ABOUT US

Letter from the Athletic Director

Mandarin High School Mission

MEET OUR COACHES

Bobby Ramsay

Head Varsity Football

In 2018, Mandarin won the Florida 8A State Championship, the school’s first. Mandarin was also District 1 8A champion. Coach Ramsay was named Florida Dairy Farmers State Coach of the Year, as well as being named Jacksonville Jaguars Coach of the Year and nominated for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award. Nike named Coach Ramsay as 2018 Florida 8A Coach of the Year. He is also a PE teacher at Mandarin High School, and is entering his 3^rd year as head football coach at Mandarin.

George McCleod

Head Varsity Boys Basketball

Bio

George McCleod was born in South Florida and raised at the Northern tip of Broward County in Deerfield Beach. He graduated from Deerfield Beach High School in 1995 where he was a member of the boys’ basketball team, the orchestra, and the jazz band. In the fall of 1995, he was awarded a scholarship to play basketball at the University of North Florida (UNF) under the direction of Coaches Rich Zvosec and Sidney Green. In 1999 George McCleod received his Bachelors of Arts and Science majoring in Criminology with a minor in Sociology. After graduating from U.N.F., Coach McCleod began his coaching career as a men’s assistant basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Following his collegiate coaching career, he served as an assistant girls’ basketball coach at The Bolles School and Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Florida for a total of five years. In the 2006-2007 school year he accepted his first head coaching position at Englewood High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he also was a teacher of students with disabilities. In 2012 he led the team to its first regional playoff game in nearly 10 years. After 6 wonderful years at Englewood, Coach McCleod accepted the girls’ basketball head coaching position at Mandarin High School where he led the team to a second straight district championship and regional playoff appearance.

Coach McCleod is in his fifth year as Mandarin’s head boys’ basketball coach and is excited about the overall direction of the team, athletic department, and school. He led the Mustangs to its first District Championship and first playoff appearance since 2007. He is currently in his 18th year as a Duval County School Board employee. He earned his Masters degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration at Concordia University at Irvine in August of 2016. He is supported in all of his endeavors by his lovely wife Shante’ McCleod and two beautiful children, Myiah and Dylan. Coach McCleod’s philosophy is simple. We must strive to be our B.E.S.T (Being Exceptionally Special Today) in all that we do so that we may positively influence others to do the same.

Natalia Gonzalez

Head Softball

Bio

Coach Natalia Gonzalez enters her 17th year as the Head Softball Coach at Mandarin High School. Throughout her years at Mandarin she has compiled a record of 328-106, while guiding the Mustangs to 11 District Championships, 9 Gateway Conference Championships and 2 State Final Four appearances. She is a graduate of the University of North Florida where she played Centerfield for the Lady Ospreys. She is currently a Physical Education teacher at Mandarin High.

Ashley Hellett

Head Coach of the Bowling team, JV Girl’s Soccer, and Asst. Varsity Lacrosse

Bio

My name is Ashley Hellett and I have had the pleasure coaching at Mandarin for the last 6 years. I am the Head Coach of the Bowling team, JV Girl’s Soccer, and Asst. Varsity Lacrosse. Nothing has made me happier than earning the title of Coach. I am a sports enthusiast. I currently play rugby for the Jacksonville Sinners and I am the Baseball Operations Manager and Social Media Coordinator for the Jacksonville Indians semi-professional baseball team. Working with my student athletes is one of the greatest experience I have had. My girls teach me as much as I teach them. I am very blessed that I am coach for one of the most competitive schools in Duval County. Go Mustangs!

Sidney Dent

Head Girls Cross Country

Bio

During Coach Dent’s tenure as Mandarin’s Girls XC head coach, the team has been Gateway Champions 4 times and runners up 2 times. They have been District Champions 3 times and Runners up 2 times. They have placed top 4 at Regionals 3 times and have been State contenders 3 times. This most recent season, in 2018, 5 varsity girls broke 20:00 minutes in the 5k making it Mandarin’s fastest overall team in the schools girls XC history. Coach Dent currently teaches in the World Language department for Mandarin. She and her husband both have a passion for coaching and sharing culture with their Spanish classes. In their spare time, they enjoy running and traveling with their son.

Jim Schmitt

Head Boys Cross Country & Head Track and Field

Bio

Boys’ Cross-Country Coach Jim Schmitt, Mandarin High School Boys Head Coach: 2002-2015, 2018- Certifications and Recognition: USTF Level I and Level II certification USTFCCCA Technical Track and Field Certification USTFCCCA Endurance Specialist Certification DCPS Mike Houser Coaching Award for Cross-Country: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Team Championships: Gateway Conference Championships, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,2015 District Championships, 2011, 2012, 2013, Runners-up: 2008, 2009, 2010,2015 Regional Champions, 2015 Regional Championships: Runners-up: 2010, 2012 6 straight State Meet Appearances: (2009-present) State Runner-up: 2012 4th in State: 2013

Mike Dingfield

Head B/G Swimming

Bio

Mike grew up in Jacksonville and swam competitively during his high school years at Wolfson and Bolles. He earned a scholarship to swim at Western Kentucky University, where he ended his swimming career ranked in their All Time Top 10 for the 50, 100 and 200 free. After college, Mike moved to Louisville, KY, where he married the love of his life, Angie. Eventually, he moved his family back home to Jacksonville and went to work at Florida Blue, where he is still employed today. In 2009, Mike was hired as an assistant coach with a local club team, the Episcopal Amberjax and in 2012, he took over the head coaching position at Mandarin High School. He has a deep love of the sport and a passion for helping student athletes succeed in the classroom, in the pool and in life. He has coached National Qualifiers and has several swimmers competing at the collegiate level. Mike and Angie have 4 children; 2 currently swim in college and the remaining 2 swim for Mandarin High as well as the Mandarin Aquatic Club.

Kaitlyn Motyka

Project 17 Athletic Trainer

Bio

Kaitlyn Motyka is Mandarin’s new full time Athletic Trainer from Project 17. She graduated with her BS in Athletic Training from UNF, and is currently seeking her Masters in Kinesiology at JU. Kaitlyn stated “I will strive to support, protect, and educate every student athlete so that they may reach their goals here at Mandarin High School. Go Mustangs!!”

Kelly Townsend

Head Girls Weightlifting

Bio

Coach Kelly Townsend is in her 4th year as the Head Girls Weightlifting Coach at Mandarin High School. In her 4 years as the head coach, she has led the Mustangs to win 4 consecutive Gateway Conference Championships, 3 consecutive District Championships, Mandarin’s first ever Regional Championship, and has made repeat appearances at the State Championship Meet with one athlete winning an individual State Championship in the 2017-2018 season. Coach Townsend has also been the assistant varsity softball coach since 2011. She graduated with a degree in Sport Administration from Florida State University where she played softball for the Seminoles. She currently teaches Physical Education at Mandarin.

Tony Cuthbertson

Head Girls Soccer

Bio

Coach Tony Cuthbertson is entering his 2nd season as the Varsity Girls Soccer Head Coach at Mandarin High School. In his first year, he lead the Mustangs to a 7-11-2 record and a regional quarterfinal birth. Tony is a graduate of the University of North Florida where he received his Bachelors of Science in Sport Management. Tony currently serves as the Director of Coaching at Florida Elite Soccer Academy Oakleaf and holds his USSF D and NSCAA National Coaching Licenses.

Jason Cooley

Head Boys Soccer

Bio

29 years of coaching experience in both club and high school soccer
• USSF National C coaching license
• USSF National Youth coaching license
• NSCAA Youth license
• Trained in CPR and First Aid
• 8 District Titles (2009,2010,2012-2017)
• 3 State Final 4 (2010,2012,2016)
• 7 Gateway Titles (2009,2011,2012,2013,2014,2017,2019)

Larry Yudin

Head Flag Football

Bio

I am in my 25th year of teaching and coaching. From 2004-2009, I was the Head Flag Football Coach at Sandalwood High School where we won the inaugural Gateway Conference Flag Football Tournament in 2006. I also served as the Head Wrestling Coach at Sandalwood from 1999-2009. I have coached flag football at Mandarin since 2010 as both an assistant coach and head coach. While at Mandarin, the flag football team won consecutive conference championships from 2010-2014, district championships from 2010-2014, qualified for multiple regional playoffs, and were State Runner-Up in 2013. My philosophy is to get my student-athletes to practice hard, play hard, and work hard in the classroom but above all else, to have fun. I am a firm believer that success on the field, with proper coaching and guidance at home, leads to success in the classroom. I want my student-athletes to move on to become successful in college or whatever their chosen path is after high school and to become productive members of society. Twitter: @mandarinflag

Meghan Braun

Head Girls Lacrosse

Bio

Dr. Meghan Braun, Physical Therapist, is coming into her 5th season with Mandarin girls Lacrosse. Prior to coaching at Mandarin, Coach Braun has coached at many different levels from elementary to college, as well as internationally. She has began programs including The Hockaday (Dallas) middle/elementary programs, St. Augustine HS (FL), and The Bolles school (FL). She played NCAA lacrosse at The University of Dallas, where she accrued many on/off field accolades, including scoring the first goal in Texas Lacrosse History in an NCAA game. She also played this summer in the Prague Cup for a Women’s international team. She currently continues her coaching and playing love with The Lax Box, as well as recently coaching the North Florida Regional HS team at the High School national tournament in Long Island. The Mandarin Girl’s Lacrosse program has had several graduates recruited to play at the collegiate level under Coach Braun, and is continuing to become an important program for the growth of girl’s lacrosse here in North Florida.

Henry Montgomery

Head Boys Lacrosse

Bio

Henry Montgomery was born and raised in Gainesville, Fl. He graduated from Gainesville High School in 1989. After high school, he joined the US Navy where he served our country for 5 years during Desert Storm, onboard submarines. In 2009, he began coaching at his alma mater as the JV football head coach. During his time at Gainesville High School, he coached football, baseball and lacrosse. In 2015, he was named, boys lacrosse head coach. As the head coach, GHS appeared in back to back district playoffs, had back to back winning season, and the program grew from 15 to 45 players. He was honorable mention as the 2015 Gainesville Sun coach of the year and US Lacrosse North Florida Chapter Man of the Year. He is a level 3 US Lacrosse certified coach, a board member of the US Lacrosse North Florida Chapter, a US Lacrosse certified coaches education program trainer. As his transition from Gainesville to Jacksonville, Coach Montgomery is excited to be a Mustang and ready to begin his new chapter at Mandarin High School.

Lindsey Eldridge

Varsity Cheerleading Coach

Bio

Lindsey Eldridge is the Varsity Cheerleading Coach. This is her third year with the Cheerleading program. Coach Eldridge is a Mandarin High School Alumni and has returned to teach Science as a Biology teacher. She has 10 years experience with Competitive Cheerleading and was a Varsity Cheerleader all four years at Mandarin. She has a huge passion for the Mustangs athletics program and can not wait to continue guiding Mandarin Cheerleading to success in their sideline and competitive teams.

Ken Arsenault

Head Boys Golf

Bio

Mandarin High Boys Golf Coach 4 seasons

Mandarin High Slow Pitch Coach 2 seasons

Mandarin High Fast Pitch JV Head Coach 2019

MHS Golf

2014 and 2015 Gateway Conference Champions
2014 and 2015 District Champions
2014 Regional Runner-up
2014 Top 12 team finish in State Championships 3A
2016 State Champion Individual Medalist

2012-present Fast Pitch Travel Ball Coach

(2) Baseball Babe Ruth State Champions 2006 and 2008
3rd place finish in the Babe Ruth Southeast Regional 2008
Asst. Varsity Baseball Briggs High School 1987
Girls Softball State Champions 2013
1994 Graduate of The Ohio State University

Agronomy Turf Management/ Business
individual Low Am. Gate Petroleum Open 2005

2 Hdcp golfer

Steve Stewart

Head Girls Golf

Bio

Girls Golf head Coach at Terry Parker High School from 2011- 2015; Regional team appearance in 2015; Mike Houser award recipient 2014

Steve Stewart played college baseball locally for FCCJ and UNF, then went on to play two years of professional baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers making it to class A ball.

Head coach at Terry Parker High School from 2006-2010, earning FACA class 5A District I Coach of the Year honors in 2008.

Assistant baseball coach at Englewood, Eagle’s View, Bolles, and Providence

Currently Head baseball coach at Mandarin High since 2016, earning FACA Coach of the Year honors for class 9A District I in 2016 & 2018. District Champions in 2018

Married to Nicole with two children, Austin and Emma.

Anthony Flynn

Head Girls Basketball

Bio

Anthony Flynn, a native of Jacksonville, Florida graduated from Jean Ribault High School. He continued his education at Florida A & M University where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education. During his tenure with Duval County Public Schools, he taught Physical Education for 36 years (1980-2016) at various schools from middle to high school. Coach Flynn has also coached several sporting events such as basketball, football, track, and baseball to name a few. However, his love for football and basketball landed him in opportunities to coach both boys and girls gaining several accolades to his portfolio such Conference Champs to State and National Championship.

- 6 State Championships – Ribault High School
  - Boys Assistant Coach 1990, 1994, 1995
  - Girls Assistant Coach 2013, 2015, 2016
- Girls National Champion 2016 as Assistant Coach – Ribault High School
- Final Four – Boys Head Coach 2007 – Ribault High School
- Gateway Conference Champs – Boys Head Coach 2010 – Ribault High School
- Gateway Conference Champs – Boys Head Coach 2005 2006 First Coast High School

Coach Flynn believes in empowering all students to be the best person possible. He instills in his players that it takes heart, drive, academics and hard work to be the best. His motto is “The Best Is Yet To Come!”

Mikayla Jackson

Head Girls Tennis

Bio

Coach Mikayla Jackson is taking on her first year as the girls tennis coach. She recently graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Chemistry Education. Coach Jackson attended high school just outside of Jacksonville at Baldwin Middle Senior High School. While in school, she played a multitude of sports including tennis, basketball, flag football, cross country, soccer, and softball. Out of all of the sports tennis is where most of her focus on sports was concentrated in high school bringing her to the position of coaching the sport.

Thad Boggs

Head Boys Tennis

Bio

Coach Thad Boggs is entering his twenty third year as the Boys Tennis Coach. He has been a Physics/Chemistry Teacher at Mandarin High School since 1994. Coach Boggs graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile and Polymer Chemistry and from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1985 with a Master of Science degree is Systems Technology. While the Boys Tennis Coach, his teams have amassed a record of 263 – 96, two Gateway Conference Championships and one District Championship. He has been a multiple year winner of the Mike Houser Award as the Gateway Conference Coach of the Year. He was the 2016 FACA Assistant Coach of the Year. He also is entering his 23rd year as an Assistant Football and was a Boys Basketball Assistant Coach for 20 years. He has been married to the former Mary Catherine Martin since June 1974 and they have one daughter, Angela Nadeau who resides with her husband and grandson in Maryland.

Don Watson

Head Volleyball Coach

Bio

Don Watson is a 20 year Navy Veteran, retired Chief Petty Officer and currently serves JJVA as a Head Coach in National program with the 13N1 Team. In addition to coaching at JJVA Coach Don was Head Coach at Nease High School from 2016-2018 and Seacoast Christian Academy from 2012-2014. In the six years at both schools compiled a record of 106-49, was a district finalist 5 of 6 years, won 2 district titles, 2 conference titles and was named 2017 St. Johns Region Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Prior to joining JJVA Don Watson started JAX Premier Volleyball Club from humble beginnings at the YMCA of Florida’s first Coast recreation league. He led two U14 teams to eight tournaments entered resulting in seven gold medals, seven silver medals and 1 bronze for each of the two teams. As volunteer for the Williams YMCA in Mandarin he lead the Super Sports Volleyball program from 2010 to 2015 he facilitated to growth of the program and skills development for over 225 young ladies and men.

Don’s qualifications include NFHS Accredited Interscholastic Coach, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) Double Goal Coach, AAU Certified Volleyball Coach, USA Volleyball Impact Coach, and United States Navy Master Training Specialist

Billy Bell

Head Varsity Baseball

Bio

Billy Bell played college baseball at Florida Community College at Jacksonville, where he was a JUCO All-American in 1989. He received a scholarship to play at the University of Miami, and participated in the World Peace Games in Moscow, USSR, later that year.

Assistant varsity baseball coach at Englewood High School from 1997-1999, where he helped the Rams win it’s first state championship, and from 2003-2005. Won district title in 1998.

Head baseball coach at the Providence School from 2001-2003, where he guided the Stallions to back to back final four appearances in 2002-03 and the state title in 2003. Named FACA 1A Coach of the Year for Florida in 2003. Won district championships in 2001 and 2003.

Returned to his alma mater as head baseball coach at Sandalwood High School in 2005, where he coached until 2019, and helped the Saints win the Gateway Conference tournament in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Won district championships in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017. Mike Houser award recipient in 2011, 2012 and 2017.

Named Mandarin head baseball coach in 2019.