How Arnold fended off ranked opposition and silenced critics en route to second state title

Winning a championship is a significant challenge, especially due to the limited timeframe during which a core group of players can remain together in high school sports.

The Arnold boys soccer senior class is a special one which achieved an 87-4-6 record across four seasons. Following their freshman season state title victory, the Marlins experienced a setback as they lost in the state final the next year and were eliminated in the round of 16 during the 2022-23 season.

Arnold became a team to beat, as its dominance on the field and deep playoff runs propelled it up the national ranks, making it the squad other state teams wanted to see stumble and fail.

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Ingredient of a state championSecond half playing a big part in Arnold boys soccer ascendance

The Marlins began the season on a 12-game winning streak, giving up only five goals, earning the team the top rank in the state of Florida and the nation. Arnold drew its next match 1-1 against Clinton, which was the No. 1 ranked team in Mississippi.

The team secured victories in its subsequent five games, leading it to the district championship showdown against the 12th-ranked team in the nation, Booker T. Washington. The Marlins experienced their first loss of the season in a penalty shootout. Arnold coach Jonah Hammond said the Wildcats celebrated the district title as if it were the state championship, which was the ultimate goal for Arnold.

The loss pushed the team down to No. 2 in the country but consecutive 4-0 wins against Lecanto and Englewood and a 2-0 victory over Booker T. Washington set up a decisive matchup against Pembroke Pines in the Final Four.

The Marlins won 4-2 on penalties, but Hammond said the Jaguars were given a video of Arnold from Booker T. Washington aimed to give it a leg up on Arnold.

"Washington's coach shared our penalty kick lineup and video with Pembroke Pines," Hammond said. "So they thought they knew where we were going but we switched up a couple of our shooters and our guys used their soccer IQ, switching up their kicks."

On Saturday, the Marlins advanced to their third state championship game in four years and clinched their second state title by defeating No. 6 nationally ranked Jesuit 4-3 in a penalty shootout.

"We have a lot of haters, nobody wanted us to win and they did not want us to be here," Hammond said. "You're either with us or against us and there were a lot against us."

Arnold finished the season 22-1-1, extended its home record to 54 straight victories and only gave up 10 goals all season.

Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.