That's a mistake.
"There's a lot of barking out there, and I love when guys are trying to trash talk to me," Finnikin said. "I love it when someone's barking, because I feel like a pitbull out there."
Finnikin, a star receiver on the undefeated Desert Empire League Rancho Mirage High School football team and the shortstop for a Rattlers baseball team that made the deepest playoff run in school history, officially has that "dawg" in him. And for his dual-sport exploits, Finnikin, who was only a sophomore, has been named The Desert Sun's Boys' Athlete of the Year.
First love is baseball
As a kid, Finnikin developed a love for America's pastime by watching his uncles and cousins play.
"Yeah, it was like my whole family played it, so I felt like it was upon me to try to be great at it and try to achieve their goal and my goal," Finnikin said. "I fell in love with it and I had a talent for it, so I'm going to ride it."
Coach David Shaw and the Rattlers baseball program is happy that he did.
Finnikin played shortstop and primarily hit third for the Rattlers. He racked up a .413 average with 36 runs scored and 16 RBIs. A lot of his singles turned into doubles as he was a terror on the base paths, stealing a whopping 26 bases on 30 attempts.
The Rattlers finished second in the Desert Empire League and then got hot in the playoffs. They won three straight nail-biters -- 4-3 over Orange Vista, 4-2 over St. Bonaventure in extra innings and 3-0 over Salesian -- to make the Division 6 semifinals where they lost to eventual champion Colony High. The semifinal trip was the deepest run for the baseball team in school history, and Finnikin was named first-team All-CIF for Division 6.
"Beyond the obvious baseball and athletic talent, his courage and how he looks forward to attacking every hurdle put in front of him is what impresses me," Shaw said. "He wants to be challenged both on and off the field so he can be a better young man as well as ballplayer."
Giving Football a Try
What makes Finnikin's breakthrough year as a receiver even more impressive is that he only started playing football two years ago.
Finnikin decided to go out for the football team as a freshman, kind of on a whim, and he fell in love it.
"I just came out for football for fun, and it happened to hit with me," Finnikin said. "Honestly, it's that Friday Night feeling. The atmosphere and after the game after a big win, it just feels so great. We're just out there putting on a show. I love those Fridays."
Finnikin is part of a young and electric passing game that the Rattlers unleashed on unsuspecting opponents last year. The Rattlers surprised a lot of people around the desert with an undefeated DVL championship a year after going 2-8 and 1-4 in the league.
Finnikin had 35 receptions for 565 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He also threw one pass last year, and it was a 39-yard touchdown. He made the All-DEL first team and the All-Desert Sun first-team.
"For me, with Kobee, it's his competitive spirit," said football coach LD Matthews. "And he lives for the big play. He has an ability to make big plays on the field. In tough situations, he wants the ball. He is a fearless competitor."
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