MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Special Olympics Scorpions soccer team went to the state tournament over the weekend, where they placed third. This follows the team’s second-place finish in the regionals. 

“They are very proud of themselves, and I am very proud of them because we were down five of our best players that we don’t have this year,” said Scorpions’ Soccer Coach Jennifer Vaughan-Darby. “So, to even be able to come to the state this year is amazing in itself.” 

The tournament started out rough for the Scorpions as they lost their first three games on Saturday.  

“It was a really hard day for them, but then Sunday they came back and played their hearts out,” she said. 

She said Sunday, the Scorpions team rallied behind winning for one of their teammates who was no longer able to play in the rest of the tournament. With this newfound goal, they were able to climb back and earn themselves third place in the tournament. 

“They’ve done so great and then to even be able to come in third is just a really amazing feeling,” said Vaughan-Darby. “To see the joy on their faces is just beyond miraculous.” 

The coach said the two most important things that she reminded the team of over the weekend are health and safety first, and second, that they should have fun while playing, no matter what.  

One of the things that she does as the coach to help bring up their spirits in particularly tough games is to sing songs, do dances and just joke around a bit on the sidelines. She said doing this as motivation keeps them in the right mindset throughout the game, that they are there to have fun. 

“When I see them getting really tired and stuff, I’ll do that or I’ll start shaking my shoulder or something like that, so it keeps them going,” said Vaughan-Darby. “That’s really helping them.” 

Vaughan-Darby said she sees the potential in each of her players while they’re out playing. Her main goal at the start of the season was to prove to them that they had the potential to succeed even without the five strongest players. 

“They showed themselves they can do it,” she said. 

It is very important to keep the team feeling positive throughout every practice and game they are in, explained Vaughan Darby. It can be easy for the players to fall into a negative mindset and that can greatly affect their ability to perform the best that they can. 

“With so much negativity towards them, they can start that self-defeating behavior automatically,” said the coach. “Teaching them that mindset from the get-go to me is really important.” 

Coach Vaughan-Darby has made her own goal to instill a positive mindset in the players and have them build up their confidence. She said that by leading the way in having fun at the games and not taking things too seriously, it inspires the players to be more confident in having fun for themselves. 

She said another thing she tries to do with the team is to make it feel more like a family group that can rely on each other and build each other up. She said that they plan fun activities to do outside of the sport and will communicate with one another during the offseason. 

“The appreciation and the affection for each other are both there and the respect, it’s mutual,” said Vaughan-Darby. 

Now that the spring season for the Scorpions has concluded, the team has already begun their fall season with flag football. Vaughan-Darby said that the players have already picked out which positions they want to play, and the coaching staff has begun to order the necessary equipment. 

“I just know that I really enjoy coaching them,” she said. “I can’t imagine coaching anybody else because they are so amazing.” 

Vaughan-Darby said it was important to note that the Moses Lake Special Olympics is in need of more volunteers, especially to fill coaching and assistant coaching roles. 

“It doesn’t take much, but the rewards are so much in return,” she said. “Please consider joining us.” 

Moses Lake Scorpions Soccer Roster 

Scott Kelly Carter 

Rebecca Jones 

Alyssa Morris 

Zayra Quezada  

Kassandra Evelyn Sandgren 

Kyerra Toro 

Ryan Kenneth Vaughan-Darby 

Marc Deane Wilson 

    Scorpions players race against players from Yakima for possession of the ball in the state tournament. Coach Jennifer Vaughan-Darby said one of the most important things for the team is that they have fun while playing.
  

    Players from the Scorpions and Yakima prepare for the ball to be kicked off. The team has grown incredibly close over the years, the coach said and have worked together with the coach to build up their confidence.
  

    Scorpions players look out for the ball during the state championship tournament over the weekend. Despite some strong players being down this season, the team rallied to earn third place in the state championships.