Sermon Service & Electric Student-Athlete of the Week – Austin Arave – Jan. 31, 2026

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – Austin Arave is a senior on the Blackfoot basketball team. As of the writing of this article, Austin and the Broncos are 14-3 on the year. Ahead of their January 31st game against the Preston Indians, both Austin and his teammate Kasen Sorensen were honored during pregame for crossing the 1,000-point mark in their high school careers.

“You dream about it," said Arave. "Since you're a little kid... I see some older guys above [me] get that goal, and it's really nice to be able to be one of those guys.” This season, Austin leads the team in points per game, assists per game, and steals per game, showcasing his well-rounded skill set.

"I feel like I've put a lot of work into the game," the senior told me. "For it to really stand out... it feels really good. It's a great accomplishment."

Leading this Bronco team from the bench is head coach Clint Arave, who is Austin's father. Coach Clint explained to me just how thrilled he is with coaching his own son.

"It's something that I've always looked forward to," Clint said. "...It's definitely a difficult thing at times, but it's definitely a privilege to be able to do so. So I'm very grateful to be able to do so."

When I asked Coach what it was like to witness Austin cross the 1,000 career point threshold, he told me:

"You know, a lot of the reason why I'm coaching is because of him. So I'm grateful because he's allowed me to be a part of that journey. And just seeing that is, you know, just kind of validation. It's kind of the 'fruits of your labor' type thing."

Congratulations to our Sermon Service & Electric Student-Athlete of the Week, Austin Arave of Blackfoot High School. If you know an athlete that you'd like to nominate, let us know! Send an email to sports@localnews8.com with their name and a brief explanation of why you'd like to nominate them.