I can’t believe the decade is complete.

At the beginning of 2010, I was a student at Central Washington University and had no inkling of a future career in journalism. Now, at the end, I’m headed toward my seventh year at the Columbia Basin Herald — a solid six on the sports beat.

I haven’t chronicled the entire decade in Basin sports — just most of it — so I will attempt to run through the best sports stories from the past 10 years.

10. Quincy boys soccer nearly wins state in 1A and 2A

Quincy boys soccer was a goal away from making history with state championships in two out of three seasons — at different classifications. The Jacks defeated University Prep 1-0 to win a 1A state championship in 2014. Francisco Alejandrez scored the lone goal.

Just two years later, Quincy nearly won a 2A state championship, but lost 2-1 to Archbishop Murphy.

9. ACH wins three Scholastic Cups

Almira/Coulee-Hartline won three consecutive Scholastic Cups from 2017-2019, an award celebrating well-rounded success throughout the school year. The Warriors are fixtures at state volleyball, football, basketball, baseball and softball.

8. Moses Lake vs. Bellarmine Prep football

Moses Lake football’s first-round playoff victory against Bellarmine Prep was the most thrilling victory for the program this decade. The game began with a highlight-reel touchdown reception by Henry Russaw, helping lift the Chiefs to an 11-point halftime lead.

Bellarmine Prep rallied to take a 27-20 lead into the fourth before quarterback Wes Harrington led a game-winning drive that ended in a quarterback sneak. Bellarmine had one more chance as time ran down, but the would-be game-winning field goal attempt was short, and Lions Field erupted.

7. Mel Olson

I would be remiss not to mention Mel Olson when talking about this decade, even though Olson was a pivotal sports figure for many years before these last 10.

Olson tragically passed away in 2018 after he was struck riding his bike. It was the end of an era as Olson was the voice of the Chiefs for 50 years and led a life full of athletics.

6. B football

Their populations might not be large, but these communities packed a punch on the gridiron.

Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, Almira/Coulee-Hartline and Odessa each won multiple state championships in the decade. LRS won consecutive thrillers against Morton-White Pass in 2012 and 2013. ACH scored a state-record 84 points in its 2017 state championship win after another title in 2015. The Warriors also scored 100 points in a 2018 playoff game against Crescent.

Odessa recently capped one of the most dominant 1B seasons in state history, finishing a run of consecutive state championships in 2018 and 2019.

5. Ephrata golf

Does Tiger Woods have a summer home in Ephrata?

The golf success the Tigers have accomplished this decade is difficult to ignore. Kenedee Peters won three 2A state championships for the Tigers and nearly missed going four for four. Peters was denied in her sophomore year by Morgan Baum of East Valley by one stroke.

Tiger girls golf won a state championship in Peters’ freshman year. Ephrata put three in the top 10: Peters (first), Kendall Sage (fourth) and Katie Hilliard (eighth). Aaron Whalen also won his second state championship in 2015 after his first in 2013.

4. Moses Lake girls basketball

It seems remarkable that a basketball program out of Moses Lake could become almost a shoo-in for the state tournament. For a time, the Chiefs were as close to a sure thing as there was.

Moses Lake placed at state six times, including five consecutive times from 2014-2018. In Jessie Loera’s final game, Moses Lake beat Lewis and Clark 62-58 to place fourth in 2016; it was the program’s highest finish since big sister Jordan Loera and the Noyes sisters led the Chiefs to second place.

In Jamie Loera and Abby Rathbun’s final game, Moses Lake routed Eastlake 70-55 to place third. Both 2016 and 2018 were undefeated regular seasons, with the only losses coming against eventual champion Central Valley.

Jessie Loera is a senior guard at Gonzaga now; Jamie Loera and Rathbun are sophomores at Arizona State and San Francisco.

3. Rudy Ochoa and Othello softball

The Huskies are one of the standout Class 2A softball programs in the state, due in large part to head coach Rudy Ochoa.

With a win last year against Pullman, Ochoa totaled 500 career wins. His Huskies placed at state four straight years from 2013 to 2016, culminating with a state championship.

2. The region’s wrestling success

It’s impossible to distill the decade of wrestling in the Columbia Basin into one moment. There’s just too much success, and someone invariably will be left out.

When it comes to individual champions, there are too many to recount. Each year at Mat Classic, the Columbia Basin is always represented during finals. Six years out of the decade, an area school has won a team championship.

Warden racked up the team championships in the 1B/2B classification. The Cougars won team championships in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016. The Cougar girls wrestling program also went back-to-back, winning state in 2013 and 2014.

Legendary coach Ruben Martinez added to his resume in 2013 when Othello took home the 2A championship and Moses Lake won its 18th state championship, outlasting rival Lake Stevens by four points. Hudson Mauseth’s thrilling finals win sealed the state championship for the Chiefs.

1. Royal football

It’s impossible to choose one season to describe Royal’s decade of dominance. The boys in black were the team of the Basin from 2010-19. The Knights won five of their nine state championships during this decade, including a state record 53 games during a run of three consecutive state championships.

The winning streak was snapped during last year’s state semifinals, but Royal rebounded to close the decade with an undefeated season and thrilling win over Lynden Christian for another trophy.