MIKE MAYNARD

Mavs sweep season opener

MOSES LAKE — On Wednesday, the Mavericks slowpitch team opened the 2025 season with a doubleheader against Sageview (Pasco) and Chiawana. The Mavs defeated Sageview 21-4 and Chiawana 17-12. Head Coach Mike Hofheins said it was a good first test for his team.

COLUMN: Panic in Seattle after week one?

Many Seahawks fans packed Lumen Field in great anticipation to see the newest version of their favorite team. I imagine many questions filled their minds. Can Mike MacDonald take the next step? Are Cooper Kupps best behind him? Was Sam Darnold a one-year wonder?

Broncos victorious over the Cougars

RITZVILLE – On Tuesday, the Lind-Ritzville Broncos hosted the Warden Cougars to open the 2025 season. The Broncos controlled the game, winning the first three sets to secure their first win of the season with a final score of 3-0. “One thing I appreciate watching is that it can be hard to play teams that are playing at a different pace than what we're used to, and I think we did a good job not changing our style so much, and that's not always easy to do,” Broncos Head Coach Cari Galbreath said.

Local schools keep air quality, student safety at the fore

MOSES LAKE – Over the weekend, several high school sporting events were altered or canceled due to poor air quality in the Basin. Othello Athletic Director Carlos Gonzalez said they will always put student safety first. Smoky weather like the Basin has seen recently is one of the factors that could lead to a delay, cancelation or change of venue.

Basin football roundup week one

MOSES LAKE – The first week of Basin football is in the books. See below how your favorite teams did in week one.

'They were kids at heart'

Local couple have memorial bench and plaque dedicated to them for contributions to community

MOSES LAKE — On Friday, a park bench and plaque were unveiled to commemorate Don and Mary Cunnington’s contributions to the Moses Lake community. Friends and family gathered outside the Surf ‘N Slide Water Park, formerly known as the Moses Lake Aquatic Center, to celebrate the couple. “They loved kids because they were kids at heart,” Dawni Cunnington said.

Eagles draw with Air Force

CHENEY — Eastern Washington women’s soccer ended their game against Air Force with a 2-2 draw, according to a statement by EWU athletics. The Falcons scored first but Kendall Moore stuck back in the second half, while Noelle Raczykowski contributed a goal of her own. The Falcons found the equalizer to draw 2-2. “We had some tactical things we wanted out of the day,” said head coach Missy Strasburg. “We really wanted to expose them high and wide against their back three, and we had a lot of success early on. But more than anything, we challenged our group on work rate and those individual battles in transition.” The Eagles came out strong, holding much of the early possession while both sides created good chances. Air Force broke through in the 31st minute with a ball that slipped past Kamryn Willoughby to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

College football recap

BOISE, Idaho — On Saturday, several collegiate football teams from Washington completed their second week of the season. Some saw success, while others fell short. Eastern Washington According to a statement by EWU Athletics, the Broncos seized the momentum quickly, scoring 14 points in the first five minutes of the game. Boise State put up 20 points in the first quarter and had the game quickly under control. The Eagles broke through in the second quarter, as Jared Taylor engineered a 10-play, 62-yard drive, culminating in a Taylor touchdown run. The Broncos answered right back with a quick touchdown and tacked on a late field goal to go into halftime with a 23-point lead. “There were some bright spots, but not a lot of highlights. We’ll have to watch the film, but we did not play a clean game defensively,” Head Coach Aaron Best said. “We didn’t knock any balls out and missed some tackles. Offensively was not complimentary either. We did not stay on the field on third downs. Punting was inconsistent and we can’t keep putting the defense in between the 40s. We had a short week, and we’ll take tomorrow off, then look at the game on Sunday.”

Mavericks defeat Hermiston at home

MOSES LAKE — On Saturday, the Mavs defeated Hermiston at home 3-1 to secure their first victory of the season. Head coach Krystal Trammell said her players came to play. “The girls were very excited,” Trammell said. “They like playing Hermiston; they are a really good team. They're fast-paced, and they were pretty hyped up to get out there and play again."

GCSO wins 10th annual Battle of the Badges

MOSES LAKE – The Grant County Sheriff's Office has been crowned 2025 Battle of the Badges champions. This was their 10th annual softball game. According to Sheriff Joey Kriete, this year's turnout looked to be their best yet.

Warriors lose heartbreaker in week one

MATTAWA – On Friday, the Wahluke Warriors lost 21-20 to Naches Valley at home. A nail-biter to the end, they fought back several times in the second half. Head Coach Anfernee Cortez was proud of what he saw from his players, despite the loss.

Mavs secure first win on the road

MOSES LAKE – On Thursday, the Mavericks opened their season on the road against Oak Harbor and brought home a 49-6 win. Head Coach Brett Jay said he was happy with what he saw from his team. “I thought our effort was great, and I thought our attitude is great, and we're excited for the win, and we're going to clean some things up moving forward,” he said.

Reigning state champs open in dominant fashion

ROYAL CITY – The reigning 1A state champion Royal Knights kicked off their season in dominant fashion. What included a 48-point first quarter, the Knights were victorious over Kiona-Benton 68-0. “We executed pretty well in most areas. Kids were excited to get out there and play, and it was a bit of a mismatch physically. There are some areas we're still looking to get some of the pieces right, we're still working on getting their reads right and things like that, so lots to work on. But it was a great start for us,” Head Coach Wiley Allred said.

Jacks hope to build in year two of CWAC

QUINCY – After a promising first season in the Central Washington Athletic Conference, the Jacks girls soccer team is motivated. Head Coach Jesse Villalobos said he was thrilled with what his team accomplished last year. “We were pretty happy with how far we got last year. We were able to win a district game the first year in the CWAC. We’re pretty proud of that accomplishment,” he said.

Warriors girls soccer looks to overcome new challenges

MATTAWA – After going 9-11-1the Wahluke girls soccer team will be facing some new challenges this season. According to Head Coach Cele Lopez, the Warriors have a young roster. “We have a new team, a lot of freshmen, a lot of girls who want to play, but they have never really played before. That's really a challenge,” Lopez said. “‘How can you combine the experienced girls with their groups?’”

Mavs volleyball playing with a warriors mentality

MOSES LAKE — After going 12-6 last season and falling short in the District Five 4A Championship, the Mavericks volleyball team is ready to run the table. Each year, they pick a new mantra, this year's being ‘Warrior mentality.’ “I looked at the team that we had coming back and the personalities. I asked them, ‘Why did I pick this?’ and they nailed it. They are goal-oriented. They're athletes, they want to win, they want to succeed, they don't give up, they strive to be better, they're constantly asking questions,” Head Coach Krystal Trammell said. Trammell said a mutual feeling of excitement filled the gymnasium when practices began. The Mavs volleyball team is energized and ready to start the new season.

Broncos cross country ready to compete

RITZVILLE – As the 2025 cross country season begins, the Lind/Ritzville Broncos are ready to learn. Head Coach Christina Heater said her team is a bit bigger than last year. “We're a pretty small team. Last year we had two seniors graduate, but I knew it would be growing for this year, because we had a number of eighth graders who would be freshmen,” Heater said.

ACH Warriors playing with a chip on their shoulder

COULEE CITY — This season, the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors volleyball team will be looking to bounce back. Head Coach Katie Walsh said the team feels they fell short of what they wanted to accomplish last year. “Definitely a feeling of disappointment at the end of last season, not getting where we hoped to get. I think we didn’t perform as well as we could have. I think it’s different if you’re playing at your peak when you need to and you come up short, but we just didn’t perform like we knew we could, and so that was a bummer,” Walsh said. Last season, the Warriors finished 12-12. They graduated their only senior, Emma Whitaker, last season and return an experienced roster this season, Walsh said. She said the team was frustrated with last season’s ending.

Knights cross country ready to work

ROYAL CITY – For the Knights cross country team, it’s about more than getting to the finish line. Head Coach Ben Orth said it's about becoming your best self. “It's a competition amongst other teams, but the challenge is to be the best version of ourselves as we can be, and that's just the beauty of what cross country really is,” he said. “Every kid has to realize that challenge and be consistent, be disciplined, and put in the work and feed their bodies with good nutrition and get good sleep and all those things that help us make those incremental improvements.”

Trainers, coaches, athletes discuss benefits of summer programs

MOSES LAKE – As high school sports kick off this weekend, that means summer athletics is officially coming to an end. Local athletes all over the Basin have spent their summer playing in leagues like the Central Washington Sixers program.

COLUMN: Huskies enter Big Ten strong

The first weekend of college football is in the books. Fans were treated to highly competitive matchups like Ohio State versus Texas, Miami versus Notre Dame or LSU versus Clemson. While each of those top matchups delivered on their hype, I was also paying attention to another situation.

‘Softball saved me’

Ciarrah Knoll discusses her unwavering love for softball

MOSES LAKE – Ciarrah Knoll’s journey through softball is full of twists and turns to say the least. However, her love for the sport was never lost. In fact, she said the sport has somewhat saved her. “Softball was definitely my escape,” she said. “It was my way to just put my mind at ease. I would always ask my dad, like, ‘Hey, can we just go to the fields? Even if it's just for two buckets of BP, like whatever it may be, can we just go to the fields?’ And he was always willing to do that with me.”

Memorial bench to honor local community members

MOSES LAKE – On Friday, a park bench will be unveiled to honor the memory and legacy of Don and Mary Cunnington. Event organizer Rich Victor is excited to celebrate two members of the Moses Lake community that had an impact on him, he said.

McGill earns offensive player of week after Rodeo Bowl win

ELLENSBURG – Wildcats quarterback Kennedy McGill was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week, according to a statement by the conference. This comes after he aided the Wildcats to a 41-14 win over Colorado Mesa in the Rodeo Bowl.

Mavericks slow pitch motivated to win this fall

MOSES LAKE – After a strong 17-6 slow pitch season last fall, the Mavericks are eager to top their semifinal appearance in states this year. As the school year has started, they have returned to the field for practice.

Wahluke ready to prove they belong

MATTAWA — When Wahluke Warriors Head Coach Anfernee Cortez looks back at last season, he sees a great learning opportunity. Though they went 2-7, the Warriors headed into the off-season motivated to make a change, he said. “I know we didn't have the season we wanted or expected, but that just gave us a better mindset of how we need to attack the off-season and the things we need to do to get better," Cortez said. “I think that has been helping us create a mentality of the type of work we need to be doing, and the type of commitment we need.”

Jacks ready for new chapter under new leadership

QUINCY — This season, the Jacks will be under a new leadership but led by a familiar face: Seth Longwill. Longwill takes over as the Jacks new head coach this season and is focused on taking a different approach to practice. “We're really going to focus on doing the practices the right way," Longwill said. “We've already talked about our mentality in the off-season as well in the weight room and everything."

Broncos looking to make memorable gallop onto the field

RITZVILLE – As the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos hit the gridiron for the first time this season, senior Jerod Harder hopes to leave an impact. When he thinks about what kind of impact, he said he wants it to be a memorable one. “I want coaches to remember me, the town to remember me. I do this for my family. My family loves football, I love football. I just want to have fun and play the game and leave a leave a statement,” Harder said.

ACH Warriors hoping to rebound this season

COULEE CITY — The Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors put together a strong 10-3 season last year, but left with a sour taste in their mouth after a close loss in the 1B state semifinals. Head Coach Brandon Walsh said he was proud of what the Warriors did last year, despite the outcome. “Last year was a really good year for us. We lost in the semifinals, which was a little disappointing, you don't have hopes and dreams of going to the championship and come up one step short... we're hoping to build on that,” Walsh said.

Knights hungry for another state title

ROYAL CITY — The reigning 1A State Champions, the Royal Knights, are looking to continue their winning ways as the 2025 football season nears. Head Coach Wiley Allred said he wants his team always to feel challenged. “We take nothing for granted, and we've three returning starters on each side of the ball,” Allred said. “We've got a lot of new faces. They're learning, and they're going to grow all year, and we hope they improve as we go ... I think they're expecting to do well, but we take nothing for granted. It's always a challenge.”

Mavs motivated for a state run this season

MOSES LAKE — As the start of the 2025 season hits, the Mavericks bring in an experienced roster that has stayed hungry for a state title opportunity. Head Coach Brett Jay said the team has homed in on player development in the offseason. “We're going to focus on our locker room and develop every player we have. It's a yearlong process, our offensive linemen are all bigger and stronger, our receivers are bigger and faster, our backfield (quarterback and running back) is bigger and faster, and so it's exciting,” Jay said.

Mavs girls soccer ready to make noise this season

MOSES LAKE – After going 9-6-1 and making a playoff appearance last season, the Mavericks girls soccer team is eager for the fall 2025 season to start. Head Coach Alysha Overland said the team is looking to carry last year's experiences into this year.

GALLERY: Basin football almost here

MOSES LAKE – The 2025 football season is almost a week away with local high school football teams hitting the gridiron and preparing for week one. Here’s another glimpse into their practices. Our annual Gridiron Guide publication is right around the corner. Pick up a copy of the Columbia Basin Herald on Friday, Aug. 29, for a look at the upcoming high school football season.

COLUMN: Supporting local athletics this fall

MOSES LAKE – The end of August might be one of my favorite times of the year. It signifies the best season, Fall. I’ll finally get to dust off my favorite cardigan and I won’t bore you with the pumpkin spice latte hype.

Generations of coaching

The Trammell-Haneberg family discusses coaching tradition in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – Three generations of the Trammell-Haneberg coaching family are ready for another season of Mavericks sports. For Mavericks Volleyball Head Coach Krystal Trammell, it all begins with her dad, Bob. “Dad was amazing at what he did, and he made each athlete feel important. He had that relationship with his athletes and his students, and I saw those athletes TP the house when we were young. Mom and dad would sit in the dark, watch his athlete's toilet paper the house and laugh,” she said. Krystal grew up in Warden, where her parents were teachers and Bob coached multiple sports for 40 years, she said. As she grew up, she played volleyball, basketball and softball. Eventually, she would go on to play volleyball at Big Bend Community College before heading to play for Eastern Oregon.

Mavs cross country ready for more this season

MOSES LAKE – After a storybook season, the Mavericks cross country team is ready to go farther this season, Head Coach Larry Dagnon said. “Last year was a monumental season. Honestly, not only was it monumental for how the team did, but just having sports was monumental,” he said.

Cougs set to start new chapter under Rogers

PULLMAN – This Saturday, the Washington State Cougars football team returns to the gridiron when they host FCS-opponent, Idaho Vandals. According to a statement by WSU athletics, Washington State is led by first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, who coached South Dakota State the past two seasons, highlighted by an FCS National Championship in 2023.

Knights girls soccer preview

ROYAL CITY – Last season for the Knights girls soccer team went better than expected, Head Coach Jens Jensen said. As the fall 2025 season approaches, he feels optimistic about the team's future. “I feel like this year we're starting at an even better position. We have a team that looks like it's going to be pretty solid. We've got girls coming up for the next several years that are going to really strengthen the program,” he said.

GALLERY: Basin gridiron practices continue through the weekend

MOSES LAKE – Since Wednesday, local football teams have returned to the gridiron for their first practices of the 2025 season. Over the weekend, some of the teams have been able to put the pads on and get into full swing for the upcoming season. Our annual Gridiron Guide publication is right around the corner. Pick up a copy of the Columbia Basin Herald on Friday, August 29 for a look at the upcoming high school football season.

GALLERY: Basin gridiron action coming soon

MOSES LAKE – On Wednesday, local football teams returned to the gridiron for practice. As they prepare for the upcoming season, players hit the field to shake any rust off and dust off the pads.

Eagles men’s golf fifth in preseason poll

CHENEY – On Thursday, Eastern Washington’s men’s golf team was announced fifth in the Big Sky preseason poll, a statement by the conference said. For the first time since 2002, Eastern Washington men's golf is in the Big Sky preseason poll, EWU athletics said in a statement.

ESA holds annual charity golf tournament

SOAP LAKE – On Saturday, the Alpha Omega chapter of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha nonprofit organization held its annual charity golf tournament at Lakeview Golf and Country Club. According to President Abby Smith, the tournament was a success.

COLUMN: The state of the Seahawks running back room

There is a lot to discover with the Seahawks as the regular season nears. There’s a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, the receiver room has been revamped with the return of the hometown guy Cooper Kupp and, as always, seeing if the offensive line improves.

Othello youth soccer looking for volunteer coaches

OTHELLO – On Monday, the City of Othello announced it needs more volunteer coaches for Othello MLS GO, a local youth soccer group. According to Parks and Recreation Coordinator Valerie Hernandez, this is not an unusual need to have. Prior coaching experience is not required, she said.

Eagles women's soccer earns first win

CHENEY – The Eastern Washington women’s soccer team picked up their first win of the season on Sunday with a final score of 2-1 over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, according to a statement by EWU athletics. “Two fantastic goals in the second half really put us in control,” said Eastern Head Coach Missy Strasburg. “Credit to Kam for a huge save at 2-0—that was a momentum-shifting moment. If that goes in, it's a completely different game with confidence swinging their way. That mindset, that grit in the final minutes of a tight game, says a lot.”

Big Sky announced for future Vegas Kickoff games

MOSES LAKE — On Monday, ESPN Events announced Big Sky Conference’s Montana and Montana State for future matchups in the Vegas Kickoff Classic. The kickoff event takes place in Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas. “We’re thrilled to have Montana, Montana State and Big Sky football showcased on ESPN as part of the Vegas Kickoff Classic,” Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “Labor Day Weekend is one of college football’s great traditions, and these games will demonstrate that the FCS can deliver marquee matchups in world-class destinations like Las Vegas, while creating a one-of-a-kind experience for our fans.”

Moses Lake Roundup final results

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo took place Aug. 14-16 at the Grant County Fairgrounds. Competitors from all over the country flocked to the Basin for the events. Below are the final results of the rodeo for each event.

Local trainer: How student athletes can prep for fall sports

MOSES LAKE – Over the next few weeks, student athletes in the Basin will be making their return to their respective sports. As summer break ends, the trainer at Moses Lake High School, Lily Rodriguez, has some pointers athletes can use to be in the best shape possible.

Moses Lake Roundup brings excitement to the Grant County Fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE – In the last few days of the Grant County Fair, community members were treated to the annual Moses Lake Roundup. From Thursday to Saturday, the rodeo took center stage with several events like bareback riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling and bull riding. “I just love being able to go around all the crowds and different people that you see and being able to put on a show for them and get on great bucking horses. It's awesome, and I love it,” Jay McAllister said.

Vikings volleyball season preview

MOSES LAKE – As the Vikings return to the court for practices, there is a lot of optimism in the air for head coach, Lindsey Linthicum. As they prepare for their first scrimmage game today at Centralia, she said the team is starting to gel. “That's been really fun to see the girls kind of making those connections,” Linthicum said. “It's just fun to see their personalities coming out, and the girls are recognizing those personalities, and every once in a while we get a good laugh out of each other.”