Arnold seniors receive second championship ring in four years

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) – The Arnold boys soccer team hosted its second State Championship ring ceremony in four years on Monday night.

The Marlins won the Class 5A State Championship on March 1, capping off a historic season that also deemed them the 2024 MaxPreps National Champions.

Recent Arnold graduates and two-time State Champions Josiah Dunlap and Hunter Griffin said they are thankful to have been a part of such a historic run.

“It’s really just something special that I’m sure none of us expected,” Dunlap said. “We’re able to come back here after we go off to college and show our kids like, ‘Hey, this is something we really did.’ And it’s really great to make an impact on our county.”

“It’s pretty cool to know that everyone will remember us,” Griffin said. “I’m going to college and my roommates like, ‘Oh, you play for Arnold. We hated playing them.’ It’s nice to know that everyone knows who we are and we’ll go down as being remembered.”

While head coach, Jona Hammond has his sights on winning a third state title in five years, he said seeing his player’s reaction to receiving their ring is something that never gets old.

“It’s great to watch their face light up and see how excited they get about it,” Hammond said. “I’ve seen guys that they won that first state championship and they come back home during Thanksgiving and Christmas and they have those rings on when they come to the Arnold game. So, it’s just cool to see and I hope that continues to grow.”

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