Sometimes you can just watch somebody walking by and get the feeling that they’re a class act. And that’s the way it is with Antlers senior Andrew Arnold according to his basketball coach Darian Dickson.

“He’s a high-quality, very outgoing person. He’s always got a smile on his face and just has a certain charisma about him on and off the court. I could see when I taught him in history class that he sets high expectations for himself. When I think about a high-character kid, Andrew is the one that comes to mind.”

Arnold plays football and basketball for the Bearcats and says he may try baseball this year as well. He was injured late in the football season and his rehab took him into the early weeks of basketball practice where not being able to be on the court was frustrating.

“It was tough watching the first couple of weeks of practice because I really wanted to get out and lead as I watched the younger kids struggle a bit, but I didn’t feel like I could say much because I was just sitting there watching.”

But once he was ready, Dickson says you could see an immediate difference when Andrew was on the court.

“You could really see his leadership ability come out and he’d get out there and show the guys what they were doing wrong. He’s really like having a coach on the floor. He demands certain expectations from his teammates, and it’s been a great asset to have him back on the floor because he cares about his success and the success of his teammates. His presence makes the other players better.”

As he was coming up through the ranks, Arnold noted the play of a couple of previous Bearcats.

“Bryce Martin played here and at Murry State and he’s kind of like a big brother to me and Braden Shaw who graduated last year and is at NEO were both guys I looked up to,” said Arnold.

A 4.0 student, Andrew credits his parents for always stressing the importance of academics in his life and as a result he’s a member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. As a team leader, he knows getting a point across takes various forms.

“You need to know what you guys need to get them over the edge. And you have to approach some players different than others to get a point across.”

With the talent to get an athletic scholarship and the grades to get an academic scholarship, Andrew Arnold is a good example of how Character Counts.