Not blood, but still brothers

It hasn’t always been easy for Lakeland High seniors Isaac McArthur and Trey McArthur.

Both born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, they didn’t start with much.

Abandoned by their birth parents, both were in an orphanage well before they learned to walk.

Some 16 years later — together — the McArthurs will get a chance to realize their dreams of playing college football next fall.

ISAAC IS the older of the two, born three months before Trey in Haiti.

“When we were adopted, we were from different families,” Isaac McArthur said. “We’re not blood brothers, but lived in the same orphanage and got adopted at the same time. We’ve been together for so long now, we don’t really know the difference. We’ve been there for each other for life.”

The two were adopted by Larry and Corrie McArthur of Coeur d’Alene when they were 2 years old.

“They’ve always been there for us,” Isaac McArthur said. “With their love and support, they’ve always been there for us. They’re just our parents, and we don’t know anything else. It’s all I’ve really known.”

“I don’t really remember much about it,” Trey McArthur said of living in Haiti. “I was just kind of born and left at the hospital and then taken to an orphanage. Isaac has been by brother for as long I can remember. Blood or not, he’s my brother for sure. He’s three months older, and most people think I’m older ­— and I like to keep it that way — but he’s older.”

Isaac likes to remind Trey of the age difference.

“I definitely hold that over him,” Isaac McArthur said. “Right now, I’m 18 and he’s 17. I keep calling him a child.”

Six years ago, the McArthurs visited their birthplace and surrounding areas of Port-au-Prince.

“We went back and saw some of the nannies we were with when we were there and the orphanage we were in,” Isaac said. “They told us stories about when we were there and everything. It was amazing. Just hearing their stories, it’s really humbling and makes me appreciate everything that has been given to me.”

BOTH TREY and Isaac also compete on the Lakeland High track and field team, as well as the school’s football team. They attended Coeur d’Alene High for two years before transfering to Lakeland for their junior year.

“Football might be my favorite sport,” said Trey, who played receiver and running back this fall. “Just the team aspect, I just love that. I don’t like being hit, but it’s fun. There’s a lot more to football and track.”

Isaac McArthur played cornerback.

“I love playing football,” Isaac said. “Our coaches have always expected the best out of us. Whether it’s a game or practice, they always want us to go 100 percent. I’ll miss having their support.”

Isaac competes in the 100, 400 and all of the relays except the 4x800 for Lakeland’s track team.

Trey competes in the 200, 400 and all but the 4x800 relay.

“Track is always something that mesmerized me,” Trey McArthur said. “People running just as fast as they can. I love it.”

It was more about fitness joining track for Isaac.

“It kind of started as a way to get into shape for playing football,” Isaac McArthur said. “I started my sophomore year, and once I hit my junior year, I kind of found my groove and something I really wanted to compete in.”

The McArthurs recently signed letters of intent to compete in football and track and field at Division III Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Va.

“It’s a good atmosphere there,” Isaac McArthur said. “I reached out to them at the beginning of my senior year and they took an immediate interest in me, and I took a visit. I fell in love with the campus. They’ve got very engaging teachers and the coaches are amazing.”

“They’re great young men and have tremendous personalties,” Lakeland track and field coach Brian Etchison said. “Trey’s just a character and they’re both unique. Isaac is a character too, but it his own way. They’re very deliberate with how they want to accomplish things and push me as a coach, which I love. Kids don’t want to be pushed to the next level, but those two do.”

Being together makes it all that much more special, Trey added.

“It’s been our goal since childhood,” Trey McArthur said. “We really didn’t expect to go together, but it just happened that way, which is great. We’re both looking forward to it. After knowing Isaac for so long, I don’t think I could imagine not having him around. He’s basically right next to me the entire time.”

“They’re both tremendous playmakers,” said Etchison, who is the Hawks’ offensive coordinator. “Isaac, if we need to throw the ball, we’d look in his direction. Trey, I challenged him to finish forward. What we were doing offensively, we had to put the ball in his hands and he had to run the ball, which isn’t his strength. But he made it a strength. They’re both tremendous workers and high-character kids. If you’re building a program, these are guys you want to build around. They hold teammates accountable and they’re program builders.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.