'I just want to keep getting better'
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Brayden Kast sits with his parents and siblings as he finished signing his letter of intent. Kast has committed to attending Eastern Oregon University to study business while playing football for the Mountaineers.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Brayden Kast, right, hustles during a practice in preparation for the 2023 football season. His coaches said he is known for his work ethic and dedication.
Brayden Kast’s family came to celebrate his accomplishments as he moves on to the next step in his academic and athletic career.
Brayden Kast (60) defends his teammate in November 2023. Kast has been a foundational member of the team since his first year playing for the Mavs, his coaches said.
MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake Mavericks’ Brayden Kast signed his letter of intent Friday to play football and pursue a business major with Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Ore.
“They gave me an opportunity and they showed that they wanted me,” he said. “I want to go and compete, and that program competes. They play to win.”
His parents, Stevie and Brian Kast, said when they went to the school to meet with the coaches, the atmosphere was welcoming and a great fit for their son in both athletics and in academics. Eastern Oregon’s reputation for its business programs especially aligned well with his desire to become a business major, they said.
“He is dedicated and hardworking; he does what he needs to do to make it happen,” Stevie said.
“He does the right thing even when nobody’s paying attention,” Brian said.
He’s going to go on and do bigger and better things, so we’re excited.”
Brayden said his time at Moses Lake High School has been the best years of his life. Without his experiences there, he’s not sure he’d be in as good of a spot as he is now.
“It taught me everything, taught me discipline, taught me how to play football, how to use my body, how to get my body stronger,” he said. “Coach (Brett) Jay really helped me out. Without him I don’t know where I’d be, and without the program, I don’t know where I’d be either.”
Kast was a three-year starter for the Mavs making first team all-conference two years and became the Lineman of the Year in the Big Nine last year, said Mavs head football coach Brett Jay.
“He’s one of the hardest working players I’ve ever coached (in) 17 years of doing this,” said Jay. “He made himself into a college football player.”
Jay said Kast is a perfect example of what the football program at Moses Lake High School is about. They always start off looking for athletes with strong character and Kast showed integrity and a solid work ethic daily, even putting in work during the offseason.
“We’re going to miss him, but he’s definitely paved the way for the next group,” said Jay. “We’re grateful that we got to coach a player like him and we’re all better because of it.”
Assistant football coach Greg Rathbun said the moment Kast walked onto the field in his first year as a freshman, he became a foundational piece for the team.
“He loved to play the game; (we) always got full effort out of (him),” said Rathbun. “I know what the mountaineers are getting, mountaineer coaches, the mountaineer community – they’re getting a great person.”
Kast said he looks forward to finding a career in business and continuing to improve his athletic abilities at EOU.
“I just hope to play. I want to get over there, and I want to play as soon as possible. I want to play for as long as I can at a high level,” he said. “I just want to continue getting better.”
Brayden Kast, right, hustles during a practice in preparation for the 2023 football season. His coaches said he is known for his work ethic and dedication.
Brayden Kast’s family came to celebrate his accomplishments as he moves on to the next step in his academic and athletic career.
Brayden Kast (60) defends his teammate in November 2023. Kast has been a foundational member of the team since his first year playing for the Mavs, his coaches said.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
BBCC eyes budget and spring enrollment
MOSES LAKE — During Big Bend Community College’s April 30 board meeting the college President, Sarah Thompson Tweedy, shared the counts for spring enrollment and Full Time Enrollment numbers for Spring of 2026 along with updates on where the budget sits. “We still have some work to do in terms of systematically going through our expenses and seeing how much of the requests that we have before us, how many of those we can put off,” said Thompson Tweedy. “There’s the opportunity to close that gap by reducing our expenses, but the challenge is, we’ve also had some expenses go up.” As of April 15, 2026 the spring quarter head count was up nearly 18% from 2025, but total FTE’s and state-funded FTEs were down 6.9% and 11.6% respectively, according to the board agenda.
Huskies best Tigers in OT
Othello moves on to second round of districts
OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies (11-5) extended their postseason push after earning a close 2-1 victory in overtime against the Ephrata Tigers (7-10) in the first round of the 2A district tournament. The game winning goal came in second overtime when Othello sophomore Samuel Marroquin knocked the ball into the back of the net. “It was a tough game, Ephrata is definitely a tough opponent, but I feel like we had prepared well for the week,” said Marroquin. “We definitely had a good game plan and we just gave everything. We knew if this was our last game we were going to go out with a bang.” The game was a tight battle from the very beginning as the Tigers and Huskies battled under the hot sun. Othello scored in the first half and maintained their lead in throughout, going into halftime 1-0.
BASIN SPORTS SCHEDULE: May 4-11, 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — The postseason has begun for high school athletes in our area with teams gearing up to compete against the best of the best. Check out where our local teams are heading this week.