Apr. 28—MOSES LAKE — On Friday, Moses Lake Athletics Director Loren Sandhop announced Kyler Haneberg as the new head football coach for the Mavericks program, pending school board approval, according to a press release. Haneberg is fired up to represent the Moses Lake community, he said.

"I'm so excited, it hit me today like a whirlwind. I just love this community so much, and I'm glad that I get to help lead it and help be a great example for these kids coming up. I hear all the time about how people hate on Moses Lake, and I'm about to make that change," Haneberg said.

Being named the head coach was a full circle moment, he said. Haneberg is a former player for the Mavericks program, when they were still known as the Chiefs. After graduating in 2018, it was not too long after he got his first coaching opportunity under former Head Coach Todd Griffith, who offered him a role coaching for the freshman team.

"He got me my foot in the door, and I really appreciated that. From someone I looked up to when I was a player, my head coach coming around and now he wants me back in the program ... that meant a lot to me," Haneberg said.

Over the last seven years, Haneberg has worked his way up the ranks through last season as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. There, he helped former Head Coach Brett Jay lead the Mavericks into their winningest season (11-1) in program history and a state quarterfinal appearance.

During his journey as an assistant coach, Haneberg said his first full circle moment came when former player Kyson Thomas broke his touchdown record — one he did not realize the coaches were tracking at the time.

"Now to be the guy in charge, this makes me really appreciative of all the coaches that came before me, and I know it's not going to be easy," he said.

During Jay's tenure, he took Haneberg under his wing and offered him mentorship, Haneberg said. Quietly in the background, Haneberg was a sponge trying to learn everything he could.

"Of course, I got to give all my thanks to Coach Jay," Haneberg said. "I definitely wouldn't be here without his mentorship and him taking me under his arms. Everything I know comes from him."

According to Haneberg, he's known for years this was an opportunity he'd like to have one day. Last year, Jay took Haneberg with him to a mentorship program hosted by the Washington State Football Coaches Association, where Jay asked him if he'd eventually want the role.

"He just point-blank asked me if I wanted this job whenever he was done with it," Haneberg said. "He's been helping me prepare, and my wife (Victoria Haneberg), she's amazing. She lets me do all this while helping take care of our kids. We've known for a while that this is what we wanted; we didn't think the opportunity would be this year, but when it all happened we were ready."

According to Athletic Director Loren Sandhop, hiring people is the most important thing he does.

"They're the ones who are working day in and day out with kids. We need people who are relationship builders and have good character, and above all else, want to make good young men and young women in our programs, and Kyler checks all those boxes," Sandhop said.

He noted Haneberg's character, leadership and relationship build have been put on display throughout the years, which has not gone unnoticed, Sandhop said.

"The number-one thing I've heard from everybody I've talked to, and I've witnessed myself over the last seven years (is) he truly believes that we're using football to build young men into our community," he said.

Haneberg will inherit a team culture established under Coach Jay, which he feels will help make the transition much smoother.

"It helps so much, especially we have so many parents that are coaches on our staff, and so having parents bought into the culture who can coach, and they do a tremendous job, too, at taking that father cap off when it's time to be a coach, and letting us coach them hard, and so it helps with our staff ... it's going to make this transition seamless," Haneberg said.

If you were to ask anyone in the Mavericks football program, next season will not be a rebuilding year, they will reload. If you ask Haneberg about his expectations for next season, it's league title, or bust.

"In this league, it's to win a Big 9 or nothing," he said. "I think it's really important to these kids. I had a lot of them reaching out to me right away after it was official, and the first thing they're all saying is, 'Let's run this back. Let's win it again. Let's go farther.' I think it starts there. If we see that the culture is still aligned with what we believe and our kids are giving that 100% effort, that's success to me."

Sandhop is aligned with those sentiments, as well. The Mavericks rostered a deep pool of talent last season, with many of them waiting for their opportunity to take the reins. Something they will be poised to do this fall, he said.