Trifecta: Chatham’s Arnold hits, swings, throws his way to three state titles

Matthew Arnold knows his chances of winning 11 NBA championships are pretty slim …

Senior Matthew Arnold takes a cut at a ball during Chatham’s Dogwood District matchup against Nelson County this past season. Photo: Judy Merricks/Special to River City Sports.

Matthew Arnold knows his chances of winning 11 NBA championships are pretty slim.

But when Arnold turned in his score card after the final round of the VHSL Class 2 boys golf tournament final back in April, his mark of 4-over-par 76 helped him achieve a feat NBA legend and 11-time champion Bill Russell didn’t in his three years at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California.

Arnold’s score gave him his second consecutive Class 2 golf state and his third overall, putting him one past the back-to-back titles Russell won in high school.

While Arnold was quick to acknowledge the low probability of him catching Russell’s 11 NBA titles, he did cop to it being pretty cool to have a leg up on the basketball legend at the high school level.

“Something like that is always cool,” Arnold said. “I don’t think I’ll get the number of NBA titles he did, but it’s pretty cool to pass him at the high school level.”

It all began back in 2018 when Arnold defeated Union’s Austin Schlobohm in a one-hole playoff to win the Class 2 title at Lonesome Pine Country Club in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

Arnold doubled down on his total eight months later as a member of the 2019 Chatham baseball side that slashed through the postseason on the way to the program’s third title and first at the Class 2 level.

The embarrassment of riches continued in April, when Arnold edged out Radford’s Trevor Price by a stroke to repeat as state champion, rounding out his trifecta.

Chatham golf coach Chad Anderson(left) poses with Matthew Arnold after Arnold won his second consecutive VHSL Class 2 boys golf title. Photo: Lee Arnold/Special to River City Sports.

Arnold grew up watching his older brother, Drew, succeed on the diamond and golf course as a member of Chatham’s baseball and boys golf teams.

In that time, he saw Drew win a state title as a member of the ‘Cavs’ 2009 Class 1 title team, a pair of back-to-back Dogwood District baseball tournament championships, back-to-back Dogwood titles in golf and the 2009 Dogwood golf’s Player of the Year.

However, Arnold never got to share in on a golf title with Drew as it eluded him throughout his career.

It’s something Arnold thought about after both golf championships and made them a bit more surreal given he never got to share in on the experience with one of his childhood heroes in Drew.

“I was always watching my brother play and of course, in 2009, they won the state baseball championship and he was a great golfer, golfed at [Hampden-Sydney College] but he never won a state championship in golf, so I was thinking there was no way I could win won,” Arnold said. “Looking back on it now, it’s pretty crazy to see everything I’ve accomplished over the last four years.”

Arnold’s father, Lee, has been there with his son for every birdie, strikeout and home run. The two even share a state championship as Lee was an assistant coach for the 2019 title team.

While Lee is proud of his son’s titles, it’s how he’s handled them that has impressed him the most.

“It’s a nice thing to see because I know he’s put in the hard work, but the thing I love about it the most is his demeanor,” Lee said. “I’m glad that he’s won the titles but I’m more impressed by the way he’s won them. He doesn’t get too down when things aren’t going well and he doesn’t get too high when things are going well. He keeps an even keel.”

An attitude the Hampden-Sydney signee has needed throughout his career, given his penchant for pressure …

Arnold (left) and Anderson talk strategy at this year’s Class 2 state title golf tournament. Photo: Lee Arnold/Special to River City Sports.

In 2000’s “The Replacements,” head coach Jimmy McGinty tells replacement quarterback Shane Falco that winners want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line.

It’s an attitude Arnold shares with McGinty and it’s what he credits his success to.

“I like performing when there’s a lot of pressure,” Arnold said. “I find it a lot more fun when everybody’s watching or everything is at stake, for all the marbles. It’s more fun when you can perform in that and then in the end when you know you accomplished what you were trying to do with all the pressure on you, it’s just fun.”

Whether starting this year’s Class 2 state semifinal or winning last year’s golf title in a final playoff round four hours away from home, Arnold has lived in the pressure cooker throughout his high school career.

In order to have the type of success he’s had, Arnold has had to develop a mentality the late-great Rick James would call cold-blooded.

Lee has seen that mentality develop within his youngest son over the years and it’s what he harkens back to when crediting his son’s success.

“I’ll go back to his demeanor,” Lee said. “He doesn’t seem to get too upset in the moment or too high, even when things aren’t going well, he’ll give himself a little pep talk and pick things back up. He doesn’t let a couple of bad shots take him out of the round. He’s the same way in baseball. He doesn’t let a bad play balloon into something bigger. He stays calm in the moment.”

Chatham’s Matthew Arnold delivers a pitch during one of the ‘Cavs’ games this season. Arnold played an integral role in a Cavaliers program that fell two games shy of a title repeat and undefeated season. Photo: Judy Merricks/Special to River City Sports.

There’s an old Dr. Seuss adage that reads, “If you get a chance, take it. If it can change your life, let it. Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.”

While maybe not in those exact words, it’s a lesson Lee and his wife, Deb, have always tried to instill in their children.

It’s not everyday a parent gets to see their children living their advice, but Lee and Deb have watched their sons prove to them the wisdom has stuck. Especially over Arnold’s incredible run.

“His run has shown me that hard work pays off,” Lee said. “He’s shown me that setting goals always pays off. He’s always wanted to play high-level baseball and he has and now he gets to take it even further at college. He goes out and does what he has to do to get the things he wants.”

Naturally, Arnold has learned a few things as well …

“You have to have character, you have to work hard, you have to have those two,” he said. “Whatever happens, you just have to keep going and can’t let the bad things phase you and you have to turn it around. There’s going to be a bad at-bat or a home run or a bad call and you have to keep going and not let the negative affect your future.”

The coronavirus pandemic upended nearly aspect of our lives and it did the same to the VHSL boys golf season as its start was delayed to February, which posed a few problems for Arnold.

First, winter isn’t exactly the best time of year for golfing. For starters, your hands will be cold enough without gripping a grip that feels like an ice cube. Grips can also get cold and slick or cracked if the temperature gets too extreme and steel shafts don’t react well in the cold. The cold weather can also restrict swings and impact distances and the courses don’t dry as well and can become damaged due to inclement weather.

Secondly, the start of the golf season also coincided with preseason training for baseball, leaving Arnold double booked.

However, Arnold kept his Jedi mindset throughout the whole process and rode it to a second consecutive state title, putting it at the top of the list of the three.

Arnold poses for a picture with Anderson’s son,, after winning this year’s Class 2 boys golf state title at the Pete Dye River Course in Radford, Virginia. Photo: Lee Arnold/Special to River City Sports.

“I’d probably say this year just because the way the golf season was set up this year because it was mixed in with baseball and I’d go to golf practice then turn around and have to go to baseball practice so it was a long year,” Arnold said. “But that made it feel even better to come out on top knowing all the hard work I had put in this year.”

When asked which title was the most special for him, Lee gave a surprising answer, considering he shares one of those titles with his son.

“I guess this year because going into it, he wasn’t expecting it because of the situation around COVID,” Lee said. “Towards the end, we didn’t know if it would be warm enough to play the golf so we were just hoping everything was going to be to go on as normal and then he got hot there in the end. He played consistently well all year, but playing golf in the winter time is a different beast.”

“But it was encouraging to see him plow through like he normally does. He got into the postseason and just stayed the course, stayed calm, kept doing the best he could and just wait around to see if that was good enough.”

Of course, that’s not to say the baseball title wasn’t near the top of the list.

“I feel like the baseball run as a team was more fun at the end,” Arnold replied, when asked which was more enjoyable. “We had all been working towards the same goal and saw it all come together at the end of the season. It was a goal from the moment we started working out earlier that fall, then play to the middle of June and finally seeing it pay off was a pretty good feeling.”

Left-Right: Lee, Deb and Matthew shake hands with Chatham coaches and administrators during the Cavaliers’ Senior Day this year. Lee and Matt share a state title ring as members of the 2019 ‘Cavs Class 2 state title team. Photo: Judy Merricks/Special to River City Sports.

Every parent has to watch their child grow up eventually. However, very few get to see their kid not only win three high school state titles, but get to play baseball at the collegiate level like Arnold will next spring at Hampden-Sydney.

Once again, though, it’s Arnold’s maturity that’s impressed Lee the most.

“He has matured greatly broth academically and athletically, especially this year,” Lee said. “It’s been a tough year for everybody as far as taking classes. He’s kind of been out there on your own and so hopefully that’s been a good preparation for college as well. He’s worked hard at whatever he’s done, but his mentality and maturity has carried him through this school year.”

However, that doesn’t mean it’s been easy on Lee and Deb, especially this year.

“Last year with the way it went and having everything end so abruptly, then not knowing what this year going to be like, not know we were going to get to play,” Lee said. “We didn’t know if fans were going to be able to attend but he had to stay focused and keep preparing with a lot of uncertainty.”

Despite all the ups and downs, especially this year, Arnold’s a little bummed it’s all over.

“It’s been an awesome ride and part of me wishes it wasn’t over,” Arnold said. “It’s sad that it’s come down to the end but I’m glad knowing I took advantage of every opportunity and get to go out on a high note.”