Arehart sisters show potential

By Ladi Akitunde

Two sisters grow up playing soccer in a small town in Nebraska. They help their high school go deep in Class B tournaments – one actually winning two state championships in a row while the other one went off to college to continue playing soccer. The other sister then joins the eldest sister at the same college with two other girls who played on their high school team.

Sounds like the plot for a made for TV movie on the Disney channel starring Miley Cyrus. But this is actually the real life story of Taylor and Brooklyn Arehart.

The two were born and raised in Elkhorn, Neb. by John and Janelle Arehart. They both were interested in athletics at an early age. Taylor, the older of the two, knew which sport she would focus on from the beginning.

“I got started a long time ago and I think it was because my parents made me, but I ended up loving it and have played soccer ever since,” Taylor said.
“My sister and I were different athletes growing up. She played a couple different sports.”

Brooklyn shared the same view of how it got started as her sister.

“I think my parents got me into soccer, and I just really liked it. I’ve been a striker all my life so it’s all I’ve ever known,” Brooklyn said.

Head coach Jeff Hansen, in his fourth season with the Griffon soccer team, sees a lot of potential in the two sisters. With Brooklyn being a freshman, he hopes that she can be a good role player for the Griffons. And with Taylor being a part of the big junior class, he hopes she can be a leader for this year’s team. Hansen knows that he has to take a different approach for both players.

“The two are nothing alike. One is joking a lot; the other isn’t. It’s like night and day,” Hansen said.

“They are always encouraging and will bend over backwards for their teammates.”

Even though the two are very close and are great teammates, they still have their ups and downs as any sibling duo would have. Taylor knows that the two will butt heads every now and then.

“Playing with a sister can definitely have its ups and downs,” Taylor said. “Sure, we can get into plenty of fights, but I think we also understand each other better than anyone else on the team. It’s nice to know she is here to fall back on and count on in times when maybe the team is down.”

The two also have freshman midfielder Lauren Lennard and back Molly Slattery to lean on. They went to the same high school and want to help the sister’s bring the winning ways of Elkhorn High School to Missouri Western. Lennard knows that the bond between the four can help do that.

“It’s really nice to come in and have people you know and Brooklyn has been my best friend since fourth grade so it’s awesome having her here,” Lennard said. “Taylor really looks out for Brooklyn.”

“They have their moments but really work well together.”

With the soccer team having no seniors this year, they hope that their youth and closeness will help them on the pitch. We don’t know what is in store for the team this year, but we do know that the Areharts will continue to be close and work hard to make the team better.

“My sister means the world to me. She’s been there through everything. I came to Western because of my sister, and it’s awesome playing with her again because she always pumps me up before games.” Brooklyn said.

Taylor feels the same way about her sister.

“My sister means the world to me; she is the only one I have,” Taylor said. “Like I said, we fight, but there are things I tell her I would tell no one else.”

The Disney Channel needs to start writing up a screen play.