newsome 0; Lake Nona 5, Spruce Creek 0.
The ATM boys’ tennis team was runner-up in Class 2A.
In the semifinals, ATM edged Orlando Lake Highland Prep 4-3, and American Heritage-Delray beat Santa Rosa Beach South Walton 5-0.
American Heritage-Delray defeated ATM 6-0 in the finals.
In the quarterfinals, ATM beat Tampa Robinson 7-0.
In 2A girls, Orlando Lake Highland Prep edged Gulliver Prep 4-3 in a semifinal. American Heritage-Delray defeated Lake Highland Prep 4-0 for the state title.
In the quarterfinals, Gulliver Prep beat Fort Walton Beach 4-1.
Individually in 2A, Downtown Doral’s Andres Matos, formerly of Doral Academy, reached the individual finals at boys’ No.1 singles by defeating Korey Abramson of Pine Crest 6-3, 6-0.
Pine Crest’s Sophia Ead and Brynn Edwards were individual finalists at state in girls’ No.1 doubles by winning two matches at state.
American Heritage-Plantation’s Motian Qian and Alejandro Palacios were state individual finalists in boys’ No.1 doubles by edging Gulliver Prep’s Maximo Lopina and Alexander Zelenov 4-6, 6-3, (11-9).
Manuela Gomes of ATM was a No.1 girls’ singles state individual finalist by defeating Patricia Acra of Somerset Academy-Pembroke Pines 3-6, 7-5, (11-9).
NOTE: Class 1A and 3A results in the next column.
Region weightlifting
The Columbus weightlifting team won the Region 8-3A Championship in Olympic and Traditional divisions.
Class 3A is the large school division in weightlifting, and Columbus was the only Miami school at the event at Forest Hill Community High School in West Palm Beach.
Cooper City from Broward County also competed with mostly Palm Beach county schools represented.
Columbus also celebrated three individual regional champions.
119 Weight Class: Maikel Alvarez-Brito (Olympic Region Champion, Traditional Region Runner-up)
139 Weight Class: Victor Rodriguez (Olympic Region Champion, Traditional Region Champion)
199 Weight Class: Ethan Barosela (Olympic Region Champion, Traditional Region Runner-up)
More local results:
Julian Pina (second in Olympic 154 weight class; second in Traditional 154) and Jacob St. Aubin (third in Olympic 154 weight class; third in Traditional) also qualified for state for Columbus.
Samuel Salazar of Columbus was runner-up in the Olympic 169 weight class as were Jake Langer in 219 weight class and Jose Mir in Traditional 169. Jason Gonzalez was third in the Olympic 199 weight class.
Roberto Padron was third in Olympic 183 weight class and fourth in Traditional, and teammate Tracy was sixth in the Olympic 129 weight class. Carson Cooper and Jake Moreno were fourth and fifth, respectively, in Olympic 238 and fourth and seventh, respectively, in Traditional. Ethan Macias sixth in Olympic Unlimited.
Antonio Cao was third in Traditional 219, and Michael Triglia was fourth in Traditional 119 and fifth in Olympic. Randy Troy was fourth in Traditional 199.
Cooper City’s Keygan Boyett was third in Traditional Unlimited, and teammate Jayden Whittaker was fourth in the Olympic 154 weight class.
District boys’ volleyball
The Belen Jesuit boys’ volleyball team won the District 16-2A title by beating Varela 26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23. The champion Wolverines (22-6) advanced to regionals, where they defeated Hialeah-Miami Lakes 25-9, 25-8, 25-16 in a region quarterfinal.
More local district champions: 16-3A Southwest; 15-3A Columbus; 14-3A West Broward; 13-3A Western; 15-2A ATM; 14-2A Reagan; 13-2A Pembroke Pines Charter; 12-2A Archbishop McCarthy; 11-2A Pompano Beach; 16-1A Somerset Academy South Homestead; 15-1A True North; 14-1A Archimedean; 13-1A LaSalle; 12-1A Divine Savior; 11-1A iMater Charter; 10-1A Monsignor Pace; 9-1A Chaminade-Madonna; 8-1A Cardinal Gibbons.
Basketball honors
Source Hoops presents the 2025-26 Boys’ Class 2A, 1A and Rural all-state teams. These players represent the best of the best for those schools that participate in their respected classification.
Players were selected based on in-person evaluations, a review of all-area teams selected by media from around the state, and without regard to a player’s travel team or high school affiliation or his ranking by other outlets.
CLASS 2A: FIRST TEAM
Marvin Christie, 6’4 SR, Jacksonville Providence
Mason Fuentes, 6’1 SR, Miami Riviera Prep
D.J. Gaines, 5’10 JR, Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy
Toby Lane, 5’10 SR, Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic
Miguel Orbe, 6’4 JR, Miami Country Day
SECOND TEAM
Kyle Blair, 6’9 JR, Orlando The First Academy
Myle Fuentes, 6’2 JR, Miami Riviera Prep
Kaii Levy, 6’7 JR, Tampa Prep
Calix McCune, 6’1 JR, Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian
Daniel Rees, 6’1 SR, Naples St. John Neumann
THIRD TEAM
Beau Beshears, 6’1 JR, Tallahassee Maclay
Lawaiian Long, 6’3 JR, Bradenton St. Stephen’s Episcopal
Rasmus Olop, 6’5 SR, Miami Florida Christian
Boosie Swann, 5’10 SR, Miami True North Classical
David Watson, 6’5 SR, Miami Divine Savior
CLASS 1A: FIRST TEAM
Grant Cook, 6’1 JR, St. Petersburg Keswick Christian
Alexander Dipaolo, 6’6 SR, Orlando Central Florida Christian
Tucker Fox, 6’0 SR, Lakeland Victory Christian
David Nealey, 6’2 SR, Weston Sagemont
Kevin Thomas, 6’7 SR, Weston Sagemont
SECOND TEAM
Gabriel Alonso, 6’0 JR, Miami Dade Christian
Ronald Clark, 5’10 JR, Jacksonville Impact Christian
Javian Cleveland, 6’2 SR, West Palm Beach Atlantic Christian
Ethan Mott, 6’5 SO, Boca Raton Grandview Prep
Josh Theus, 6’2 SR, Orlando Christian Prep
THIRD TEAM
Isaac Loboda, 6’2 SR, Ave Maria Donahue Academy
Caden Martinez, 6’2 SR, Tampa Cambridge Christian
TaNavion Richardson, 6’2 JR, Pensacola L.E.A.D. Academy
Cody Simmonds, 6’4 SR, Vero Beach St. Edward’s
Eric Turral, 6’1 JR, Tallahassee FAMU DRS
RURAL: FIRST TEAM
Trae Armstrong, 6’0 SR, Williston
Jabari Boahen, 6’2 SR, Quincy Crossroad Academy
Zay Jenkins, 5’10 JR, Port St. Joe
Tanner Mandel, 6’4 JR, Jay
Anthony Washington, 6’2 SR, Branford
SECOND TEAM
Amarion Griggs, 6’4 SO, Ponce De Leon
King McMillan, 6’4 SO, Hilliard
John Miller, 6’3 SR, Wildwood
Cyle Roche, 5’11 SR, Bonifay Springs Holmes County
Mason Vun Cannon, 6’5 JR, Trenton
THIRD TEAM
Kemonte Lee, 5’11 SO, Madison County
Christian Martin, 6’1 JR, Blountstown
Tykeem Paseler, 6’3 SR, Moore Haven
Omari Russell, 6’0 SR, Fort Meade
Ryker Stokes, 6’1 SR, Paxton
http://www.sourcehoops.com
Submit sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear. Also, some will be considered athlete of the week nominations.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 2:08 PM.
