Arnold Softball Set to Host Florida-USA Challenge this Friday and Saturday

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Coach Green and the Arnold program set to host the 14th Florida-USA Challenge with teams getting in several games Friday and Saturday! A great chance for several area teams to hit the field and see how they stack up against some top notch teams from not just around our region and state, but from Alabama, Georgia as well.

“We started 14 years ago, we started with 15 teams. And we’ve pretty much grown into the largest high school tournament in the State of Florida, for a weekend, sponsored by a school. Now this year we have 41 teams, we filled up Frank Brown Park. And we’ll be playing on all ten fields, four slots each day. And then we’re playing over here at Arnold, three slots each day, so we’ll have six teams here at Arnold playing” Arnold Head Coach Rick Green said.

“We’ve got two schools that I already know won state championships last year, in Orange Beach, Alabama and Curry, Alabama, near Jasper. They are here. And I mean we’ve got seven or eight teams that were in the elite eight in the State of Florida that will be here to too. And there will be some great matchups. I mean if the fans want to come out and see some great softball, high school softball, this is the place to be this weekend. As a matter of fact there’s probably not going to be any more softball around here this weekend, we are having to use all the umpires. And they would have to bring in umpires from other places to call the games” he continued. “We’re kind of on a points system here in the state of Florida with the MaxPreps rankings. So you want to play very competitive teams every time you can. And even if you get beat in these competitive games, you still get points for that game. And so every team we’re playing is as good or better than us, at least on paper. And that’s what we want, and that’s what the other teams want.”

Coach Green and his Marlins off to a four and oh start. He believes this event will really test his team, and all those competing. That list of teams includes Marianna, Sneads, Liberty, Freeport, Franklin, Blountstown, Walton, Altha, Mosley, Niceville, and Crestview. It all begins at one o’clock Friday.

Again, those games at Arnold and Frank Brown Park, it all begins at one o’clock Friday.

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