MIKE MAYNARD

Annual golf classic set for Friday to support Warden community

WARDEN – This Friday Sage Hills Golf Course will be hosting the Annual Golf Classic, put together by the Warden Development Council. They will aim to fundraise for the Warden community. Registration is at 11 a.m. and the shotgun tee-off is at 12 p.m. “I think the community of Warden really, really does appreciate it,” Pat Millard of the Warden Development Council said, “They're really happy to get the money that we give them to buy the turkeys and things for the needy families.”

Mavericks softball season recap

MOSES LAKE — The Mavericks softball team concluded the 2025 season with a 16-9 record and appearances in the 4A district title game and the state tournament. Despite not bringing home hardware, Head Coach Mike Hofheins said his team had a successful season. “I think we had confidence within ourselves that we were going to be right in it for a league title, and we were, and we were able to capture the regular season title, and we took second in districts and qualified for state,” he said. The Mavericks started off 1-2; they won their first game against Walla Walla but dropped two in a row to Mt. Spokane and Richland. Despite the losses, Hofheins said those two games showed him what his team was capable of. According to him, his team was able to hang with both of them and put up a fight.

Huskies boys soccer season recap

OTHELLO – The Othello Huskies have finished their season with a 14-6-1 record and made another appearance in the state tournament. Despite hiccups along the way, head coach Bernie Garza was confident his team had the potential to reach the state tournament this year.

Warriors baseball season recap

COULEE CITY – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors concluded their baseball season with a successful record of 19-4 and a third-place finish in the state tournament. Head coach Hunter Lee said his team met their expectations for the season.

Mavericks soccer season wrap-up

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks boys soccer team has concluded another season, and signs of growth were felt throughout the year, according to head coach Miguel Segura.

Eagles complete inaugural season

SOAP LAKE – The Soap Lake Eagles have concluded their first season, finishing with a winning record of 7-5-1 under head coach Tony O’Neel. This was the Eagles first year with a soccer team ever.

Knights 2025 soccer in review

ROYAL CITY – The 2025 chapter has closed on the Knights boy's soccer season. They ended their season with a 16-4 record and continued to maintain a winning culture. When they won their second straight district championship, head coach Jens Jensen said he expected this of his team. “We've been here before, and this group, especially, it's a lot of returners on this group from last year, and so, they understand their jobs,” he said.

Mavericks’ Valdez signs with Oregon Community College

MOSES LAKE – Thursday was a special day for Jaciel Valdez as he signed his letter of intent with Southwest Oregon Community College and will join their cross-country team this fall. Head coach Larry Dagnon knew this day would come for Valdez.

Basin baseball represented in all-star game

RICHLAND – Players from Moses Lake and Othello joined their peers from Yakima at the Columbia Basin Series All-Star Game Wednesday in Richland. “It was really nice and bittersweet to end my high school career here. I'm going to go play college baseball, and hopefully I'll see some of these guys, but it was nice to play against guys that I have played the last 10 years of my life,” Mavericks player Cooper Hancock said.

Basin schools represented at state track meet

YAKIMA – The state track meet was held on Saturday for 1B, 2B, and 1A schools at Eisenhower’s Zaepfel Stadium. Basin schools were well represented at the meet with runners from Lind-Ritzville, Moses Lake Christian Academy, Royal, and Wahluke.

ACH Warriors softball season recap

COULEE CITY – The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (15-7) wrapped up their season with a state tournament appearance. According to head coach Faye Butler, her players took themselves far beyond expectations. “We were a super young team, they learned a lot, and we watched the championship game, and they're like, ‘yeah, we want to be there,’ so I feel that they're ready to go for next year,” she said. After placing second in the district tournament, the Warriors earned the fourth seed and a first round bye in the state tournament. They would play Colton and be defeated 13-7. From there, they were moved into the consolation bracket where they played Dayton and won 11-6 before moving on to face Inchelium. They were defeated 11-3 and officially eliminated from the tournament.

Knights baseball season recap

ROYAL CITY – The Royal Knights (16-10) have concluded the 2024-2025 season, and the young team gets a little younger with three seniors graduating. Head coach Brandon Jenks reflects on his team’s performance this season.

Congrats to Huskies baseball

OTHELLO – Congratulations are in order for the Huskies baseball team after what they have accomplished this season. They saw major improvement this year, improving from 18-6-1 to 21-6 and a final four appearance. After losing their home opener, the Huskies fired off eight straight wins, including six straight shutout wins. What we saw from the Huskies this season was truly impressive. Though they may not have won the district championship, they brought their all to the crossover game where they had to win in order to reach the state tournament, to the very end when they defeated Selah for the third-place spot. The Huskies displayed great control over their opponents defensively, which allowed their offense to shine. A prime example is the game against W.F. West where they hung 14 runs on their opponent. They allowed eight runs, but six of them came in the first couple innings, and the Huskies shut them down for the rest of the game.

Huskies’ Cabrera ready for next chapter

OTHELLO – Othello Huskies boys soccer player Jose Cabrera idolizes Lionel Messi, a world-renowned soccer player who used to play for the Barcelona Football Club. He can remember from a young age a play that followed the superstar athlete to this day.

Huskies finish third in 2A state tournament

OTHELLO – The Othello Huskies (22-6) finished third in the 2A State Tournament after falling to Anacortes 3-0 on Friday and defeating Selah 3-1 on Saturday. Head coach Sonny Garza said he was happy to see his team go out on top on Saturday.

MLHS girls golfer makes appearance at state tournament

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake girls golf has officially wrapped up for the year after a state tournament appearance for Lilliana Roylance. After playing through the district tournament and qualifying for states, she made it to day one but was unable to move onto day two.

Ephrata girls golf places third at state

EPHRATA – The Ephrata Tiger girls golf team finished in the top three at the 2A state tournament, with six players making an appearance. Head coach Tracy Pickeral was pleased with her team's performance.

Knights fall in second round of state tourney

WHITE SALMON, Wash. – The Knights boys soccer (16-4) was defeated 2-1 by King’s High School (13-5-2) at Columbia High School on Friday. Head coach Jens Jensen spoke about his players struggles against King’s. “We didn't really have the opportunity to show our ability to move the ball, our ability to have some creativity. There was really no provision for speed, because there's nowhere to go,” he said.

ACH headed to final four

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (16-3) are back in the final four of the 1B State Tournament after defeating Wahkiakum 7-3 in the first round Saturday. According to head coach Hunter Lee, getting back to this point has been the goal all season. “We definitely expected to be here, because we were in the state championship game last year, so if we didn’t make the Final Four, I think that would not have met our expectations,” he said. ACH will play the defending state champion DeSales in the semifinals. DeSales defeated the Warriors in the 2024 state title game. The Warriors started the game against Wahkiakum with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. ACH was able to work through their batting rotation during the inning. An error gave them their first run, Carter Pitts executed a single that scored a run, and Brody Pitts singled and scored two runs. Wahkiakum responded at the top of the second with two runs of their own but would be held to no runs for the next three innings.

Huskies fall short in quarter final

OTHELLO — The Huskies soccer team (14-6-1) was defeated 3-2 in a heartbreaker against Columbia River. It was win or die trying for the Huskies, according to Head Coach Bernie Garza. “Win or die trying and leave it on the line that way. When you win the game, you say, ‘I gave it my best,’ or if you happen to lose, you’re not regretting anything. It was devastating,” he said. The Huskies were able to get on the board first in the first 10 minutes after Eric Cruz passed the ball to Asaph Alfaro, who lined up his shot and fired away. Alfaro fired a right-footed shot from the left side of the goal and threaded the needle in the upper right corner of the net.

Tigers fall to Woodland on day two of state tourney

EPHRATA – The Tigers softball team fell to the Woodland Beavers 6-2 on day two of states at Carlon Park. On Friday, they lost in the first round to the Olympic Trojans and were bumped to the consolation bracket. “They have rallied every game, they never said die,” head coach Heather Wood said.

Tigers moving on to day two of state play

EPHRATA – The Tigers softball team has begun its state tournament competition. Heading into round one, they were set to face the Olympic Trojans. In the beginning, the Tigers kept it competitive but gave up seven runs in the fifth inning, which allowed Olympic to run away with a final score of 12-4, and the first-round win.

All-conference teams announced for Basin fastpitch

COLUMBIA BASIN – The Central Athletic Conference has announced their All-Conference teams for fastpitch softball. Basin softball saw two teams represented across the first and second teams.

Mavs’ boys golf places 7th at state tourney

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks boys golf team finished seventh at the state tournament, with all of their players appearing for the team.

CWAC announces boys soccer all-conference teams

COLUMBIA BASIN — The Central Washington Athletic Conference has announced its All-Conference teams for boys soccer. The first, second, and honorable mention teams were announced including offensive and defensive players of the year, officials announced Tuesday. The Offensive Player of the Year is Jose Cabrera from the Othello Huskies. Cabrera has scored 25 goals this season and could add to that total as the Huskies begin state tournament games this week. “This is his year, it’s like a dream come true for him, like saying he finally got it, he was first team two years in a row,” Huskie Head Coach Bernie Garza said, “so it’s a confirmation from the coaches voting for him and giving him that recognition.”

BASIN BASEBALL ROUNDUP: May 21, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — District tournament play has wrapped up and state tournaments will begin later this week. See below how Basin baseball played in the last week and who punched their ticket to state.

Moses Lake BMX hosts Gold Cup qualifier tournament

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake BMX had a busy weekend May 17-18 with two days of action-packed bike competition. The two-day affair saw over 400 riders each day of competition, according to Moses Lake BMX Track Operator Jeff Niehenke. “The event went incredibly well; we have a huge group of volunteers that really executed well, even despite the huge rain delay. Everything ran smoothly, and we ran a very quick event, which is hard to do with that many riders and the logistics involved,” Niehenke said. On Saturday, the event for the day was the double-point state qualifier, which saw around 450 riders compete. The races started at 1 p.m. and were running smoothly until a thunderstorm rolled in and caused delays. The rain made the track too muddy to be safe for riders, so Niehenke and the BMX crew had to delay the second half of races until the next morning.

Tigers victorious over East Valley, advance to state

EPHRATA — The Tigers softball team, 21-10, defeated East Valley, 19-5, with a final score of 17-1 Saturday. The Tigers’ second and fourth inning efforts propelled them to victory. “We hit the ball really well, we played some pretty errorless defense,” Head Coach Heather Wood said, “They had a goal in mind, and they achieved it.” The Tigers opened the game on fire, scoring two runs in the first inning and exploding for six in the second. A two-out rally against East Valley boosted their efforts in the second inning.

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.

Knights secure back-to-back district titles

ROYAL CITY – The Knights boys soccer team (16-3) defeated the Wapato Wolves (14-5) 3-1 to win their second straight 1A district championship Saturday. Anderson Brown contributed heavily for the Knights, accounting for two goals in the first half.

BASIN SOCCER ROUNDUP: May 9, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN – Basin soccer is in the thick of district competition. Some teams have not fared so well while others are still making a final push to states. See below how the competition has unfolded over the last week.

Mavs fall to Eastmont, move on to do-or-die game

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks softball team (15-7) were shut out at home by the Eastmont Wildcats (16-6) 12-0. Head coach Mike Hofheins made no excuses for the outcome of the district championship game.

Tigers best Huskies in district playoff game

SELAH – The Ephrata Tigers softball team (19-10) held off a comeback attempt by the Othello Huskies (12-13) in the third-place game with a final score of 7-6.

Huskies fall to Selah, will host crossover game

SELAH – The Huskies baseball team (19-5) fell 4-1 to the Selah Vikings on Tuesday in the District 5 2A finals. The Huskies were coming off a dominant win over Ellensburg but were unable to get home again after the first inning.

Mavs tennis heading to districts with high aspirations

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake High School boys and girls tennis teams concluded their regular seasons at Wenatchee on Saturday, falling short 2-5 and 0-7, respectively. “Obviously we would like a little different outcome on both sides, but Wenatchee is a really solid program,” MLHS Head Tennis Coach Jay Dickinson said, “It was really a good opportunity for both those teams to kind of fine-tune some of their game.”

BASIN BASEBALL ROUNDUP: May 7, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — The regular season for Basin baseball has concluded, and district play has commenced. Below is how the last week of competition has unfolded and results for some district play.

Jacks come up short against Grandview

QUINCY — The Jacks boys soccer team (11-8-1) were defeated Saturday by the Grandview Greyhounds (10-5-1) 2-0. Despite the tough loss, head coach Hector Vaca feels that everything they want is still in front of them. “At that point, we didn't know who we were going to play, and we were just trying to get them to just stay focused, and we could still make state. I mean, it was a very real possibility of us getting to state,” Vaca said.

BASIN SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: May 13, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN – The regular season for Basin softball has concluded with schools like Royal and Almira/Coulee-Hartline sitting at the top of their leagues.

Huskies advance to district finals

OTHELLO — On Saturday, the Huskies (12-5-1) forced a 1-0 shutout victory over the Ellensburg Bulldogs (8-10-1). It may have been a low scoring affair, but the Huskies defense stepped up to protect home turf and push onto the district finals against the Grandview Greyhounds (10-5-1).

'Total team performance'

MLHS track produces several strong results at home meet

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks track and field hosted their final home meet last Friday against Eastmont, Davis and Eisenhower where they performed well, according to head coach Mark Ward. “We were pleased, I would say it was truly, a total, total team performance,” he said.

BASIN SOCCER ROUNDUP: May 9, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — The schedule was lighter this past week with the regular season over, but districts have begun and the competition is only getting harder.

Ephrata boys golf secures eighth straight first place finish

EPHRATA – Ephrata boys golf is on a hot streak with eight straight tournaments where they finished in first place. As it stands, 12 players have qualified for districts. First year head coach, Dan Molitor, is very pleased with his team's performance this year.

Mavs baseball falls to Eastmont in final home game

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks (11-6) were defeated 6-2 at home field by the Eastmont Wildcats (8-10). Head coach Donnie Lindgren had few words to say when reflecting on how the game plan was executed heading into this game. “We had too many, too many mistakes, and we didn't make adjustments hitting the ball,” Lindgren said.

MLHS tennis victorious over Eisenhower

MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake boys (9-4) and girls (9-4) tennis were victorious against the Eisenhower Cadets. The boys forced a shutout 7-0 win while the girls held their own with a 5-2 victory. Head coach Jay Dickinson was enthusiastic about the outcome of this match, considering it was much closer when they last met earlier this season.

BASIN BASEBALL ROUNDUP: May 7, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN – As Basin baseball begins to wrap up, the competition has gotten a little fiercer as teams make one final push for post season play. See below how the previous weeks competition unfolded.

BASIN TENNIS ROUNDUP: April 25 – May 1

COLUMBIA BASIN – With districts and states on the horizon, Basin tennis continues to be competitive. See below how the last week of matches unfolded.

Tigers softball splits doubleheader

EPHRATA – The Tigers softball team (15-6) was only able to take home one victory in their doubleheader against the Ellensburg Bulldogs; they dropped game one 10-6 but rallied in game two with a dominant 12-2 victory.

BASIN BASEBALL ROUNDUP: May 5, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN – As the baseball season creeps up on its final weeks of regular season play, many teams are looking to finish strong.

Eastern track’s strong performance builds momentum

PULLMAN – The Eastern Washington University Eagles wrapped up a successful weekend at the Cougar Classic, with standout performances in the field events setting the tone, according to a statement by Eastern Washington Athletics.

Cougs conclude weekend series against Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. — Washington State wrapped up its series at first-place Fresno State dropping an 11-1 contest Sunday afternoon, according to a statement by Washington State Athletics.