Mavericks athletics overcome levy obstacles

MOSES LAKE – The school year has come to an end, the class of 2025 has graduated, and an unprecedented year of athletics has been completed. After the local levy in 2024 failed to pass twice, Moses Lake athletics and extracurriculars were faced with financial challenges like they had never seen.  

Loren Sandhop is the Athletic Director at Moses Lake High School and oversaw the task of making sports happen throughout the 2024-25 school year. According to Sandhop, due to a shortfall exceeding $20 million, athletics of any kind were being called into question. 

“Essentially, the only thing that they funded in extracurricular activities was me and my secretary. So, everything else like coaching, salaries, transportation, equipment, uniforms, got nothing,” Sandhop said.  

As negotiations began with coaches, Sandhop knew early on that there was no budget to pay the coaches or fund any needs athletics had. One option he looked at early on was the prospect of doing it voluntarily.  

The coaches came to the discussion with an offer to work on a one-dollar contract for the year, with the hope that a levy would pass. Sandhop said he was pleasantly surprised by the coaches’ generosity. 

“It’s a huge commitment for them to be able to sacrifice and tell their partners, ‘Hey, I'm still going to coach, and it's going to take me away from you and the family, I'm still going to give to the kids,’ because otherwise, we could have some sports we couldn't operate this year because we didn't have coaches,” Sandhop said.  

Matt Strophy is the head coach of the MLHS girls basketball team and a spokesman for the coaches' association. According to him, it wasn't a hard decision to work on the reduced contract because it wasn't about the pay.  

“Speaking just for myself, I did not do anything differently for our girls basketball program. The only difference was the fact I didn't have any money to spend. We did everything like we always do, because we love our sport and we love the kids,” he said.  

Sandhop said the athletics program leaned on a new booster program to help fundraise for athletics. Community Athletics and Activities spent last year fundraising for Moses Lake athletics and activities, as their name implies.  

In a prior interview with the Columbia Basin Herald, CAA member Brian Skaug said the group had a goal to raise about $2.6 million to ensure all of the district’s extracurriculars, sports included alongside theater and others, went well for Moses Lake students during the 2024-25 school year. Local businesses and donors committed early on to providing tens of thousands of dollars in funding as soon as the proverbial shotgun start happened for fundraising. 

One factor that was a constant challenge was transportation for athletes. A lot of spending was cut for transportation and limited options of where teams could travel to. Sandhop said a lot of games were spread out to allow teams to utilize fields and travel vans for short-distance games.  

He also praised the parents for their contributions to getting the kids to games. Many parents volunteered their time to take a group of kids to games across town or sometimes further away, like Tri-Cities or Wenatchee.  

With every logistical nightmare happening, athletics at Moses Lake still had success. Several teams had winning seasons, went far in the district tournament, and made appearances at state competitions.  

“Unbelievable, how many kids were named Big Nine Player of the Year. How many teams won league championships or district titles. We almost didn't have seasons like we wouldn't even have competed,” Sandhop said.  

Sandhop said at one point they had to consider dropping out of the Big Nine for the year and seceding from the WIAA. Instead, they were able to fundraise and pull off another year of athletics despite the unusual obstacles set in their way.  

Sandhop said having athletics, or extracurriculars in general, is important for students as it can equip them with valuable tools for life. Oftentimes, students are pushed to succeed in the classroom with GPA requirements impacting their ability to play. He said students have learned work ethic, discipline and teamwork by participating in after-school activities.  

“I really perceive this as part of our culture. We have grit, like our kids know, work ethic. They know what it means, they knew it before, but they even more so know it now,” he said, “We just know we're going to outwork you. We work harder than you, so as a result, we're going to beat you. I think that is part of our persona, and this school year really emphasized that.” 

Skaug said at the beginning of the year that additional activities were important for keeping students engaged in education.  

“Without that motivation, it’s probably safe to assume that we’re going to see a handful of kids drop off that otherwise would be engaged in school and working hard to stay in the club or on the field,” Skaug said last July. 

Moses Lake athletics will have to go another season working without levy funding for the rest of the calendar year. A new levy was passed, and funding will begin on January 1, 2026, and the first revenue is expected to hit the district’s coffers in May 2026. 

Until then, from August to December, the Mavericks may be looking at another season of logistical challenges, according to Sandhop. However, now that they have been through it once, he feels prepared to take it on again. 

    Mavericks football head coach Brett Jay volunteering his time to officiate a unified soccer game this season. Jay also led his football team to a winning season last fall.
  

    Mavericks receiver Kyson Thomas running up field after receiving a pass in a game last season. Mavericks football went 8-2 last season. Athletes from throughout Moses Lake School District campuses were supported by parents who offered time, transportation and general support to students.
  

    Mavericks softball player Alina Lopez throws the ball back to the pitcher in a previous game this past season. The Mavericks were runner-up in the district tournament and made an appearance in the state tournament. Several of the Mavs’ athletes were recognized for their hard work and their teams did well, despite funding challenges.