Carver tries to carry on winning ways with Calvin Arnold’s lead

For the fourth time in three years, the Carver Tigers have a new head coach. The good news is that in this case, it’s a familiar face.

Calvin Arnold gets his turn at leading Carver after serving as Tigers defensive coordinator in 2016. A former player at Shaw, Arnold gets his second chance at being a head coach in Muscogee County, having served as Spencer head coach from 2012 to 2014.

By Arnold’s account, it’s an opportunity he plans to take full advantage of.

“Any time you get a second chance, you have to make the most of it,” Arnold said. “The first time (as a head coach) was a learning experience. I learned a lot, and I grew a lot as a coach.”

Fortunately for Arnold, he steps into a Tigers program that still appears full of talent. The team managed seven victories in Dre’Mail King’s lone season as head coach, a year which ended with a three-point loss in the second round of the playoffs.

Defensive tackle Andrew Ogletree still has a bad taste in his mouth from how his junior year played out and looks to use it as fuel for even greater heights this season.

“It’s a big motivator,” Ogletree said. “I feel like we could have gone further than we did last year. This year I’m preaching to go further to Week 15, and that’s state.”

That task won’t be easy with the loss of playmakers such as quarterback Romello Kimbrough and running back Cameron Jessie, forcing guys like quarterback Xaiyhir Jacobs to step up.

In Arnold’s mind, the offense — led by Jacobs — may look a bit different than it has in years past.

“Offensively, we’re going to have a few wrinkles,” Arnold said. “We’re probably going to be more run-oriented, but at the same time we’re going to throw the ball. We’re going to try and get as many mismatches as possible.”

Ogletree and senior defensive end Thomas Cook said the biggest adjustment with Arnold’s promotion has been sharing him with the offense. They said Arnold is an energetic coach, moving from one spot to the next on the practice field in the blink of an eye.

Like Ogletree, Cook’s aim is to make last year’s second-round run pale in comparison to this fall’s outcome.

“I feel like we can do it,” Cook said. “We’ve just got to have heart. When the games get tough, we have to push through.”

The Tigers often break the huddle by saying “Week 15” in an effort to make the idea become real to the players. It will take quite the first season under Arnold to make it happen, but if the energy surrounding Carver means anything, the team’s outlook stands as promising.

“I’m very excited,” Arnold said. “I ask the kids all the time, ‘Are you ready?’ A lot of times, kids say, ‘Hey, Coach, this is the first time I’ve been excited about playing football in a long time.’”

2017 Schedule

Aug. 18 - at Harris County

Aug. 25 - vs Spencer (Memorial Stadium)

Sept. 1 - at Douglas County

Sept. 8 - BYE WEEK

Sept. 15 - vs Northside (Kinnett Stadium)

Sept. 22 - vs Westover (Memorial Stadium)

Sept. 28 - vs Shaw (Kinnett Stadium)

Oct. 6 - BYE WEEK

Oct. 13 - vs Cairo (Memorial Stadium)

Oct. 20 - vs Columbus (Memorial Stadium)

Oct. 28 - vs Hardaway (Kinnett Stadium)

Nov. 3 - at Americus-Sumter

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Carver tries to carry on winning ways with Calvin Arnold’s lead."