By Rich Winter

605 Sports

ARLINGTON — Long before the Arlington girls punched their ticket to the 2024 Class B state tournament, the community could see the talent coming. 

Tenth year coach Tara King has been waiting for this group of girls for some time. 

“I knew way back when these girls were in grade school that this was going to be a special group,” King said. 

The 21-2 Cardinals, currently riding a school-record win streak of 13 games, have been on an upward swing over the past few seasons. That swing may have begun during the COVID-19 pandemic when a group of parents with shared backyards built a court when the Arlington gyms were closed.

“My parents and another group of parents decided to put down a cement slab,” sophomore Jaelyn Huntimer said. “We spent a lot of time out there playing three-on-three, horse and one-on-one.”

That back-yard space is shared by sophomore starter Huntimer, sisters Harley and Sony Johnson and eighth-grader Lauryn Mutziger.

While that sounds like quite the familiar connection it doesn’t come close to describing the sets of siblings that make up Arlington girls basketball. 

Junior twin sisters — Addalyn and Jolyssa — are starters and joined in the starting lineup by younger sister Isabelle Steffensen. Junior Ellisyn Vincent has an eighth-grader sister Emarie that is also part of the Arlington varsity. 

“Having my twin and my younger sister on the same team is something we are super grateful for,” Addalyn Steffensen said. “We all do different things on the court and we’ve been playing together forever.”

King says the Steffensen sisters have both been terrific leaders this season although she admits the older sisters can be tough on their younger siblings.

“They are nicer to each other and the team than they are to Izzy,” King said. “I’m not sure if it’s a twins thing or a big sister thing but they are both leaders for us on and off the court.”

Huntimer feels like the closeness of the team has been a big key to getting better.

“We are hard on each other and it’s for a good reason because we know what we want,” she said. “We know we can trust each other and when one of us isn’t playing well we know we can depend on anyone.” 

{PHOTO TAG 3}

This current run to the state tournament where the top-seeded Cardinals face James Valley Christian Thursday has been building for a few seasons. Two years ago the squad finished 14-8 and last season the team went 17-5 bowing out to Castlewood in each of the last two years. 

“Honestly I thought we were good enough to make it to state each of the last two years,” King said. “Both years we came across a really good Castlewood team but I always knew this group of girls would accomplish some great things.”

In one other family connection coach King’s younger brother Cooper Heiser is an assistant coach for the girls team. 

Arlington last qualified for the state tournament in 2011. Prior to that the Cardinals last danced in 1992. The Arlington community has come out in full support this season and Addalyn Steffensen said she can’t wait to make more memories at the state tournament. 

“It has always been a goal to make the state tournament so it is a surreal moment that we get to go,” she said. “I’m excited to play in front of everyone and I’m really excited to spend off-court time with the team and share these memories together.”