Seven Park Vista coaches make up 17 new hires announced at Dr. Joaquín García

Emilee Smarr, Palm Beach Post
Updated ·4 min read

Last Wednesday marked the first announcement of seven new additions to the athletic department at Palm Beach County's first high school to open in 20 years.

Dr. Joaquín García High, located in western Lake Worth, now has coaches for baseball, girls and boys basketball, bowling, weightlifting, and, most recently, girls and boys volleyball.

The school's Twitter account has yet to publicize the hire of Park Vista's Pam Romero, but those hirings signal the new athletic director's efforts are paying off despite doing double-duty for the Cobras and García.

A number of Bulldog coaches won't be moving far. Even more are still listed as active athletic staffers in the directories of the schools from which they came. A couple are even in season.

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Santaluces coach Nick Franco is in his 19th season as head coach of the Chiefs.
Santaluces coach Nick Franco is in his 19th season as head coach of the Chiefs.

On April 12, García was "proud to welcome" its first hires shared to social media, cheerleading coach Danielle Averso and baseball coach Nick Franco.

Franco will be making the move from Santaluces High, bringing his 19-year tenure with the Chiefs to a close, currently 11-8 in his final season. The Lantana school − Park Vista's main rival and a soon-to-be inaugural foe of the Bulldogs − is just 7.4-miles away from the $103 million building, set to officially open in August.

Seven Park Vista coaches highlight new hires announced at Garcia

Boca Raton athletic director Brandon Walker stepped away from the Bobcats to fill the head coaching vacancy at Park Vista High. He spent a year with the Cobras before stepping down in March.
Boca Raton athletic director Brandon Walker stepped away from the Bobcats to fill the head coaching vacancy at Park Vista High. He spent a year with the Cobras before stepping down in March.

Football coach Brandon Walker, bowling coach Krystal Lamb, and girls and boys volleyball coach Erica Greene will join Romero from the hallways of Park Vista, which is only about six miles southeast of García.

The school's athletic directory also lists Vista flag football coach Carlton Smith as García's inaugural hire for the sport. Smith is in the middle of a 12-1 season with the No. 8 Cobras, set for a return to region finals and beyond in 2023.

Cobras cross country and track and field coaches Ryan Callahan and Dan Barry will be heading the Bulldog boys and girls programs, respectively.

Marking seven transactions at Park Vista, boys soccer will lose Donovan Scott. It's another big loss for the Cobras on the pitch, still recovering from the program's hemorrhage of seniors from the 2022 squad that reached region semifinals. This year, Vista's season was cut short at district semifinals, finishing 7-7-3.

Park Vista head coach Erica Green speaks to the team prior to the start of the state championship regional final between host Park Vista and Seminole Ridge at Lake Worth Beach, FL., on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Final score, Park Vista 3, Seminole Ridge, 2.
Park Vista head coach Erica Green speaks to the team prior to the start of the state championship regional final between host Park Vista and Seminole Ridge at Lake Worth Beach, FL., on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Final score, Park Vista 3, Seminole Ridge, 2.

On the diamond, the Cobras will get to keep longtime baseball coach Larry Greenstein. However, the Bulldogs will receive his daughter, Marni, a Vista softball alum. The former collegiate slinger will coach García girls weightlifting in the winter and softball next spring.

Among other hires listed on García's available contact list were former Palm Beach Central volleyball coach Andrew Elder, who will boast the "only sand volleyball court in Palm Beach County" as he starts up Bulldog beach volleyball. Elder will also coach boys golf. Girls golf will be coached by Jeffery Caro.

Rather than West Boca Raton High tennis and girls swimming, coach Allison Nygren will lead Garcia's swim and tennis programs next school year.

García boys basketball will be charged by former American Heritage-Delray coach and Coppin State University grad Antwan Harrington. After 15 years of coaching in Broward County, Nesly Shackleton will coach the girls. The two have already spent time on social media teasing the design for the school's basketball court, which is already earning hashtags like "#TheDogPound."

Coaches for lacrosse and girls soccer are still "TBA," per García's athletic department site.

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Franco, Elder, and the crew of incoming Cobras coaches can expect to be re-joined with their players, as García will build its first student body from Park Vista, Santaluces, Palm Beach Central and John I. Leonard high schools.

With a controversial, finalized boundary map encompassing close to 22,000 students, sprawling as far as Boca Raton, nearly 1,300 are expected to fill García this fall. The school's capacity is projected to hold 2,600 students.

Should they maintain their enrollment in the choice programs they're currently involved in, sixth through 12th grade students who were initially rezoned have the option to stay at their present school.

However, a February board meeting revealed that Palm Beach County School District superintendent Mike Burke has an enrollment process in the works that would allow students district-wide to apply to attend García, regardless of zoning.

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New hires at Dr. Joaquín García High leave Park Vista athletics drained