ORANGE PARK - Ridgeview High School football has tagged former Oakleaf and Ridgeview football assistant coach Bryan Arnette as the next coach for the Panthers after Matt Knauss accepted a job to coach in Georgia.

Arnette, who has been with Ridgeview the past five years, has started off his tenure for the Panthers with an NFL-combine type first week of football training and conditioning with players going through similar testing sets in the 40 yard dash, bench press repetitions, vertical leap measures, broad jump and a shuttle drill for time.

“This week (Thurs., June 17) is part of our core values; we meet four days a week and each day we exemplify a core value,” said Arnette, 34, married with an 18 month old son. “Monday is about attitude, Tuesday is effort, Wednesday is accountability and Thursday is competition.”

Arnette will be attempting to restructure a solid season from last year under Knauss who took the Panthers into the region playoffs after a handful of dismal season under numerous coaches.

“I was an assistant here for five years so I know the kids and the program,” said Arnette. “I’ve worked with great coaches in the area; coach Frank Garis at Oakleaf and coach Ryan Wolfe, now at Middleburg High, and will try to utilize what I’ve learned from them and then put my little spin on it.”

In his first two weeks at the position, Arnette noted the players have responded to the adversity of losing a coach quickly and are looking forward to 2021.

Arnette was reluctant to reveal his football strategy except that he will have 11 guys on both sides of the ball.

“I have to keep something secret,” said Arnette, a coach in Clay County for eight years after finishing at Tallahassee Chiles High School and Florida State University. “I can claim an intramural championship while at FSU.”