From Maui to Northwest Christian, Tarasenko twins find success leading their teams

Leaving Maui in May for the Arizona desert was a bit of an awakening for twins Evan and Ashley Tarasenko.

They grew up on the island, after moving there from Toronto when they were 6. They left behind friends and an athletic imprint at Maui High School.

But they had each other.

It didn't take long for them to adjust to life at Northwest Christian High School in Phoenix, immediately immersing themselves in their sports teams — Evan the quarterback on the football team, and Ashley the top runner on the cross country team.

"Obviously it's hard to leave home, where you grew up, but there is so much more to life than the beach," Ashley said. "We love being here, and the environment."

They wound up avoiding catastrophe.

Three months after the move, their former high school was turned into a shelter for people whose houses were burned down in August from the wildfire in Lahaina. It was the deadliest United States wildfire in more than a century with 99 people reported dead.

"Evan and I both had a lot of friends on that side of the island," Ashley said. "It was so sad. Their houses burned down. Devastating."

Nearly three months later, they are getting ready to lead their teams at state.

Evan has led Northwest Christian's football team to an 8-0 record, as the Crusaders get ready for homecoming Friday against Phoenix Thunderbird (6-2), hoping to gain one of the top three spots in the 4A playoffs.

Ashley will lead Northwest Christian's girls' cross country team in a sectional meet Thursday, a primer before the Division IV state meet, at which she is expected to be among the top four girls to cross the finish line.

"Leaving for my senior year was a tough decision, but I'm happy to be here," Evan said. "And the season has been going great."

Evan, who is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, came from a school that relied heavily on the ground game. When he came to Northwest Christian, coach David Inness happily opened up the offense to showcase Tarasenko's arm. It's been kind of late to get on the college recruiting radar, although Abilene Christian has shown serious interest, as he has passed for 2,097 yards and 29 TDs with just two interceptions, completing 123 of 181 passes.

Ashley would have been a favorite to win a Hawaii cross country title, but picked up where she left off on the island, and in the last month committed to Arizona State.

"They're inseparable," Inness said. "They're really close. It's really cool."

As Tonya Tarasenko, the twins' mother, puts it, "They're connected from the womb to the tomb."

The move from Maui to Phoenix was prompted by work. But their parents wanted them to go to a Christian school and instantly fell in love with Northwest Christian.

"I think having boy-girl twins are different, but they're definitely best friends at heart," Tonya said. "They've always been each other's biggest supporter. They've celebrated their strengths as individual athletes, and they've always been big advocates for each other."

Evan was the first to celebrate his sister's commitment to ASU. They're so close that they would love to attend the same college. Evan said he wouldn't discount walking onto ASU's football team to make that work. But there could be some Division I colleges offering scholarships before his season is done.

To show how fast Evan mixed in with his new teammates over the summer, he was named one of the team captains.

"It was just five or six days a week with these guys in the summer, coming out to practice and just hitting the weight room hard, practicing, chemistry," Tarasenko said. "I love the group of guys I'm around, and everybody's motivated."

Evan developed a good rapport with wide receiver/defensive back Gunnar Penzkover, who led Northwest Christian to the last two 3A baseball championships as a pitcher and position player, has committed to Grand Canyon for baseball. He's one of the go-guy guys that Tarasenko looks for in games.

"He's just a great kid," Penzkover said. "I love him as a friend and a teammate. He's a great quarterback, too."

Ashley, as well, was immediately accepted by her new cross country teammates and coach Brandon Southall.

"I think the biggest thing is their leadership," Southall said of the twins. "They're both great leaders with great hearts. They lead their team with their work ethic. She has obviously been a huge help for us."

Ashley said she and Evan used to run together around Maui, where she was the high school runner-up of the island last year in cross country.

But as they got older, they went their separate ways in their sports. But if it doesn't conflict with each other's schedules, they go to each other's sporting events, each other's No. 1 fan.

"We love each other," Ashley said.

Evan is driven by Ashley's drive.

"We're both just trying to play in college," he said. "She has already committed. Just super motivated in sports, and that's our main focus right now."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: From Maui to Northwest Christian, Tarasenko twins find success