MIKE MAYNARD

U.S. advances to World Cup knockout round with 2-0 win over Australia

SEATTLE — Ahead of their matchup against Australia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, questions swirled about how the United States would fare against the Socceroo's after it was announced star Christian Pulisic would not play due to a calf injury. Despite this, the United States overcame Australia 2-0 to advance to the knockout round of the World Cup.

Athletic Breakthrough gym helps local athletes train beyond the season

QUINCY — While local Basin student athletes may be out for the summer, their opportunities to remain in shape for their respective sports are not. Head Baseball Coach at Quincy High School and owner of Athletic Breakthrough Gym David Garza has made his business available to local Basin athletes to continue developing during the offseason. “You're starting to see the kids who are trying to be more dedicated to their sport,” Garza said. “One thing that contributes to a lot of that success is dedication in the offseason, their hard work in the weight room, the dedication that they're putting in, as well.”

Dallin Spencer takes over Vikings men’s hoops

MOSES LAKE — Dallin Spencer was named the new head coach of men’s basketball at Big Bend Community College, Vikings Athletics announced in a statement. For Spencer, this is an opportunity he’s been chasing for a while now, he said. “It feels a little surreal,” Spencer said. “I've been wanting to be a college head coach since I was probably about 15 or 16, old enough to kind of comprehend what having a lifelong job and career is, but I'm really excited to be a part of the Big Bend family.”

Sage-N-Sun hoops tourney brings out Ephrata community

EPHRATA — The 36th Sage-N-Sun festival drew a large turnout with several attractions like the fun run, a parade and a three-on-three basketball tournament. “I think it went really great,” Parks and Recreation Director Josh Johnson said. “We had a similar turnout to what we had last year. We ended up with 36 total teams, and we ran four total divisions. We kind of hoped that we could get a handful more divisions to run, but it's just a very busy weekend in our community that weekend, and so we made do with what we had, and I think we were able to put on a pretty good event.”

Sixers 16U-Lopez split four games at home tourney

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers 16U-Lopez (6-7) went 2-2 in the High Desert Invitational held at Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex. “It was kind of disappointing not coming out with the championship, playing in our own backyard,” said Head Coach Rey Lopez. “But sometimes that happens. Pretty satisfied with 2-2 record, I think we could have pulled it off, but we fell a little short.” The Sixers started slow on Friday, falling to the Devo Lumberkings 16U 5-3. However, they rallied on Saturday with a 10-4 win over the New Level Diamond Jaxx and a 5-2 win over the Lumberkings on Sunday. Though their newfound momentum would not carry over into their final game against the Spokane Crew 16U, which they lost to 9-1.

Vikings volleyball hosting day camp for local athletes

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball program is hosting a day camp on June 26 for local Basin high school athletes. Head Coach Lindsey Linthicum said this is a great opportunity for these athletes to get a feel for college volleyball. “I will do a questionnaire at the end of the camp that gives the girls an opportunity to say, ‘How do you run a camp or not camp? How do you run a program, what are my best options if I am looking into a college?’ and things like that,” she said. “If they have the idea of wanting to do something like that, it really helps them to get the gears going, so they can start doing their own research and figure out what works best for them.”

Mavericks’ Borchert to continue softball in college

MOSES LAKE — The Mavericks’ Amilia Borchert has committed to St. Cloud State University to join the Huskies softball program, she said. Though the Minnesota-based school is far from home, she has some connections there that will help her transition. “I’ve got a lot of family there,” Borchert said. “They also have the major I’m looking for; they have mass communications/sports broadcasting which is what I really want to do.” Her interest in this field began developing at a young age, she said.

From World Cup call-ups to NCAA breakthroughs, local colleges make news

MOSES LAKE — Even when the academic calendar reaches its end, college athletics continue their work into the summer. See below some of the latest headlines from local Washington colleges.

Maverick Ian Anderson commits to Vikings wrestling program

MOSES LAKE — After closing the chapter on his time as a Maverick, Ian Anderson is staying home after he announced his commitment to the Big Bend Community College Vikings men’s wrestling program. However, it was never clear throughout his time at Moses Lake High School if that’s what he wanted to do, he said. “The first three years, I wasn't really doing much at state because of my knees,” Anderson said. In back-to-back years, Anderson dealt with knee injuries that limited his time on the mat. By his junior year, he suffered a torn meniscus in both of his knees, ultimately requiring surgery. Despite the setbacks, he kept his focus on having a strong senior season.

Othello 2026 class celebrated at commencement

OTHELLO — Cirrostratus clouds painted the warm Friday evening sky as the class of 2026 walked the stage at the Othello High School graduation. Though a slight breeze added a slightly chilly element, students were all smiles as they packed the stands of the football stadium.

Mavs football begins season prep with QB competition in focus

MOSES LAKE — It’s only June, but the Mavericks football program is already working toward the 2026 season. “We have a lot of guys that are bought in,” Head Coach Kyler Haneberg said. “We're allowed 10 practices, and so with our quarterback competition right now, and all the other competitions, these 10 practices are crucial for our guys to separate themselves but included in those 10 practices is the last one, where it's a scrimmage at Royal (High School).”

GALLERY: Basin spring sports highlights

MOSES LAKE — With spring sports now behind us in the Basin, there’s no shortage of highlight moments executed by local high school athletes. See below some of the photos taken by the Columbia Basin Herald that did not make print until now.

Sixers 18U falls in Moses Lake showdown semifinals

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers 18U (5-3) suffered a 9-6 loss to the Orting Baseball Club 18U in the semifinals of the Moses Lake Showdown on Sunday. This comes after a 3-0 start to the weekend tournament. The Sixers were competitive throughout the game, scoring four runs across the second and third innings. However, a three-run inning in the top of the fifth increased Orting's lead as they held off the Sixers for the win.

Mental reset helps Madigan reach golf breakthrough at 1B state championship

ODESSA — Eli Madigan, a junior at Wilson Creek and golfer for the Odessa Tigers, finished fifth in the 1B state golf championships. After falling just short of placing last year and a year of hard work, Madigan made a leap into the top five. “It was special,” Madigan said. “It was coaches last year coaching, so it was super awesome to be able to share a moment with Dillon (Jahns). He's helped me a lot with my swing and with just my even mindset for life. Just knowing that no matter what you do at the end of the day, it's just around a golf, so nobody's ever going to play perfect.”

Sixers 18U start tournament strong

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers 18U (5-2) are off to a three-win start in the Moses Lake showdown tournament. After earning a 8-3 win Friday over the Spokane Crew 16U, they strung together two more wins over the Orting Baseball Club 18U and RCA Green, which they finished in three innings. “You could ask for a little bit better of a start, a little bit more efficient first inning, just command in the zone, but it was good to see the approach stay with a lot of our guys and get the job done with the bats,” Head Coach Trey Evans said.

Huskie alum Maldonado returns as cross country head coach

OTHELLO — Othello School District announced June 1 that former Huskie’s athlete David Maldonado will be the new head coach of Huskies cross country. In the days since the announcement, Maldonado said he was overwhelmed by the support from the community. “It feels amazing, the amount of support that I didn't really expect from the community, and through social media,” Maldonado said. “I just was able to really admire all the connections and great relationships that I've maintained over the years, and I think a lot of it has to do with just time passing by, and everybody realizes, ‘Oh man, look at this guy, now he's the new head coach.”

Boyd brings passion, vision to Tigers volleyball

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District announced Tuesday in a press release that McKaidan Boyd has been selected as the new head coach for the Ephrata High School volleyball program. After a few days to process the announcement, Boyd expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “I'm so excited,” Boyd said. “I'm so thankful for the opportunity. I got the call on Friday, actually, and it was a pretty competitive interviewing process, and I'm just so thankful they resonated with me, and vice versa. I'm beyond excited and thankful for the opportunity.”

Five Mavericks commit to college programs

MOSES LAKE — Five Mavericks surrounded by friends, family and coaches made their college commitments official Tuesday. Noah Hernandez, Tyce Miller, Grady Walker, Liam O’Shea and Kenzie Holterhoff are heading to the next level for their respective sports.

For Moses Lake volleyballers, there’s no time off in summer

MOSES LAKE — With the academic year wrapping up, local high school sports are done for the summer as well. However, many programs like the Mavericks volleyball team gathered Monday for offseason workouts. “Today is our first summer workout with all the girls,” Head Coach Krystal Trammell said. “We bring in all the girls, returners, new, and get them into the system, and basically teach them the fundamentals, the skills, and work on the foundation.” While they can’t hold official practices, Trammell is allowed to host voluntary summer workouts which provide student athletes with an opportunity to work on their skills. According to her, about 75 players and counting have attended these workouts.

Five Jacks sign to play college sports

QUINCY — Students, family and coaches gathered at the Quincy High School commons Monday as five athletes signed their letter of intent to keep playing their sport at the college level. Pierce Bierlink, Ashton Barnes-Keller, Brayan Nunez, Edwin Hernandez and Dominik Plascencia put pen to paper.

Washington College athletes earn GNAC honors

MOSES LAKE — Several Washington college athletes received special awards from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Friday. According to a press release by the GNAC, eight awards were announced, with Maurice Woodring, Colton Magruder and Ben Stensland bringing home individual accolades.

Huskies Luis Farias signs to Columbia Basin College

OTHELLO — Luis Farias from the Othello Huskies boys’ soccer team signed his letter of intent Thursday to join the men's soccer program at Columbia Basin College. While he was excited to make it official, Farias also felt it went deeper than that. “I feel like a signing like this may give other kids hope to see and look up to me and be a role model in a way, instead of all the other bad things out in the world,” he said. “I just want them to think of me and see a role model, and someone they could follow, and something they could do too, and even achieve more beyond what I have achieved.”

Wahluke finishes fourth in state tournament

FEDERAL WAY — The Wahluke Warriors finished their season Saturday with a 3-0 loss to Cedar Park Christian, which means they finish fourth in the 1A/2B state tournament. This came after a deep tournament run to the semifinals where they suffered a 1-0 loss to Meridian Friday. “It's really simple, the winner is going to be the one that puts (the goals) in, and we didn’t, they had one good opportunity and they finished. We paid the consequences,” Head Coach Cele Lopez said.

Bayley named CWAC MVP as Ephrata, Othello land multiple selections

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Athletic Conference announced the boys and girls golf All-League teams Wednesday. On the girls’ side, the Ephrata Tigers and Othello Huskies were well represented.

Three Knights sign to play collegiate soccer

ROYAL CITY — Positive energy filled the Royal High School commons Wednesday as Cristian Nieto, Ernesto Deras and Anderson Brown signed their letters of intent to play soccer at the college level. For Head Coach Jens Jensen, it’s always great to see players excel and advance to the next level. “It's good for them. Obviously happy for them, that's what they want to do, and they have an opportunity to do that,” Jensen said.

CWAC announces All-League honors for golf

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Athletic Conference announced its boys and girls golf All-League teams Wednesday. See below which local Basin student athletes made the list. Full coverage of these honors will be in a future edition of the Columbia Basin Herald.

Freewind Martial Arts enters new era under Guertin family

MOSES LAKE — Freewind Martial Arts is under new ownership with Brandi and Jacob Guertin taking over as they announced Saturday at Spring Fest while producing a demonstration for the community. According to Brandi, this has been in the works for a few years, but the announcement was the final stamp on the acquisition. “There were a lot of qualified candidates when it came down to it, and it was really quite an honor for us to have been chosen,” Brandi said.

Wahluke’s Cinderella season continues as team advances to state semifinals

MATTAWA — The 16-seed Wahluke Warriors (17-6-2) are moving on to the 1A state soccer semifinals after defeating the Cascade Kodiaks 4-0 Friday and Fort Vancouver Trappers 5-1 Saturday. “Every coach would be proud of a team playing with everything they got,” Head Coach Cele Lopez said. “I think the kids are learning their hard work makes a difference, and they're actually believing now. They’re paying attention; everybody looks engaged.”

Huskies baseball season concludes at home

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (22-4) concluded their season after suffering an 8-7 loss to the Selah Vikings in the quarterfinals of the 2A state baseball tournament Saturday.

Knights season concludes at tournament

RICHLAND — The Royal Knights’ (20-9) season concluded Friday after suffering back-to-back losses to Montesano and College Place in the 1A state softball tournament. Despite the result, Head Coach Lisa Lawrence was proud of her team’s fight to the very end. “The girls just never gave up, but we didn’t string it together to make it go our way,” she said. “But this team all season has just kept the energy up all the way through, and even in the last inning getting hits and base runners (they) just never gave up.”

Knights defeated in state quarterfinals

RICHLAND — The Royal Knights (20-8) fell to the Montesano Bulldogs 20-4 in the quarterfinals of the 1A state softball tournament Friday afternoon.

Knights advance after going to eight innings

RICHLAND — The Royal Knights (20-7) defeated the Klahowya Eagles 10-9 after a walk-off line drive in the bottom of the eighth inning of the opening round of the 1A state softball tournament Thursday.

GALLERY: Spring sports highlights

MOSES LAKE — Though the spring sports season is not over yet, there have been many highlight moments from this season across the Basin. See below some of the highlight moments captured by the Columbia Basin Herald this season.

Wahluke advances in the 1A state tourney

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (11-5-1) defeated Eastside Preparatory 2-0 in the opening round of the 1A state tournament Tuesday. Head Coach Cele Lopez was proud of how his team showed up. “(They had a) different intensity,” he said. “I always believe that we're capable of doing whatever we setup as the goal, and they showed it today, they showed the hunger, they showed the intensity.”

Huskies shine in CWAC honors, ahead of state tournament

OTHELLO — The Central Washington Athletic Conference announced its All-League awards Monday, with the Othello Huskies earning several. Head Coach Sonny Garza and Xzyyvn Martinez took home coach of the year and most valuable player awards, respectively. “It means a lot; the CWAC is a great league with a bunch of great coaches,” Garza said. “They all work hard, they all put in the long hours, so to be able to get that is pretty cool.” In his 10th year as the Huskies head coach, Garza earns his second coach of the year award. It’s something he believes couldn’t have happened with the support system around him in the Huskies baseball program, he said.

Multiple Basin athletes named to All-Region team

MOSES LAKE — The Northwest Athletic Conference announced their softball All-Region awards for the North, South and East regions. In the East, several local athletes from the Basin earned these honors. See below which players were rewarded for their contributions on the field this season.

Several Basin teams clinch state berth

MOSES LAKE — With district tournaments wrapping up over the weekend, the brackets for several WIAA state tournaments have been set for baseball and softball. See below which of your favorite teams are in and where they’re heading.

Mavs suffer loss in districts, conclude season

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (16-4) fell 11-1 to the West Valley Rams Saturday, bringing an end to their season.

Eight Tigers sign letters of intent

EPHRATA — Eight Tiger student athletes signed their letters of intent to play at the college level next year, on Friday. “It's a great tribute to all their hard work and dedication they've had over the years,” Athletic Director Bryan Johnson said. “It's just cool to see them go to the next level and continue to play sports... very small percentage get to (go), we got eight seniors up here today, and we probably had 175 seniors do sports, so not very many get to go.”

Mavs erupt for 24 runs behind three homers by Mya Martinez

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (16-3) defeated the Wenatchee Panthers 24-4 Thursday behind a three home run and nine RBI performance by Mya Martinez. “I think I performed really well,” Mya said. “I was really just focusing on my fundamentals and Coach Bob (Richardson) helping me in the cages. That was a really good breakthrough for me, because the last few games have been rough, so I just think I really needed that.”

Carlstrom brings experience, energy to Tigers hoops

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District announced Ryan Carlstrom as the new head coach of boys basketball Thursday. With excitement in his voice, Carlstrom said he feels like the pressure is on now. “It kind of feels like now I've got to get to work... summer basketball starts July 1, and so I'm kind of just getting ready and getting excited and learning about Ephrata and the community and program that's in place, and all those types of things,” he said.

Mavericks clinch co-league, district titles in playoff finish

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks boys golf team secured a Co-league and district championship at Apple Tree Golf Course in a playoff on their way to qualifying for state. “It was nip and tuck all the way,” said Head Coach Terry Melbye. “We were in second for a little while, and then first place for up until the very last match there, and we ended up taking second to West Valley... so that was really exciting.”

Knights sweep district doubleheader, earns shot at state berth

ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (18-7) defeated Kiona-Benton 6-1 and Chelan 10-0 Wednesday to advance to the play-in games in the 1A district 5 tournament. These key wins set them up to earn their shot at punching their ticket to the state tournament. “Our first game was single elimination, so we knew we had to get that one done in order to move forward,” Head Coach Lisa Lawrence said. “The girls just came together (and) played as a team, played well, hit the ball well, and played good defense. Everything was clicking, and we got that one done, and followed it up with a great game against Chelan... Jill (Allred) pitched a great game, and we pulled it off.”

Ephrata names Carlstrom head basketball coach

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District has named Ryan Carlstrom its new head coach of boys basketball. According to a press release, Carlstroms’ hire will be made official following school board action on May 18. “I’m excited to be part of the Ephrata community and to get to know the student-athletes,” said Carlstrom in the press release. “As a teacher first and foremost, I see coaching and teaching as closely connected. I’m looking forward to challenging the athletes and myself as we build on this program together. Summer ball is coming up, and I can’t wait to get to work and help motivate these students to do their best.”

Mavs’ Jeremiah Baker turns setbacks into opportunity

MOSES LAKE — Long before signing his letter of intent to play football for Pacific Northwest Christian College on April 29, Jeremiah Baker from the Moses Lake Mavericks almost called it quits. “I hurt my foot; I lost a little bit of muscle and that contributed,” Baker said. “I didn't get much playing time at all. I was just on the bench, watching the team do really well.”

Mavs shutout Sunnyside in district tournament

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (15-3) defeated the Sunnyside Grizzlies 16-0 in five innings of the play-in round of the 4A District 5 tournament Tuesday. For Head Coach Mike Hofheins and the Mavs, they couldn’t ask for a better start to the postseason. “It's great, you got to win to play again at this point, and we got the job done. We get to play again on Thursday, and that’s what we were after,” Hofheins said.

‘I’m a hope dealer’

Ryan Leaf speaks of addiction, failure and recovery

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Community Court hosted an event Thursday headlined by guest speaker and former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf. When introducing Leaf, Judge Brian Gwinn spoke about the purpose of community court. “The reason we call it community court is because we don't discriminate who comes in. We'll take veterans, people who are suffering from substance use disorders, people who are suffering from mental health, and that's what we do, is help people out,” he said.

‘Young gun’ Jacob Guertin victorious in MMA bout

MOSES LAKE — Jacob ‘Young Gun’ Guertin from Freewind Martial Arts was victorious via submission in the second round Saturday over Brody Case at the Conquest of the Cage MMA event in Spokane. With this win, his record improved to 4-3. Guertin was happy with the result, he said. “Pretty good, pretty clean, not hurt too much. Face is a little bruised, but that's about it,” he said.

Coach Garza reflects on Jacks season

QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks (7-16) were defeated 10-0 Saturday by the Ellensburg Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the District 5 2A tournament. The loss brings an end to their 2026 campaign. “Saturday's game was a tough one,” Head Coach David Garza said. “It hurts a little bit because if we were back and forth, ‘Hey, this is a very low scoring game because it's really good defense, really good pitching, etc,’ then it's a little bit easier to accept.”

Huskies suffer loss in district tournament

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (19-4) suffered a 5-1 loss at home to the Ellensburg Bulldogs in the semifinals of the District 5 2A tournament Saturday. “We got to be more aggressive at the plate and put the ball in play,” Head Coach Sonny Garza said. “That's ultimately what it comes down to... put the ball in play and make plays.”