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Page 63 September 2013 ARCADIA SPORTS By Nicholas Smith Lenny Abt vividly remembered being named the head coach at Arcadia High School, primarily because he wasn’t expecting it. At the start of the 2012 season he was the Titans’ defensive coordinator, arriving to Arcadia after coaching for 10 years at Chaparral and another five years at Pinnacle. But when head coach Jim Ellison, who piloted Arcadia to the state semifinals two years earlier, announced his resignation just days before the start of fall practice, the job of interim coach fell to Abt. “It was a complete surprise,” he said. “The hard part was that it was so close to the start of the season. My goal was primarily to keep the team focused.” But focus wasn’t easily obtained during the 2012 season. The Titans finished 4-6, a far cry from their final-four finish a year earlier. “Obviously it was a little disappointing. Turnovers were what killed us. But when I look back I think about how competitive we were,” Apt said. “We were in every single game we played all year. There was one game where we turned the ball over seven times, and we still got over 500 yards of offense and had a chance to win. A few less turnovers and our season could’ve looked a lot different.” After the year ended, the school dropped the interim from Abt’s title, naming him official head coach. To improve the team for this season, Abt said he and his players have focused on weight training. “Strength training is so important,” the coach said. “The motto is ‘Win in the offseason,’ that’s when you’re going to get stronger and better.” Abt stresses to his players the value of always staying in shape, encouraging them to play other sports during the spring and summer. “I want the kids to always be active,” he said. “That’s why I promote other sports during the offseason. The coaches for the other sports feel the same way; we’re all on the same page.” That newfound offseason strength will be put to the test in September with home games against Shadow Mountain, Camelback and North Canyon, and a road game against Maricopa. Abt said he is expecting great things from his team, pointing out it is filled with high caliber athletes and strong leadership from the team captains. “We just have so many good athletes,” he said. “I could run down a whole list of them but I’m afraid I’d leave somebody out. A lot of talented players.” ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Sept. 6 Shadow Mountain Sept. 12 Camelback Sept. 20 @ Maricopa Sept. 27 North Canyon (homecoming) Oct. 4 @ Paradise Valley Oct. 11 Chaparral Oct. 18 Notre Dame (senior night) Oct. 25 @ Independence Nov. 1 @ Cactus Shadows All games start at 7 p.m. AHS coach, team ready Follow AHS Football online at arcadiadaily.com. The Titans have strength on their side this year after putting a focus on weight training.