Concrete High School Fastpitch: 2004 Newspaper Articles
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Howell leads Lions past Braves
By TREVOR PYLE
Frank Varga / Skagit Valley Herald
La Conner catcher Kendall Dubuque goes for a tag Wednesday afternoon against Concrete baserunner Whitney Johnson. Johnson was safe.
Concrete pitcher fans 11 La Conner batters in Northwest 1A League softball game
CONCRETE The La Conner Braves probably feel as if they've seen enough of Concrete pitcher Britt Howell for a season or a lifetime.
Howell, who struck out 30 La Conner batters in a doubleheader on Saturday, struck out 11 Braves and helped lift the Concrete Lions to a 12-0 girls' softball win Wednesday afternoon.
The game was shortened to five innings because of the 10-run rule.
The Lions (3-1 in Northwest 1A League, 5-1 overall) knocked out 12 hits in the game, including a three-run home run by third baseman Sabrina Knopf, a triple by shortstop Whitney Johnson and a double by Howell that bounced over the outfield fence.
The hitting pleased Concrete coach Kelly Howell, who said the Lions have been struggling with the bats lately.
"We came out swinging the bats better than we did against Orcas Island," he said, referring to the Lions' only loss, during which they scratched out only four hits. "It's what I expect, but it's a big improvement."
Johnson said, "We did a good job hitting ... We stayed back on the ball and let it come to us instead of reaching."
The Lions also took advantage of opportunities once they reached base, swiping 11 bases to move runners into scoring position.
La Conner coach Peg Seeling said the Braves' defense against the Lions' speed was hampered by catcher Kendall Dubuque's sore shoulder.
The only hits by the Braves (0-3, 1-4) were a single from pitcher Brianna Hertz in the fourth inning and a single by Molly Olson in the fifth.
Hertz went the distance for the Braves. After walking the first two batters, she yielded only two more walks the rest of the game.
Frank Varga / Skagit Valley Herald
Concrete pitcher Britt Howell had 11 strikeouts in the Lions' 12-0 Northwest 1A League win over La Conner.
"It took her a while to get into the game," Seeling said.
Concrete scored four runs apiece in the first and fourth innings, and two runs apiece in the second and third.
Concrete's most productive hit of the afternoon came when Knopf smoked a ball past the Concrete right fielder with two runners already on base.
Knopf managed to round the bases for a home run, giving the Lions their first three runs of the game.
"Our attitudes were better today. We kept getting down on Saturday because we weren't hitting as well as we could," Britt Howell said.
Howell helped her own cause with an 11-strikeout, one-walk performance that included a few changeups mixed in with her fearsome fastballs.
"She throws fast and she's left-handed," Seeling said. "You don't see many left-handers."
Samanatha Pritchard went 2-for-3 for the Lions, and Johnson went 2-for-2.
The game was rescheuled from Tuesday afternoon because of rain.
La Conner will visit Orcas Island at 2 p.m. on Friay.
Concrete is scheduled to visit Archbishop Murphy in Tacoma on Friday.
The game will begin at 3:30 p.m.
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Tri District Champions
Concrete wins Tri-District title
By ERIC FRANCIS
MOUNT VERNON The Concrete fastpitch softball team has waited three years for a state berth, so a couple of extra days didn't make much of a difference.
Behind three complete games from Britt Howell, including a no-hitter, and the clutch hitting of Sabrina Knopf, the Concrete Lions won the Tri-District 1A softball tournament Monday.
Concrete beat Seattle Christian 11-0, Friday Harbor 5-1 and Cedar Park Christian 6-4.
"It feels awesome. We knew we had to come down here and win the first two (to make the state tournament)," Knopf said. "On Saturday, when we were originally supposed to play, we were all excited on the bus. Today it was the same way."
The Lions (18-5) will take on Colfax at noon Friday in the first round of the state tournament in Moses Lake.
"That was our goal from the beginning of the year," Howell said. "We have some seniors left. This is our best chance, this year. We had it all the way. I never thought we weren't going, but it's awesome to get there."
Most of the members of the Lions are making their first trip to a state tournament in any sport.
Catcher Samantha Pritchard is the only player who went to the slowpitch state tournament three years ago.
"It's great for these girls," Lions coach Kelly Howell said. "We're really excited for the girls, especially the seniors. They've been great leaders for our team and came through big today. Sabrina Knopf and Samantha Pritchard got the big hits and the big RBI."
The tournament was originally scheduled for Saturday, but rain forced the delay.
Howell, who has pitched almost every inning for the Lions this year, was unhittable in the second game. Against Friday Harbor, she struck out 10 in the first three innings, 17 in the game and didn't allow a hit.
Every no-hitter seems to have a close call, and Howell's came in the seventh inning when Friday Harbor's Brandie Miller hit a shot down the right-field line.
But, with the Wolverines unable to get around on Howell's pitches, right fielder Jackie Lewis was right on the line, and made the catch.
As Howell tired in the championship game, the Lions offense picked up the slack. Trailing 4-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Concrete loaded the bases with two out. Knopf then unloaded them, knocking in three with a double that proved to be the game-winner.
"I've got a whole bunch of people behind me," Britt Howell said. "I've just got to go out and do my thing and hope that they do theirs. They're just doing awesome out there. And everybody's getting hits. That's the biggest thing. We've all been hitting."
For the day, Howell struck out 33 in 19 innings, and allowed just 10 hits and four runs.
"She was running on empty, but she gutted it out," Kelly Howell said. "This is the first time she's thrown three games in one day this year. The thing about our district is that it makes it tough when you're a one-pitcher team."
Knopf had seven hits in the three games. She scored three of Concrete's five runs against Friday Harbor, and stole three bases. Pritchard had six hits and drove in four runs. Kasey Swanson drove in three runs.
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Next Up
Concrete will play Colfax at noon Friday in a first-round state tournament game in Moses Lake.
2004 Season Preview
Concrete Lions
Coach: Kelly and Brooke Howell (first year)
League: Northwest 1A
Last year: 5-11
Top returnees: Sabrina Knopf, sr., 3B; Samantha Pritchard, jr. C; Samantha Thompson, sr., OF; Jackie Lewis, jr., 2B; Whitney Johnson, jr., SS.
Top newcomers: Grace Billman, jr., OF; Kasey Swanson, so., OF; Lindsay Ehmke, fr., 1B; Britt Howell, fr., P.
Outlook: Coaches Kelly and Brooke Howell are pleased with how quickly the players are picking up their system. They hope the quick, athletic team is able to make waves in league this year.
"We didn't lose a lot, maybe we can make it to districts. That's the goal," Kelly Howell said.
Several players are undergoing position changes, including Lewis, who moves from the outfield to second base. The team returns Whitney Johnson (shortstop), Samantha Pritchard (catcher) and Sabrina Knopf (third base). Britt Howell will be the team's pitcher
Orcas Double Header
Softball
Concrete Lions 3-8, Orcas Island Vikings 1-2
CONCRETE The Lions handed the Vikings two losses in a Northwest 1A League doubleheader, clinching a Tri-District playoff berth in the process
In the first game, Orcas Island got on the board first, but Concrete game back with three runs in the fourth to put the game away for good.
Lindsay Ehmke went 2-for-3 with a double, Britt Howell went 1-for-3 with a double, Kasey Swanson had an RBI and Sabrina Knopf had two singles.
In the second game, Concrete overcame an early 2-0 deficit with three runs in the third and five runs in the fourth to ice the game.
Samantha Pritchard went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Ehmke went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Whitney Johnson went 1-for-1, Howell went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI and Swanson went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
"We came alive," Concrete coach Brooke Howell said. "We started hitting the ball on Tuesday against Coupeville and it carried over. It's been a snowball effect."
Whitney Johnson walked five times in the game and scored three runs.
"She was very patient at the plate," Brooke Howell said.
In the two wins, Britt Howell finished with 14 strikeouts, upping her season total to 211.
The Lions are now 13-5 overall and 10-5 in league play.
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A new look at an old game
By TREVOR PYLE
Scott Terrell / Skagit Valley Herald
Samantha Pritchard of Concrete is the only holdover from the Lions' last state tournament team. That team played slowpitch softball as opposed to this year's team, which plays fastpitch.
Concrete softball catcher Samantha Pritchard will play a new kind of game during her second trip to the state tournament
CONCRETE When Samantha Pritchard peers from behind her catcher's mask Friday at the Class 1A state softball tournament, she'll see an entirely different game than the one she saw the last time she went.
Pritchard is the only member of the Lions who played on the 2001 squad that went to state in slowpitch softball.
At the time, she was a precocious left fielder trying to adjust to slowpitch ball. She had grown up with fastpitch, both in Little League and in backyard games with her father. One coach even encouraged her to continue playing with the boys when she reached ninth grade.
She decided to give softball a try instead.
"I was tired of being a tomboy," she said.
For a player used to a faster game with leading off and stealing, the adjustment wasn't easy. She had to get used to slower pitches, station-to-station running and different rules. (For example, in slowpitch if a batter hits a foul ball after she has two strikes, she's out.)
"I didn't get a handle on slowpitch," she said. "The hitting part skunked me ... When it (the pitch) came slowly, I'd get out on my front foot and wouldn't generate any power."
Kelly Howell, the co-coach of the Lions, remembers watching Pritchard play as she grew up.
"I remember her talking when she got to junior high about how she was frustrated with how slow the game was, how there was no stealing," he said.
Pritchard, the only freshman to play frequently in 2001, enjoyed the trip to state with the slick-fielding, pitching-heavy Lions. But she was pleased when the program converted to fastpitch.
Not only was it a game she was used to, but it was a game she enjoyed.
"Fastpitch is a more challenging game," she said. "It's not just for hitters. It's for everyone on the field."
She was converted to catcher during her sophomore year the Lions' first at fastpitch and grew to love the cerebral aspect of it: Keeping an eye on runners, calling pitches, flashing signs and calling out where to make throws during plays.
"I love being in the game, controlling things, seeing everything on the field," she said.
Howell said, "Catcher is a leader on the field, and she fills that role perfectly."
Pritchard has also taken on the challenge of catching freshman Britt Howell, whose fiery fastball has added to the team's play this season.
Britt Howell admits she can be intense on the mound as well as opinionated on pitch selection. She said that Pritchard takes it all in stride.
"She takes everything I throw at her," Howell said.
Pritchard is also one of the senior leaders on the team, as well as the team's No. 4 batter, a key run-producing position in the order.
The last time the Lions went to state, their trip lasted only two games as the team baked in the 100-degree weather in Spokane.
Pritchard wants her second trip to last longer, and it seems apparent that a player who went from fastpitch to slowpitch and back again will be ready to make any adjustments necessary to make it happen
Colfax & White Pass @ State
Lions split games at tourney
Concrete softball team to face Cedar Park Christian today
MOSES LAKE A solid fourth inning pushed the Concrete softball team past Colfax in the opening game of the WIAA 1A Softball Championships on Friday.
The only problem was White Pass lurked on the horizon.
The Panthers stole the Lions thunder by the score of 1-0, dropping Concrete into the consolation bracket. The Lions will face a familiar foe in Cedar Park Christian today, step one in the run for a possible third place finish.
"We strung together three hits in the inning," Concrete coach Kelly Howell said of his teams' effort against Colfax.
In the fourth frame, Jackie Lewis hit a one-out single to start the rally. Kasey Swanson followed with a single, and both runners advanced to scoring position with a double steal.
Lindsay Ehmke then hit a triple to score Lewis and Swanson and Ehmke scored on a ground-out by Candan Owens to cap the scoring.
On the mound, the Lions got another phenomenal performance out of freshman hurler Britt Howell, who struck out 18 batters allowed just two hits and walked a batter.
"She pretty much dominated the whole game," Kelly Howell said.
The tables were turned against the Panthers, as pitcher Alicia Fuchs no-hit Concrete. An error then led to the winning run crossing the plate in the fourth inning.
"She only struck out seven," the coach said of Fuchs, "but she's an outstanding pitcher. We just seemed to hit the ball right at people. They are a quality team."
Britt Howell was impressive in the loss as well from the mound. She struck out 12 and walked a pair. At the plate, she also provided a glimmer of hope, unfortunately, her drive down the right-field line landed in foul territory.
"That was the hardest hit ball we had all game," the coach said. "We tried the short game a lot and just couldn't get things going."
Results reported by the Concrete coach.
@ Orcas
Orcas Island Viking 4, Concrete Lions 3
ORCAS ISLAND Ouch.
Four runs for the home team all unearned.
The Lions (0-1) shot themselves in the paw against the Vikings (1-0), and in doing so lost their Northwest 1A league opener.
"It was tough," Concrete coach Brooke Howell said. "We didn't come out with our bats, and the errors, they really hurt. That was the difference."
Concrete pitcher Britt Howell totaled 10 strikeouts to go along with three walks and three hit batters.
It was the pair of hit batsmen that proved costly. Both resulted in a run scoring.
Howell, however, attempted to redeem herself from the plate where she was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
"Right now, we are 0-1," Howell said. "But we have 14 left to get things turned around."
@ Liberty Bell
Concrete Lions 10, Liberty Bell 2
WINTHROP A solid defensive effort and key hitting pushed Concrete past Liberty Bell in the nonleague contest.
The Lions scored two runs in the fourth, three runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth to pull out the win.
At the plate, Britt Howell had a home run, a triple, a single and four RBI, while Samantha Pritchard had a double, Alicia Binson had a double and an RBI and Jackie Lewis and Katie Rayfield each had an RBI.
"We got some big hits with runners on base," Concrete coach Kelly Howell said.
The Lions are 14-5 overall and 10-5 in league.
On the mound, Howell finished with 15 strikeouts.
FH Double Header
Friday Harbor Wolverines 1-8
Concrete Lions 2-2
CONCRETE -- The Lions scored a run in the sixth inning to win the opener, but a six-run Friday Harbor rally in the seventh inning of the second game earned the Wolverines the Northwest 1A League doubleheader split.
Britt Howell pitched both games for the Lions, and also had five hits in the double header.
"We hit the ball better, with six hits in both games," Lions coach Kelly Howell said. "We played really well until that final inning. Friday Harbor is a good hitting team, and if you give them an opening, they'll take advantage."
Britt Howell and Samantha Thompson drove in runs in the opener for Concrete (5-5 league, 8-5 overall). Kasey Swanson had an RBI in the nightcap.
All League Team
Howell earns first-team honors
Britt Howell, the Concrete freshman who pitched the Lions into the state 1A softball tournament, was named to the Northwest 1A League first team.
Howell helped the Lions to the Tri-District title and into their first state softball tournament since 2001.
Three of her teammates also received honors.
Sabrina Knopf was named a second-team infielder, while Samantha Thompson and Kasey Swanson were named second-team outfielders.
Two La Conner players earned all-league honors.
Laura Holcomb was named a first-team outfielder and Molly Olsen a second-team infielder.
Cedar Park Christian
Concrete Lions 2
Cedar Park Christian Eagles 1
MOUNT VERNON -- The Lions upended the defending 1A champions and current Emerald City League champions in the non-league contest.
The Lions were led by another solid pitching performance by Britt Howell who struck out 14 and didn't walk any Cedar Park Christian batters.
At the plate, Whitney Johnson, Samantha Pritchard, Casey Swanson, Jackie Lewis and Candan Owens each had a hit, while Pritchard and Swanson added a run scored and Swanson and Owens had RBI.
"We played great defense in the fourth," Concrete coach Kelly Howell said, adding Pritchard got the out on a 1-3-2 double play and started the sixth-inning rally that pushed the Lions to the win.
The Lions next play in the 1A District Tournament against Chinook League Champion Seattle Christian at 10 a.m. Saturd
Coupeville
Softball
Concrete Lions 5, Coupeville Wolves 0
CONCRETE Britt Howell pitched a two-hitter and Samantha Pritchard drove in three runs for the Lions in the Northwest 1A League game.
Pritchard had a two-run double during a three-run fourth inning, then singled home a run.
"She was our catalyst on offense," Concrete coach Kelly Howell said. "It was a nice, clean, crisp game."
Lindsay Ehmke and Kasey Swanson also had RBI singles for the Lions (6-5 league, 9-5 overall). Howell walked one and struck out 13.
AMHS Double Header
Softball
ATM Wildcats 6
Concrete Lions 4
ATM Wildcats 2
Concrete Lions 1
CONCRETE The Lions lost a pair of close games to one of the top teams in the state.
Archbishop Murphy broke ahead with two runs in the fifth inning in the first game of the doubleheader and won 6-4. The win came despite 16 strikeouts by Concrete pitcher Britt Howell.
In the second game, Archbishop Murphy got one run in the eighth inning, and a Concrete runner at third was called out for leaving early in the bottom of the inning.
The teams combined for six total hits in second game.
"It was a tough way to lose two games," Concrete coach Kelly Howell said. "But if we keep playing like that we'll do well."
The Lions are now 4-4 in the Northwest 1A League, 7-4 overall.
SW JV
Concrete Lions 9, Sedro-Woolley JV Cubs 4
SEDRO-WOOLLEY Britt Howell struck out 18 in a two-hitter as the Lions won the nonleague game.
Howell allowed two hits and no earned runs.
Concrete (7-1) scored seven times in the second inning to break a 1-1 tie.
"It was kind of a shaky performance," Lions coach Kelly Howell said. "We had a bunch of girls gone for spring break. We were quite rusty."
AMHS
Prep Roundup: Concrete crushes Archbisop Murphy
Lions' softball team improves to 4-1 in Northwest A League
EVERETT The Concrete softball team announced itself as a contender in the Northwest 1A League on Friday with a 7-0 victory over Archbishop Thomas Murphy.
Britt Howell continued her outstanding freshman season with a three-hitter, striking out 11.
But it was the Lion hitters who stole the show on Friday, scoring seven times against an Archbisop Murphy staff that did not allow a run in its first five games.
With the win, Concrete improved to 4-1 in league play and 6-1 overall. Archbishop Murphy is 5-1.
"They were a happy bunch of girls," Lions coach Kelly Howell said. "That's the first win we've ever had against ATM."
Sabrina Knopf had a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the first that followed Whitney Johnson's RBI single for the Lions' first two runs.
Granite Faslls
Concrete Lions 10
Granite Falls Tigers 0
GRANITE FALLS Britt Howell struck out 14 batters, gave up only one hit and walked none as the Lions won their second game of the season.
Concrete took advantage of an aggressive offensive style, coach Brooke Howell said, stealing five bases on their way to the win.
"Their short game was great ... The girls are aggressive runners, which makes them fun to coach," Howell said.
The Lions (2-0) reeled off 10 hits in the game. Jackie Lewis had a double and a single, and Lindsay Ehmke and Samantha Thompson had two hits apiece.
State Preview
1A Softball
Concrete Lions
Record: 18-5
District: Northwest
Road to the state tournament: def. Seattle Christian 11-0, def. Friday Harbor 5-1, def. Cedar Park Christian 6-4.
Fact: The Lions are making their first trip to the state tournament in three years, and first ever as a fastpitch team. Freshman pitcher Britt Howell has all 23 decisions on the mound for Concrete.
vs.
Colfax Bulldogs
Hometown: Colfax
Record: 16-9
District: Northeast
Road to the state tournament: def. Brewster 8-5, def. Okanogan 9-6
Fact: The Bulldogs are the in the state tournament for the first time. They have fielded a softball team for about 20 years. Pitcher Kylie Shaw posted the victory over Brewster, while Lynnea Vantrease had the win against Okanogan. Colfax is the defending state 1A volleyball champion