Mavs unified soccer is about family, not competition

MOSES LAKE — According to Ryan Hadfield, his coaching background is 100% in baseball. At least that was the case nine years ago when he arrived at Moses Lake High School and there wasn't an opening for a baseball coach. After talking with the athletic director, he learned about Moses Lake’s unified sports program. 

“I ended up getting hired as an assistant the first year, and then the next year, our head coach took an administrative job over on the west side, and I became the head coach,” Hadfield said.  

The unified sports program allows students with special needs to wear a uniform with their school's name and participate in athletic competitions. Other Basin athletic programs in Ephrata, Othello and Quincy have unified teams of their own.  

Hadfield is a business teacher for the Moses Lake School District and has enjoyed being involved in unified athletics since his arrival at MLSD.  

His philosophy on coaching his team is not far off what it would be if he were coaching varsity baseball.  

“We treat it as a varsity sport because for these kids it's a chance to wear a Moses Lake fabric uniform and be on a Moses Lake High School team,” he said.  

Unified sports like soccer include volunteer students who are referred to as partners for the players, and they help them play through the game on the field. The rules are enforced loosely. The emphasis is on fun.  

Hadfield is joined by two assistant coaches, Sarah White and Ruby Campbell, who serve as life skill paraprofessionals at Moses Lake High. Hadfield holds high praise for and gives a lot of credit to them for leading the kids through games. According to him, they have gone above and beyond to help their students.  

“Our assistant coaches, they are strictly volunteers. They're both paras at the high school, and they've driven their personal vehicles to all of our away games to help kids get to our games,” he said.  

In addition to getting the kids there, they stay late after school for games and practices. White and Campbell stay until every student is picked up before going home.  

“It's family oriented, when I got to meet the families that I worked with inside the classroom, I thought it was no questions asked when they needed someone to step in. I said absolutely,” Sarah White said.  

What Hadfield and White have noticed from the beginning is the dedication their players show when they’re on the field. Players run as fast as they can, they work hard to incorporate their teammates into the game, and are intentional about celebrating each other when they succeed.  

“I think a lot of kids with special needs, we underestimate what they can do,” Hadfield said, “You'll never run around a nicer group of kids. Our players instinctively just understand that they're working as a team, a lot of passing and that really isn't coming from me as a coach — they do that themselves.”  

Hadfield and White have taken notice of the support their players receive across the school. Players from other varsity sports give them high fives and handshakes in the hallways between classes. They consistently offer to volunteer their time for unified sporting events or practices.  

“It's really a family, so just having that and bringing kids together is really what Unified is all about. They'll come Monday morning and ask them how the game was and dab them up and say, you know, how was the game? So, it's cool to see that,” White said.  

While reflecting on the season, White had a humble perspective on her role with the team.  

“I'm the lucky one, really, it's true and I mean anyone that comes and watches the game, they just, they want to be more involved,” she said.  

The Mavericks unified soccer team had a jamboree Saturday at Lions Field with visiting schools of Ephrata, Othello and Quincy. They played a series of games and then had a pizza party afterward where they could share the camaraderie they built together on the field. 

    Mavs football head coach Brett Jay encouraging the soccer players. Jay volunteered to officiate the games at Lions Field.  

    Mavs soccer player pushes the ball toward the goal. Hadfield and White emphasized the strong effort the players put out on the field.  

    A Mavs unified player sprints toward the goal to make a goal attempt. Coaches from both teams cheered their players on.  

    A Mavs unified player regains possession of the ball and breaks away from the competition.  

    Mavs players high five each other after scoring in a game. Hadfield praised his players' ability to work together as a team.