After a little more than a month at the helm, Destin Middle School Marlin Coach Shaun Arntz is still riding high and seeing “more positive than negative.”
“I like it,” Arntz said.
“They (the Marlins) already had a good work ethic, that was a big jump,” he said, noting the coaches were doing a great job with the boys.
“Now you just keep elevating it and keep putting your spin on it … keep spicing like you need it. And we continue to grow together,” Arntz said.
“There’s a lot I’m learning. It’s a lot different from high school to middle school … what they can grasp,” he said.
Arntz coached and served as athletic director at his alma mater, Freeport High, for nearly a decade.
But he was quick to give credit to all the assistant coaches.
“I give a lot of credit to the coaches that stayed in the trenches with them, when they didn’t have a head coach. Working with them during the offseason – and working with them in the youth ball,” Arntz said.
“It’s paid off,” he said.
Wave makers
“I think we’re pretty big up front for a middle school team. Our first six or seven guys have some size to them,” Arntz said.
“And we have four athletes that I’d put up against any other four athletes in the county. I feel like that’s our strong suit to lean on them,” he said.
The core four:
Joseph Cope, at quarterback, whom coach described as the “little man child.”
Amaree Claridy, running back, with “a lot of athleticism,” Arntz said.
Jayden Mullins, tight end and flex outside, who stands 6-foot-2.
Luke Valanatos plays all over the field. “He’s like a Swiss Army knife,” Arntz said. “He catches anything in his vicinity, and he plays really hard from whistle to whistle.”
“There’s a lot of other guys that are right on the brink of being in that top four,” Arntz said.
Conditioned to compete
The Marlins have had 45 consistent kids for workouts this summer.
“When they are here, they work hard,” Arntz said.
Right now, the players are doing two-hour workouts in the afternoons running through drills and conditioning.
On Aug. 4, the players did an hour-and-45-minute practice and then 15 minutes of conditioning.
Coach said they do a little conditioning at the end, but if they go full speed during everything in practice, they will be conditioned.
Out of the 45 players, Arntz said, there have about 16 they will rely heavily on this year, so they will have to be in shape.
But for now, “I see a lot more positives going on right now, than negatives,” Arntz said.
“Some of the younger guys are seeing how the older guys are doing … it’s kind of challenging them to step up and go,” he said.
Game time
The Marlins will play in a jamboree on Aug. 20 with Ruckel Middle School of Niceville, and Bruner Middle School of Fort Walton Beach. The jamboree will begin at 6 p.m. at Niceville High School.
Each team will play four quarters. As to who will take the field first, it will be announced later.
“I’m definitely looking forward to that,” Arntz said.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: Anchors Away: Destin Marlins gear up for kickoff
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log | USA TODAY Network
