Arnold always came up big for Knights

MILLERSBURG -- After four years, the big impact that West Holmes'Brady Arnold has had, belying his diminutive 5-foot-9 stature, is abundantly clear. However, before he became the most marked man in the Ohio Cardinal Conference, for opponents covering Arnold seemed more like a punchline than a challenging assignment.

"Everywhere I went they'd say, 'Oh, I got the little guy' and they'd laugh," Arnold said. "Having them underestimate me put a chip in my shoulder to attack them and make them eat their words."

After shouldering the load and helping West Holmes win OCC titles in both football and basketball, Arnold got the last laugh.

Arnold is this year's Daily Record/Park Mazda/Insurance Centre Agency Senior Boys Athlete of the Year after becoming the Knights' all-time leading scorer, pouring in 1,726 career points to shatter the old mark of 1,201, set 40 years ago by Mike Cline. In addition to being the OCC Player of the Year in basketball as a senior and two-time Daily Record Player of the Year, Arnold was also a dynamic playmaker in football -- being a two-time honoree as first-team All- District and the OCC Special Teams Player of the Year as a senior. For good measure, he came out for track and field for this first time last spring and finished fourth in the OCC in the long jump, and his season-best leap of 21-7 is second-best in school history.

"I'm not the biggest or strongest guy," Arnold said, "so I have to use my speed and quickness. My jumping ability really helped me rise over people."

Arnold came out just ahead in this year's voting for Boys Athlete of the Year, made up of seven Daily Record sports staffers and correspondents. Arnold took four of the first-place votes and finished with 65 points, while Norwayne's Kaleb Harris, the Div. II state champion in the 300 hurdles, was second with 57 points, collecting one first-place vote. Harris' teammate in football, quarterback Joe Dreher, was third with 54, picking up the other pair of first-place votes. Loudonville'sRyan Weber, a state champion at 195, was fourth with 37, while Norwayne's Trevahn Beery and Chippewa'sStoney Epling tied for fifth with 27 apiece. Beery was a standout defensive back and finished second at state in the 400 in Div. II, while the tight end Epling was a key piece of the Chipps' turnaround season on the gridiron while also averaging a double- double in basketball.

After the graduation of a big senior class in 2013, Arnold got used to seeing plenty of double-teams this past winter. Nonetheless, he still managed to lead the area in both scoring (25.8 points per game) and free throw shooting (83 percent), can 41 percent of his 3- point attempts and dish out over three assists per game. Arnold credited his supporting cast, with key contributors like Josh Neer and Scott Troyer.

"My teammates gave me the ball in good spots," Arnold said, "and I was able to beat the double team before it got there."

West Holmes boys coach Keith Troyer said what set Arnold apart was his ability to move off screens, in concert with his vertical jump.

"He did a good job of moving off the ball," Troyer said. "He was very quick when he came off screens. The other thing that made him so hard to guard is when he shot his jump shot, he got up off the floor. He could also get to the rim any time he wanted."

The Knights as a team, like their star player, weren't blessed with a lot of size. As a result, their game plan centered on frenetic defense and a quick transition offense.

"We got after it on defense," Arnold said. "We knew we were undersized and we could pressure, get out and run. We wanted to make it hard for their guards to bring the ball up. We were able to play fast.

"Even though we lost a lot of guys," Arnold added, "this was one of the hardest working groups I've ever played with. We had to be because we were that small and we outworked everyone."

The end result was the school's unlikely first OCC title. After Mansfield Senior forfeited the title in late February because of an ineligible player, the Knights took the crown with a record of 12-2 in conference play and 19-5 overall.

"It wasn't necessarily the way we wanted to win it," Arnold admitted, "but I'll take it."

Even though basketball is Arnold's best sport, and it's what he'll play as he heads to Div. II West Liberty (W. Va.) next fall, he admits that his favorite athletic memory came in football, after the Knights thumped tradition-laden Steubenville 35-7 to send them into the 2012 Div. III regional final. The Knights won a share of the conference crown just two years after limping through a 1-9 season, including a winless campaign in the OCC. "It was unbelievable experience to see all that hard work come into play after taking our fair share of bruises the first couple years," said Arnold, who was a ballhawking defensive back and dynamic return man. "To see that dedication that the senior class put in and help send them out and end their careers the way everyone wants to -- in the playoffs -- was pretty sweet."

As electric of an athlete as Arnold was, coach Troyer said what ultimately propelled him was a non-stop motor.

"Nothing surprised me with him because he put in a ton of work in the summer," Troyer said. "Even during football, he'd be in at 9 or 10 at night and he and his dad would come shoot around. His work ethic was phenomenal."

The 5-foot-9 dynamo may have snuck up on people early in his career, but by the end it was no surprise what he was able to accomplish.

Andrew Vogel can be reached at 330-287-1624 or avogel@the-daily- record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andvogel.

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