MOSES LAKE — State tournament season is finally here in the Basin, as several local sports teams have punched their ticket to the big dance. Eight teams from six schools are vying for a shot at their respective state championship trophies in the coming weeks.  

Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors 

The Warriors will be represented across two sports, football (10-0) and volleyball (9-7).  

The football team secured its spot in the 2026 1B State Football tournament, which begins on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. when they host Wellpinit. The Warriors earned their spot as the number one seed after putting together a dominant undefeated season capped off by a 56-0 win over Touchet in the district game. After back-to-back seasons of nearly making the state championship game, Head Coach Brandon Walsh said he and his players are a motivated group to finish what they've been building toward over the last few seasons.   

For the volleyball team, they enter the 1B State Volleyball tournament as a battle-tested team that had to overcome Walla Walla Valley (3-0) and Garfield-Palouse (3-1) in the District 6 1B Volleyball tournament. They're currently on a five-game win streak as they head to the Yakima SunDome on Nov. 11 when they face Morton High School.  

Moses Lake Christian Academy Lions 

The Lions volleyball squad (9-11) had a longer road to Yakima. They started the District 5 1B Volleyball tournament strong with wins over Oroville (3-0) and Garden City Academy (3-1) before suffering a loss to Entiat (3-0) in the semifinals.  

With the loss, the Lions needed to make a run in the consolation bracket. They were successful in their pursuit to turn the ship around with 3-1 wins over Waterville-Mansfield and Pateros to earn their spot as the 20 seed.  

They'll travel to Yakima on Nov. 11 to face No. 13 Garfield-Palouse at 8 a.m. in a loser-out game. The winner will advance to play Mary Walker later that day at 1:30 p.m.  

Moses Lake Mavericks 

After a statement 47-26 win in their district matchup against Kentwood on Saturday, the Mavericks (9-1) have earned themselves a spot in the 4A State Football tournament as the eighth seed and will host Tahoma on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. 

Moses Lake has been on a roll since mid-September, constructing a dominant seven-game win streak led by playmakers Nolan Decubber, Elijah Burns and Case Anderson. After trailing 20-19 at halftime, the Mavericks offense broke the game open behind Burns to outscore Kentwood 28-6 in the second half and seal the win.  

Othello Huskies  

The Huskies girls soccer team (6-7) is on a historic run, qualifying for the 2A Girls State Soccer tournament for the first time since 2010 after battling through a competitive 6 District 5 2A Girls Soccer tournament. After getting to the semifinals with wins over Prosser (4-1) and Ephrata (1-0), the Huskies fell short against Ellensburg 2-1.  

From there, they overcame the Selah Vikings 2-0 to qualify for the district 5/6 crossover. They battled East Valley hard and were ultimately victorious 2-0, securing themselves the 16th seed in the state tournament.  

They will now head to Columbia River on Nov. 11 in a do-or-die game at 4 p.m. 

Royal Knights 

Royal is the second school with two teams qualifying for state. Firstly, the football team (9-0), which put together another undefeated season led by Head Coach Wiley Allred and players like Grant Wardenaar, Dax Jenks, Jackson Flood, Tyce Christensen and many more. These Knights are in a unique situation after their district opponent King's Way Christian forfeited their game to Royal. Now with a first-round bye, the Knights will have had plenty of time to heal up and be energized when they host the winner of Meridian and Seton Catholic later this month.  

For the girls soccer team (14-2-1), they're coming off a tough district championship loss to the Cashmere Bulldogs, but look to bounce back against King's on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. Now win or go home the rest of the way, Head Coach Jens Jensen and the Knights set their sights on bringing home a state championship.  

Wahluke Warriors 

Much like other Basin schools, the Warriors (9-7) had a longer road to becoming the 16th seed in the 1A State tournament. After stumbling into the consolation bracket, the Warriors had to overcome the Zillah Leopards (3-1) to get into the district crossover. After a battle with the Lakeside Eagles, Wahluke was able to earn a 3-0 win and punch their ticket to state.  

They'll be riding the momentum they've built in the last couple of weeks and their mantra 'Somos uno,' which translates to 'We are one.' They'll have their work cut out for them as they travel to play the top seed University Prep on Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. 

The Columbia Basin Herald will be providing full up to date coverage of each team as they advance through the state tournament.

    Noah Butler (64) for the Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors rushes the Touchet passer during their game on Friday.
  

    The Mavericks' Nolan Decubber (10) awaits a ruling during Moses Lakes game against Eastmont earlier this season.
  

    Alexandra Rodriguez (14) pushes the ball up the field with a Lakeside defender on her heels.
  

    Madison Brink (17) celebrates with her teammates after Almira/Coulee-Hartline earned a kill against Lind-Ritzville earlier this season.
  

    The Lions' Taylor Starnes (11) spikes the ball into Entiat's side of the court during a district playoff game.
  

    The Knights' Fischer Livingston (12) hypes up quarterback Grant Wardenaar (7) after a big run play.
  

    Aurora Santillan (22) weaves through traffic during the Royal Knights district championship game against Cashmere on Saturday.