Wednesday, September 09, 2026
45.0°F

Fall Sports Preview hits stands Friday

IAN BIVONA | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years AGO
by IAN BIVONA
Ian Bivona serves as the Columbia Basin Herald’s sports reporter and is a graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He enjoys the behind-the-scenes stories that lead up to the wins and losses of the various sports teams in the Basin. Football is his favorite sport, though he likes them all, and his favorite team is the Jets. He lives in Soap Lake with his cat, Honey. | September 5, 2024 1:20 AM

MOSES LAKE — With teams returning to the practice field — and courts — over the previous weeks, it’s an exciting time for high school sports across the Columbia Basin. The Columbia Basin Herald’s Fall Sports Preview runs in Friday’s edition of the paper, highlighting local cross country, girls soccer and volleyball teams. 

Each of the 12 local schools will have a dedicated story to one of its fall sports teams; at Almira/Coulee-Hartline, the Warrior volleyball team is looking to build off its fourth-place finish at the 1B State Volleyball Tournament; similarly, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague volleyball squad returns the bulk of its starters off of last year’s 2B state runner-up team. A few teams will have younger players stepping into more significant roles this fall, like with the Moses Lake slowpitch softball and Wahluke girls soccer teams.  

Rounding out the Fall Sports Preview will be coverage of Ephrata cross country, MLCA/CCS volleyball, Othello, Quincy and Royal girls soccer and volleyball teams from Soap Lake, Warden and Wilson Creek. Stories will feature player and coach interviews, photos from practices and team schedules. 

Coverage previewing the 2024 football season was in the Columbia Basin Herald’s Gridiron Guide, which ran in the August 30 edition of the paper. 

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline sophomore Grace Okamoto serves the ball during a game in the 2023 season. The Warriors took fourth place in last year’s 1B State Volleyball Tournament.
 
 
    Royal forward Audrey Bergeson, in black, advances toward the net during a game last fall.
 
 
    The Wilson Creek Devils take on MLCA/CCS in a volleyball game last fall.
 
 
    The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos are coming off a second-place finish at the 2B State Volleyball Tournament and return five of six starters from a season ago.
 
 


    Othello girls soccer players and coaches celebrate after defeating Ephrata in the Central Washington Athletic Conference district tournament last season.
 
 
    Soap Lake blockers rise to attempt to block the ball during a game in 2023. The Eagles qualified for the 1B State Volleyball Tournament for the first time in 32 years last season.
 
 


ARTICLES BY IAN BIVONA

Moses Lake boys qualify eight, girls send 11 to Mat Classic
February 20, 2025 3:30 a.m.

Moses Lake boys qualify eight, girls send 11 to Mat Classic

MOSES LAKE -- Nineteen total Mavericks qualified to wrestle at the upcoming Mat Classic, with the Moses Lake girls team qualifying 11 wrestlers and the boys team sending eight wrestlers to the Tacoma Dome. The Moses Lake boys took second at districts, scoring 214.5 points at the tournament. Sunnyside won the district tournament with 278.5 points.

Basin wrestlers bound for state after districts
February 18, 2025 3 a.m.

Basin wrestlers bound for state after districts

MOSES LAKE – District tournaments were held across the state on Friday and Saturday, where boys and girls wrestlers punched their tickets into next week’s Mat Classic in Tacoma.

Mavs defeat Sunnyside, finish third in league
February 18, 2025 3:15 a.m.

Mavs defeat Sunnyside, finish third in league

Moses Lake enters districts with confidence as regular season fades

MOSES LAKE – The Mavericks closed out the regular season with a trip to Sunnyside on Thursday night, coming out on top of a closely contested game with a 67-66 win over the Grizzlies. “They’ve been playing better, scoring more,” Head Coach Craig Groth said. “We’ve been doing a little bit better job on defense in certain situations and winning games leading up to that. Even games we haven’t won, we’ve been in really close games. Our confidence is really good right now, we felt great going into the game.”