Knights, Mavs, ACH head to state quarterfinals
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 2 weeks AGO
Dax Jenks (6) slips a tackle as he gallops up the sideline against Naches Valley. The Knights are coming off a first round bye in the 1A state playoffs and will host Seton Catholic on Saturday.
MIKE MAYNARD/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
The Mavs’ Brady Jay (2) warms up before the start of the second half against Issaquah. The Mavericks travel to Lake Stevens on Saturday to play in the quarterfinals of the 4A state football tournament.
Almira/Coulee-Hartline's Caden Correia (2) escapes the pocket and runs for a first down. The Warriors advanced in the 1B state football tournament after defeating Entiat 57-14.
MOSES LAKE — On Saturday, three Basin football teams will look to take the next step in state football competition. The Royal Knights (10-0), Moses Lake Mavericks (11-0) and Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors (9-1) will all play in quarterfinal games Saturday afternoon.
Knights
The Knights put together a dominant regular season, keeping their over two-year winning streak alive. Six of their 10 wins were shutout victories by a margin of 43 points or higher. Their closest call all season was against the Cashmere Bulldogs at home Oct. 3.
Royal had to go to overtime to pull off the 21-15 victory. With a district win over Kings Christian on Nov. 7, the Knights earned a first round bye last weekend. This Saturday they return to the Gridiron to host Seton Catholic (9-2) in a highly anticipated matchup.
Head Coach Wiley Allred has orchestrated another disciplined team that is ready to make another run at a 1A state championship.
“We're going to have to be a little bit creative, imposing our will is important in these playoff games.” Allred said. “Some games we need to run the ball more, and some games we will need to throw the ball more. We just want to be able to do what we need to do to be successful.”
Kick off for the Knights is set for 1 p.m. in Royal City.
Mavs
The Mavs’ Brady Jay (2) warms up before the start of the second half against Issaquah. The Mavericks travel to Lake Stevens on Saturday to play in the quarterfinals of the 4A state football tournament.
The seventh seeded Moses Lake Mavericks will travel for the first time this postseason to play second seed Lake Stevens (11-0) on the road. The Mavericks have pulled out close wins in various fashions in the 2025 postseason.
In the district playoff game, they hosted the Issaquah Eagles. The Mavericks pulled out a 49-35 shootout victory to advance to the 4A state football tournament. The Eagles put up a strong fight against the Mavericks which included a deep shot touchdown play and a kick return for a touchdown in the first half. Late in the second half, an interception by Theo Kalasountas sealed the win for the Mavericks.
In the first round of the state tournament, the Mavericks hosted the Bothell Cougars. This game quickly showed to be the opposite of the previous weeks game. After a defensive slugfest between the two teams, the Mavericks were able to score late in the fourth quarter and convert a two-point play to take a 17-14 lead. After the Cougars missed a game tying field goal, the Mavericks were able to run out the clock with consistent runs by Elijah Burns.
Head Coach Brett Jay said he was pleased to see his team come out victorious in a hard-fought game. As it stands, this is the winningest season in Mavericks football history, which Jay said he was proud to have accomplished. As they prepare to play Lake Stevens, he said it’s important they execute the gameplan.
“It's always the team that plays the best, that wins the game. So our goal is to execute on offense. Move the ball constantly, move the chains, finish drives, and then our goal on defense is to tackle, make sure we are aligned correctly and then tackle,” Jay said.
Kickoff for the Mavericks is set for 4 p.m.
ACH Warriors
Almira/Coulee-Hartline's Caden Correia (2) escapes the pocket and runs for a first down. The Warriors advanced in the 1B state football tournament after defeating Entiat 57-14.The Warriors are set to host Naselle (10-1) at Lions Field in Moses Lake on Saturday. After dominant wins in the last two games, the Warriors are positioned to find their way into the 1B state football semifinals with a win this weekend.
In the district playoff game, the Warriors overcame the Dayton Bulldogs (6-4) in a dominant 53-20 win at home. The Warriors imposed their will in the run game with 214 total yards and also logged 130 yards passing. After putting up 38 points in the first quarter, they essentially ran away with the game.
In the first round of the 1B state tournament, the Warriors faced off against the Entiat Tigers (8-4) at home. The Warriors continued to dominate in the run game with 267 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground alone. Brady Roberts accounted for three of those rushing touchdowns and one more through the air. The Warriors routed the Tigers in a 57-14 win.
As they prepare to face Naselle on Saturday, Head Coach Brandon Walsh said his players are ready for the next challenge.
“We know that's a well-coached team, and they got playoff experience and we're going to have to be up for the challenge,” Walsh said.
ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Correia reflects on making All-State team
COULEE CITY — Multiple basin athletes qualified to play in the All-State Baseball Series from June 27-28 in Yakima, with Almira/Coulee-Hartline graduate, Caden Correia being one of them. Correia said he was initially selected for a feeder game ahead of his state qualification. “I was at practice one day, and my head coach (Hunter Lee) came up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, you got selected for an All State feeder game,’” said Correia. “I actually got invited to two, the Central Washington one and the Spokane one.” Correia said he decided to go with the Spokane feeder game since it was taking place at Avista Stadium and he had a desire to compete at that venue. Once he played there, Correia was informed that he was also selected to play for Team Baker in the All State games, an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.
Quincy standout ‘Duckie’ Workinger returns home to lead Vikings womens wrestling
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ACH wrestlers earn All-American honors at women’s national duals
COULEE CITY — Karis Butler and Kyanna Garza from Almira/Coulee-Hartline earned All-American status after a strong showing in the 2026 Women’s National Duals in Westfield, Indiana that ran from June 16-20. “It feels really good,” Karis said. “It was very surprising last year when I got on here, and then this year they were like, ‘You can go to whatever weight class you want,’ and it made me feel very recognized for the hard work I've put in.” Wrestlers competed in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman throughout the four-day tournament. Karis competed in both earning a 7-1 record in freestyle and 4-3 in Greco-Roman. Throughout her path in the tournament, she noted a lot of growth as a wrestler came out of it.