'He showed leadership qualities from the get-go'

MOSES LAKE — Being a leader is nothing new to Moses Lake junior Kyson Thomas. Whether on the football field or the basketball court, Thomas is helping to guide the Mavericks to wins.

“Besides just his basketball ability, (he brings) his leadership,” Moses Lake boys basketball Head Coach Jake Hunt said. “I saw that pretty early on when he came up to us as an incoming freshman. I was able to see that over the summer when he was an eighth-grader… He showed leadership qualities from the get-go.”

Thomas, who has two older brothers who also played sports at Moses Lake, said that growing up in a competitive environment has allowed him to now reap those benefits.

“I have two older brothers, so I grew up watching them play outside and picked it up,” Thomas said. “Growing up, you want to be just like them and beat them, so being the youngest I came out pretty good… I would always practice with my brothers. I was always with them. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am without them. Each of them – my older brother, Isaiah, really helped me mentally and my middle brother, Lerenz, really helped me physically.”

On the gridiron for the Mavs this season, Thomas was named to three first-team all-league positions; wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner. Even with those accomplishments, Thomas is still hungry for more.

“It felt like I was getting the attention that I’ve been needing for a long time,” Thomas said. “I wanted to be MVP, offensive player of the year, so those are my next goals.”

Beyond accolades, the junior has another idea in mind to leave his mark on Moses Lake High School.

“I don’t know if I have yet, but I want to break the school record for receiving yards,” Thomas said. “I just want to make that untouchable for a little bit.”

On the basketball court, Thomas plays point guard for the Maverick boys basketball team and is an integral key in Hunt’s 1-2-2 press defense.

“(His) court vision has been really good,” Hunt said. “His athleticism really helps, but it’s his vision of seeing things. Now that he’s started to play more games for us, he’s really matured and taken control of the game … he really is that second coach out there.”

Hunt believes that Thomas gets his ability to read an offense comes from his performances on the gridiron.

“He reads the ball so well, especially as a safety and a corner coming from football,” Hunt said. “He’s just able to read other team’s eyes really well.”

Hunt named Thomas as a team captain during the 2021-2022 season, despite him being a sophomore. Thomas was also named a captain of the Maverick football team this past fall.

“It was meaningful, it was something I always wanted to be since I was younger and it came true,” Thomas said.

Many athletes have a pregame ritual or something to get their minds right for the event. For Thomas, his pregame ritual includes listening to slow songs, namely rapper J. Cole’s “She’s Mine,” before taking off his jewelry.

“Once I take my jewelry off, that’s when I lock in,” Thomas said. “That’s my thing.”

Along with competing with his older brothers, Thomas said he grew up watching both NBA and college football highlights.

“Growing up, I really liked watching Russell Westbrook and Kyrie (Irving),” Thomas said. “Football, Tavon Austin and those mixtapes when I was younger – watching those highlight reels was cool.”

While Thomas said he’s given thought to competing in track to work on his speed, the spring season is all about getting ready for football. This past spring, Thomas and other Moses Lake teammates participated in a 7-on-7 football league to get a jumpstart on training. The Mavs played against several teams from across the Pacific Northwest during the spring.

“It’s cool, you get to see a bunch of different talent, guys that are Division 1, and you know where you’re at as a player,” Thomas said.

With a goal of playing collegiate sports, Thomas hopes to use his hard-working mindset to make it to the next level.

“I learned, more mentally than anything, that there’s people that (colleges) are looking at and you just have to outwork and outshine them any chance you get,” Thomas said.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.