MIKE MAYNARD

Hofheins ready to join the Pirates next spring

MOSES LAKE — Being a dual-sport athlete is no easy task, but Raegen Hofheins has done it her whole life. In fact, she had trouble narrowing down to two sports when she got to Moses Lake High School. “I have always been a pretty active person. When I was little, I played probably five sports at a time, and once I hit middle school, going into high school, I had to decide on which ones were my favorites, and I have played softball since I was 4 years old,” Hofheins said. Hofheins also opted to keep up with volleyball during her time at Moses Lake.

Thomas ready for new beginnings at Eastern

MOSES LAKE – Growing up, Kyson Thomas was more of a basketball fan than football. It was not until he reached Moses Lake High School that he developed a deeper passion for football, he said. “I really didn't plan on playing football. I played my freshman year on the freshman team. Then going into my sophomore year, I was actually just going to stop playing in general, but (Moses Lake) got a new head coach (Brett Jay), and then also hired my dad. So, I kept playing, and then it just took off from there,” he said.

Othello's Coronado ready for junior year at CWU

OTHELLO – Ever since she was little, Annalee Coronado has loved the game of basketball. She has dedicated most of her youth to training and developing as a player to reach the collegiate level. “My sister had a good group of girls growing up that she played with and that’s what drew me to it. I saw my big sister doing it. My dad pushed me to do it, and I started when I was in second grade,” she said.

Texas State joins cougs in Pac-12 conference

SAN MARCOS, Texas – On Monday, the Pac-12 conference announced that the Texas State Bobcats are joining the Pac-12 conference, beginning in the 2026 season. They will be the conference’s ninth team. “We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12," said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today's landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

AG World raises $80,000 in annual golf classic

MOSES LAKE – On Thursday June 5, AG World hosted its 12th annual golf classic at the Links at Moses Pointe where they raised money for the Ronald McDonald house in Spokane. Event organizer and AG World CEO, Bryan Henninger, said the event was a success. “We had a good turnout here at Moses Pointe. We were close to capacity,” Henninger said. “It was a good day, and we do things a little different. We've got lots of activities and fun stuff on the course, including some food on the course. So, we try and keep it upbeat and a little different than your normal golf events.”

Darnold could revive the Seahawks

MOSES LAKE – As we creep closer to the start of the NFL season, fans across the league will be clamoring to see how their team’s retooled rosters will fare against the competition. One player that will be viewed under a microscope by fans this season is Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold had been labeled a draft bust after failing to live up to the expectations of the New York Jets. After short stints with the Panthers and 49ers, Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Up until that point, he had never thrown more than 19 touchdowns in a season.

Soap Lake 3-on-3 tournament coming Saturday

SOAP LAKE — The second annual Soap Lake Prevention Coalition 3-on-3 basketball tournament will tip off Saturday morning to raise awareness of vaping, according to Katy Buchanan of the Youth Empowerment Project. “The Prevention Coalition is about bringing organizations together in the community that help give kids positive activities to do so they don't get involved in drugs,” Buchanan said.

Futsal courts open at kiwanis park in Othello

OTHELLO – On Tuesday, the Othello Parks and Recreation held a ribbon cutting for their new futsal courts at Kiwanis Park. Othello Parks and Recreation Coordinator Valerie Hernandez said the event was special for the Othello community. “Today is more than a ribbon cutting. It is a celebration of community collaboration and shared commitment to recreation and youth development,’ she said.

Sixer 18U complete another busy weekend

MOSES LAKE – Over the weekend, the Central Washington Sixers 18U team went 3-1 across four games. Head coach Jason Laugen was pleased with what he saw from his team over the weekend. “Overall, we played pretty well. We were in an 18U tournament. We're a team of a bunch of 16- and 17-year-olds, and so we're playing up a little bit, and the kids played really well,” he said.

Warden wrestling hosts annual golf fundraiser

WARDEN — On Saturday, the Warden High School wrestling program held its annual golf fundraiser at Sage Hills Golf Course. According to Warden assistant wrestling coach Alan Martinez, they exceeded last year’s total of $14,000 by raising roughly $16,000 this year. “Our head coach, Johnny Hernandez, says all the time, we have one of the best communities around,” Martinez said. “For whatever reason, there’s a lot of love for this program. There’s a lot of history, and our alumni always come by, and they show out and they take care of us, and then our kids and our future kids who are coming to the program get to benefit from that.” Tee off was at 9 a.m. Saturday and the weather was suitable for golfing with clear skies and reasonably warm weather. According to Martinez, the turnout hit maximum capacity to the point they had to borrow carts from other businesses ahead of time.

Jessie Young all-in at Freewind Martial Arts

MOSES LAKE – According to Jessie Young, martial arts was not something she thought she would take interest in. However, after giving Freewind Martial Arts a few tries, she was all in. “After the first lesson, I was totally hooked. I was not ready for it; I could not do push-ups or sit-ups or run around the mat like everybody else, but I absolutely fell in love with it.

Swinging to support Cougars hitting the mat

WARDEN – On Saturday, the Warden wrestling program put together their annual golf tournament to raise money for their program. They hope to continue using the money raised at this event for opportunities in their program and to help their athletes. The event saw high turnout, and full coverage of the event will be in the Tuesday edition of the Columbia Basin Herald.

Sixers 14U go undefeated in Saturday games

MOSES LAKE – The Washington Sixers 14U team went undefeated last weekend as they were victorious over TC Bashers and LC Closers. According to head coach Rey Lopez, pitching led the way for the Sixers.

Martial arts builds dedication, character

MOSES LAKE – Matthias Kalmbach, a junior at Moses Lake High School, is nearing his sixth year at Freewind Martial Arts. Now a dedicated student and instructor, it all started as something that looked interesting at a Halloween Walk Around. “I noticed they had a punching bag out with a Michael Myers mask on, and I was like, ‘Hey, that looks pretty interesting. I'd like to try that.’ So, a few months later, I did, and then we went straight through COVID,” Kalmbach said. However, despite the pandemic causing several disruptions to normalcy, it did not prevent Kalmbach from pursuing his new interest. He attended online classes and said that a lot of content had to be revisited once in person classes returned. According to Kalmbach, since the classes were online, some things could not be learned to their fullest.

Another ‘chance to represent and compete’ at All-State game

RICHLAND – From June 22 to 23 Richland hosted the All-State baseball game where the best senior high school players in the state come together for one more weekend of competition. Kason Whitaker from Moses Lake said he was honored to wear his school uniform one more time.

Jeannie Austin and Moms Helping Moms: A couple of moms show what it means to just show up

MOSES LAKE — For Jeannie Austin, just showing up is the biggest way to impact your community. Austin is co-founder with Stephanie Blauert of a Facebook group with in-person impacts called Moms Helping Moms, where parents can trade with others and help those in need. “I just saw that there was a huge need for something in the community to bring others together who could help those who needed help,” Austin said. “We were just trying to create a safe space where people could come together, not just moms, but dads alike.” Austin didn’t start the group alone; she had help from Blauert, a close friend. They met when they were taking classes to become nursing assistants, and from there they kept in contact with each other. When Austin made a post to Facebook that she wanted to create this group, Blauert jumped at the opportunity.

Does Seattle get to celebrate a Thunder championship?

COLUMBIA BASIN – The NBA Finals this year has been one of the best fans have seen in years. The incredible back and forth matchup has to be one of the more compelling finals series since the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1 comeback. In fact, it’s the first time fans have seen a game seven since that year.

Mavs’ Brady Jay commits to University of Montana

MOSES LAKE – On Saturday June 21, Mavericks quarterback Brady Jay announced his commitment to play for the University of Montana Grizzlies. Jay, who will be entering his senior year this fall, said he felt like he was at home when he took visits to Montana.

Soap Lake school district receives athletic grants

SOAP LAKE – Last week, the Soap Lake School District announced they received two grants for student athletes. Both grants total out to $17,500 and will directly benefit athletics in Soap Lake. According to Athletic Director Erin Allen, this allows them to take the financial burden off of coaches and parents.

Knights coach Jenks closing chapter at Royal

ROYAL CITY – After eight years as the head coach of the Knights baseball team, Brandon Jenks is stepping away from his role. Balancing work, family and coaching eventually created too many obstacles, and he felt it was time to step away. “My job makes me travel a little more, so in order to make it back for practice every day, it’s been really challenging to manage all those things, to make sure I fulfill all my responsibilities on the other side, and then give the kids everything I’ve got on the field as well,” Jenks said. Jenks said it was important for him to be able to watch his two younger daughters play softball.

Sixers win 18U championship at summer classic

MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sixers (8-7) took care of business last weekend as they went undefeated in the Big Bend Summer Classic. Sixers owner Ryan Doumit said he was proud of what he saw out of the team last weekend. “The bats really came alive,” Doumit said. “I thought that for the most part the defense was outstanding and the pitching was solid. That’s usually what wins games, especially in a tournament type setting. When you’re playing against good teams, it usually comes down to pitching a defense with some timely hitting.

Rage play first tournament of season

MOSES LAKE — Last weekend, the Washington Rage 18U (2-3) traveled to Carlon Park for their first softball tournament of the summer season. According to head coach Bob Richardson, they are a young team but were able to build chemistry over the course of the weekend. “Saturday was rough,” Richardson said. “We lost all three games, but being able to come out Sunday and flip it. We started to gel a little bit in the third game, played a little better than we had the first two games.” On Saturday, the Rage played three games and lost each of them. In the first two games, they combined for nine errors, according to Richardson. He said the main issue that plagued the team was their youth and inexperience with each other.

Warden wrestling holding annual charity golf tournament

WARDEN — On Saturday, the Cougars wrestling program will hold its fourth annual charity golf tournament at Sage Hills Golf Course in Warden. According to assistant wrestling coach Alan Martinez, all proceeds from the event will go to the wrestling program at Warden High School. “It’s been really successful the last three years, and it’s gotten bigger every year, and now it’s turned into one of the biggest tournaments that I know of in the area,” said Martinez, “It’s all for a good cause, and one of the lines that we hammered to everybody is, ‘Every cent, every dollar, goes straight to the kids.’” Martinez said that money raised from this event has helped enabled the program to buy new wrestling mats, singlets for wrestlers, camps for the youth to attend and clinicians to come to the school.

Eagles Perez takes on prestigious honor at EWU

OTHELLO – On June 12, Eastern Washington University Eagles defensive lineman Isaiah Perez earned the honor of wearing No. 4 this upcoming season. Head coach Aaron Best announced this in a team meeting, an honor that Perez was pleasantly surprised to receive.

Othello anticipates another fun year of summer sports

OTHELLO – As the summer kicks off this weekend, that calls for the start of summer sports like adult leagues and little leagues. According to Othello Parks and Recreation Coordinator Valerie Hernandez, there is plenty to look forward to.

A card for every interest at the Cardman store

EPHRATA – Darren Donoghue said he was 5 years old when he got his first pack of trading cards. He even remembers the truck he was sitting in, his parents’ 1975 Ford F150, when his mom Jeannine handed the pack of cards to him.

Rattlers softball team competes in local tournament

ROYAL CITY — The Rattlers 10U softball team competed in a local tournament in Ephrata last weekend. According to Head Coach Lisa Lawrence, this was a great opportunity to see what her players can do. “It was our first tournament of the season. So, (we’re) working out a lot of cobwebs and just seeing what the girls can do. We're still developing and growing. A lot of our players are younger, but everybody has an interest in developing and growing, both individually and as part of the Royal City program. We're happy to be able to do that through the Rattlers,” she said. The Rattlers played four games over the weekend, three on Saturday and one on Sunday. On Saturday, they opened against the Tri-Cities Diamonds. The first inning was competitive, with the score being 5-4 heading into the second inning.

Moses Lake BMX holds Race for Life event

MOSES LAKE — Last weekend, Moses Lake BMX participated in the Race for Life Double competition that was held across Eastern Washington. Track Operator Jeff Niehenke said he was pleased with how the weekend went for his riders. “This is such a community builder to have everyone united behind the cause, like raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It really unites everyone, and it takes away the competitiveness, because we’re all driving for a similar cause to raise money to support something bigger than ourselves,” Niehenke said. The event was held across four tracks over the weekend, starting with Moses Lake BMX on Friday. On Saturday morning, BMX riders raced in Walla Walla before heading to Tri-Cities in the afternoon. The event finished in Spokane on Sunday.

Mavericks volleyball showed resilience in wake of levy failure

MOSES LAKE – When the Moses Lake School District 2024 educational programs and operations levy failed for the first time, coaches like Mavericks volleyball coach Krystal Trammell were unsure what would happen if it failed a second time. What they were certain about was their dedication to the kids at Moses Lake High School.

Warden Development Council holds charity golf tournament

WARDEN – The Warden Development Council held their annual Golf Classic at the Sage Hills Golf Course Friday. The event had a high turnout of 64 golfers participating, mostly in teams of four, and raised roughly $12,000 for local causes, according to organizers.

Local martial arts studio participating in scholarship program

MOSES LAKE – On Thursday, it was announced that Freewind Martial Arts was selected as the flagship location for the California nonprofit Jonie’s Angels new scholarship program. Freewind will be able to provide qualifying youths in Moses Lake with an all-expenses-paid year of classes.

Rage softballers swing into athletic, personal growth

MOSES LAKE – Summer softball is upon us, and travel teams throughout the Basin are gearing up for another year of action. Heading into this summer, Head Coach Bob Richardson is hopeful for another successful season of growth. “If we get better every single game, we learn from the little things, that's a success to me, the girls are getting better, and we as a group are getting better. So as long as there's growth and progression, that's a successful season for me,” he said.

Mavericks athletics overcome levy obstacles

Community help, dedicated coaches and parental support make for a successful year of MLHS athletics.

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.

Othello graduation caps off years of students’ hard work

OTHELLO – Camaraderie and cheer were in the air as the Class of 2025 took the field at Othello High School for their graduation ceremony, a momentous occasion that many expressed they worked hard to reach. Co-valedictorian Natalie Cerrillo had a fitting way to describe the event’s significance. “We all have one thing in common ... today,” she said. The events opened with the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” playing over the speakers as 328 seniors walked out onto the field. In groups of four, they gradually made their way from behind the stands through center field and to the bleachers set up at the 50-yard line. Kathryn Acheson, Othello High School’s principal, opened the ceremony with congratulations to the seniors and parents for reaching this point. She first welcomed Cerrillo for her speech and took a photo with her family. After she spoke, Acheson welcomed co-valedictorian Claire Gilbert for her speech and family photo.

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.