MOSES LAKE — In the wake of their district win over Kentwood to advance to the 4A state tournament, the Moses Lake Mavericks football team also brought in a slew of Big 9 All-League honors for their play on the field this season.  

"I was going in there preparing for a little bit more of an argument on some of my guys, but the league came together and gave us our props a lot easier than I thought they would, and so I was really happy to see that," Head Coach Kyler Haneberg said. 

Across all three phases of football, the Mavericks earned 18 All-League selections, seven of which were unanimous selections. Additionally, Moses Lake brought home several individual accolades. Elijah Burns won league MVP, Nolan Decubber won Offensive MVP, John Rainey won his second straight Defensive MVP and the Mavericks front line earned Offensive Line of the Year with Reese Porter earning Lineman of the Year. Lastly, Haneberg was named Coach of the Year in his first season as the head coach.

"That speaks to how well that those guys played this year, and I could only nominate 18 guys, and so I wish I could have nominated another couple of them who I think deserved it," said the coach. "It showed the respect the league has for this program and for the players and how they played this year, and so I was really happy to see that."  

League MVP 

Burns, a running back for the Mavericks, took the league by storm this season. The bell cow back carried the ball 141 times for 1,262 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging well over 8 yards per carry. He also proved to be a reliable asset in the passing game, hauling in 33 catches for 250 yards and 5 more touchdowns.  

Burns' first few games this season were relatively quiet, putting up 68 yards in the team's first three games as he worked himself back into the rotation from an injury he suffered in the spring. However, his breakout game came against the Wenatchee Panthers when he ran for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns, resetting a school record in the process. 

"We knew coming into the year we're going to need to lean on him quite a bit more, breaking in a new quarterback," Haneberg said. "Unfortunately, he broke a piece of his leg in the springtime. Worked as hard as I've seen anyone work to get back, and just really was light on (carries) the Richland game. Wanted to make sure he was good for league (play), and then he just blew up. It speaks to how much he's grown. His eyes are phenomenal. He's breaking tackles like I've never seen before. He's kind of like a Bucky Irving (running back) for the Buccaneers." 

Offensive MVP 

In his first year as the full-time starter under center, Decubber was an efficient passer. He completed 67% of his passes for 1,892 yards, 35 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He's also not afraid to break out of the pocket when necessary, rushing 30 times for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns.  

"He's just a cool cat. He's calm, cool, collected. Nothing really bothers him, and he had one mistake this last Saturday, but flushed it, came out the second half, and played extremely well," Haneberg said. "That's just who he is. If he makes a mistake, we talk about it, we work through it, and then he's just back out there making plays. He doesn't let it affect him." 

The coach also praised the season he put together on the stat sheet.  

"We're making sure to put him in places where he was comfortable, and he took it upon himself when I made a bad play call to go and make it look like a good play call, and that's just the kind of guy he is. That's what got him the job in the first place," he said. 

Defensive MVP 

For Rainey, not much discussion was needed at the league meeting, according to the coach. The junior's 83 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, a forced fumble and recovery; one defensive touchdown and a forced safety spoke for themselves. 

"They just all went 'John Rainey,' and then they politely asked if he can graduate early, and so I said no, I might even hold him back a grade," Haneberg said. 

What sets Rainey apart on the field is that many teams usually need to plan specifically for him in the week leading up to their matchup with the Mavericks, the coach said.  

"He's just a hitter," he said. "He didn't quite have the tackle numbers this year because people were having to game plan for him more, and so it led to Petrah (Mackenzie) getting more tackles. But when he is free and he's coming to tackle you, you feel it. It's not something that you want to happen to you, and that's something that everyone in the league notices, and that's something that gets him this recognition is just his ability just to make you feel the pain of trying to break a tackle from John Rainey." 

Offensive Line/Linemen of the Year 

As a unit, the Mavericks front line has combined for 148 pancakes this season, which essentially means a lot of defensive players have met the turf when lining up across their offensive line.  

"Those guys are absolute dogs up front," Haneberg said in a previous interview with the Herald. "Those guys are just hungry consistently, and there's some warriors up there. They're constantly dealing with injuries, rolling ankles, hurt backs, and these guys do not care — they just want to get up there and fight." 

A leader of the group is Porter, whose 68 pancakes earned him the leagues Offensive Lineman of the Year award. 

"He's the vocal leader," the coach added. "He's the guy that keeps everyone accountable. He makes sure the protection is correct. That we're sliding the correct way. We're calling out blitzers. He's a prototypical Division One center. He should be a Division One center, it's just he's a little shorter than I think people would like, but his football IQ is second to none." 

Coach of the Year 

Once a player setting his own records at MLHS as a wide receiver, Haneberg now brings home coaching honors in his first season at the helm. Though he expressed gratitude for the recognition, he feels it speaks more to the staff around him. 

"The whole thing, man," he said. "I can't do it without the DCs, Chris Lamb and Brad Phillips, I can't do it without the other secondary coach, Nick Sutherland. I can't do it without my linebacker coaches Ryan Porter, John Greenfield, Rod Mackenzie. I can't do it without my O-line coaches Greg Rathbun and Rick Baldini. I gave so much love to Coach Anthony Thomas, after the game on Saturday with the work that he's done with our running backs... I got 20 guys that'll go to war for me." 

Sportsmanship 

Also being recognized on the All Sportsmanship team was linemen Cristian Ramos, who Haneberg praised as the ultimate good guy. 

"This summer we had a book club for our captains to go over locker room and what we want as a team culture and he was the only non-captain that asked if he can join," he said. "He helped create the culture that we have, and so we gave him that captain honor because he was the best person at keeping everyone accountable of our culture and our standard." 

With the amount of recognition the team received this year, this gives a lot of confidence to Haneberg and the coaching staff that it will have a strong impact on future generations of Mavs who come through the program.  

"It helps these guys that are coming up seeing these guys are getting honored, and that the program is working," Haneberg said. "The process that we have works to where they get honored, and they're going to be all stars." 

ALL LEAGUE SELECTIONS 

** — Unanimous selection 

Big 9 First Team Offense 

**Nolan Decubber-QB 

**Elijah Burns- RB 

Case Anderson- WR 

**Reese Porter- OL 

**Ryder Janke- OL 

Cristian Ramos- OL 

**River Hutchinson- Return 

Second Team Offense 

Taggart Rathbun- WR

Micaias Belloso- OL 

First Team Defense 

**Caden Barney- DB 

**Petrah Mackenzie- LB 

**John Rainey- LB 

Taggart Rathbun- LB 

**Ryder Janke- DL 

Second Team Defense 

Isaac Legault- DB 

River Hutchinson- DB 

Eli Anderson- DL 

Gabriel Walker- DL

    The Mavs' Reese Porter takes the field with his team earlier this season. Porter was named Offensive Linemen of the Year alongside the rest of his unit being recognized as well.
  

    Running back Elijah Burns (23) sheds tackles as he breaks upfield against Eastmont earlier this season. Burns was named Big 9 League MVP.
  

    The Mavericks' John Rainey (8) celebrates a big gain that resulted in a first down against Eastmont earlier this season. Rainey was also named Big 9 Defensive MVP.
  

    2026 Big 9 Coach of the Year Kyler Haneberg reacts to an Elijah Burns touchdown on the sideline earlier this season.