Concrete High School Fastpitch: 2006 Newspaper Articles
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| Skagit Valley Herald Player of the Year |
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Dominating on the diamond
Concrete’s Britt Howell used her skills on the mound and at the plate to help the Lions win
By TREVOR PYLE
Staff Writer
CONCRETE — A pain in the neck made the beginning of Britt Howell’s season with the Concrete softball team, well, a pain in the neck. But the junior was able to overcome a relatively slow start to turn in another dominant season.
Howell’s dominance at the plate and on the mound, as well as her help in lifting the Lions to a fourth-place finish at the Class 1A state tournament, have earned her Skagit Valley Herald Softball Player of the Year honors.
On the mound, Howell went 17-3 and struck out 236 in 137 innings; at the plate, she hit .537, with a slugging percentage of .950. She had five of the Lions’ seven triples, all of their three home runs and drove in 37 runs.
With those numbers, it is surprising to learn that Howell was frustrated at the beginning of the season. After suffering a painful and nagging neck injury during winter workouts, she found herself unable to train in the weeks before the season and considered herself rusty in the first few games of the year.
Her stride was less explosive, Howell said, her fastball didn’t have the snap it usually does and she didn’t throw her riseball at all.
“It was disappointing, because you want to come in strong,” she said.
Concrete coach Kelly Howell said Britt didn’t have her usual stamina at the beginning of the season.
“There was less snap on her fastball, her legs were sore, her wrists were sore,” he said.
Rather than striking out most of the players on opposing teams, Howell found herself depending on her defense more, and said her teammates responded well.
“It was good to put the ball in play and let the defense get to it,” Howell said.
As the Lions responded with strong defensive play, Howell got stronger.
Kelly Howell said Britt started to show flashes of her old form in a 1-0 victory over league rival Friday Harbor.
“She was really on. She knuckled down and got it done,” he said.
Britt said she began to notice more strength and stamina in the Lions’ second round of Northwest 1A/B League play: Her fastball returned, her movement came back and she even started throwing the riseball again.
“The second time around, I felt better,” she said.
Howell also displayed mental strength, especially in the Lions’ second game with Friday Harbor. She gave up three runs in one inning — a scoring burst that let the Wolverines tie the extra-innings game — then responded by striking out the side in the next two innings to help the Lions to the victory.
“She could have easily let that get to her,” Kelly Howell said of the three-run flurry.
With Britt at close to full strength, the Lions won their tri-district tournament, then won their first two games at the state tournament before falling to their familiar rival, Onalaksa, the team that defeated the Lions in the state finals last season.
The Lions ended up fourth in the state.
The end of the tournament didn’t mean an end to softball in the spring and summer.
Howell plays on a team that includes Burlington-Edison’s Jackie Ellerman, Mount Vernon’s Jill Barnett and Carly Feiro, and Monroe’s Cory Mattson; she hopes to make a decision on a college before too long; and she is looking forward to the Lions’ next season.
She is excited about the team’s future, especially with the way the Lions showed their skill in all aspects of the game at the state tournament.
“State showed we’re a well-rounded team,” she
Thursday, June 8
NorthWest All League Team
Howell MVP again
Concrete junior Britt Howell earned her second straight most valuable player honor for the Northwest 1A/B League.
Howell led the Lions to the league championship and undefeated league record on the mound and at the plate, and last month helped Concrete to a fourth-place finish in the state tournament.
Three of her teammates — sophomore Cassy Taylor and seniors Alesha Benson and Kasey Swanson — earned first-team honors, as did La Conner senior Molly Olsen.
Concrete coach Kelly Howell earned co-coach of the year honors.
La Conner earned the team sportsmanship award.
Saturday, May 13
Lions Win Another Extra Inng Game!
Concrete Lions ................2 Lakewood Cougars ..........1 9 innings
LAKEWOOD — Lindsay Ehmke hit a triple in the top of the ninth inning that drove in the game-winning run as the Lions beat the Class 2A Cougars in extra innings.
Britt Howell pitched six hitless innings and struck out 12 en route to the victory.
Howell also provided some offense for Concrete, hitting a single and a triple, and batting in a run.
Concrete coach Kelly Howell said his team had a chance to score early, but base runners were thrown out because of poor coaching along the third base line.
“We had a couple chances to score in the first,” he said.
Concrete improves to 14-3 overall. The Lions have already completed their league schedule with a perfect 10-0 record, which earned them an automatic state berth.
Results reported by area coaches
Saturday, May 13
Lady Lions Run Rule Meridian!
Concrete Lions ..................11 Meridian Trojans ..................1
CONCRETE — The Lions pounded the Trojans in a sixinning non-league contest.
“It was a good game, a good tuneup before districts,” Lions coach Kelly Howell said.
Britt Howell struck out 14 without a walk and allowed just two hits in her five innings of work.
Kassy Taylor pitched a scoreless sixth. She also had a two-run double and drove in three for the Lions (13-3 overall).
Wednesday, May 10
Lion's Finish Second Season In A Row Undefeated In League Play!
Concrete earns state tourney berth
Skagit Valley Herald Staff
CONCRETE — Concrete finished its Northwest 1A/B League schedule without a blemish Friday as the Lions beat La Conner 2-1. The win also earns Concrete (10-0 league, 12-3 overall) an automatic berth to the state tournament.
“It’s kind of been our goal since the first of the year,” Concrete coach Kelly Howell said of making it to state.
Britt Howell struck out 16 Braves en route to the victory.
“She was pretty much cruising through most of the game,” Howell said.
Concrete has three nonleague games before the district tournament begins on May 20. The tournament will merely determine where the Lions will be seeded at state.
La Conner coach Peg Seeling said she wasn’t disappointed by her team’s performance.
“This was a real moral victory for us,” she said of the Braves (1-8, 5-14), who have been plagued by injuries this season.
Friday, May 5
Lady Lions Take second Straight League Title @ Friday Harbor!
PREP SOFTBALL
Concrete bests Friday Harbor in 11
Skagit Valley Herald staff
FRIDAY HARBOR — They needed four extra innings, but the Concrete softball players beat Friday Harbor on Tuesday.
Alesha Benson’s two-run single in the 11th was the difference in a 6-4 victory, which gave the Lions’ their second straight Northwest 1A/B League title.
“Going on the road to the leading contender’s home is great,” Lions coach Kelly Howell said. “It was an exciting one. We had some chances early in the game.”
The Lions led 1-0 going into the sixth, but Friday Harbor tied it. Concrete center fielder Amanda Taylor threw out the potential winning run at the plate.
Each team also scored three runs in the ninth, the first inning that uses the international tiebreaker.
Britt Howell and Beth Kelsey each went the distance on the mound. Howell struck out 21 for the Lions (9-0 league, 11-3 overall), including the final six of the game. Kelsey fanned 14.
Monday, May 1
Lions Secure @ Least A Tie For League Title!
Concrete Lions........................................6 Orcas Island Vikings................................1
EASTSOUND — The Lions guaranteed themselves at least a share of the Northwest 1A/B League title. Pitcher Britt Howell struck out 12 and walked none, her second straight game with no walks. Kassy Taylor had a single and an RBI, Beka Thomas had a double, Howell had two doubles and Alesha Benson hit a double and two RBI to help the Lions improve to 8-0 in league, 9-3 overall.
Friday, April 28
Concrete Blanks Coupeville
Concrete Lions ...........................10 Coupeville Wolves.........................0 Six Innings
CONCRETE — Britt Howell struck out 15 and allowed only two hits as the Lions remained undefeated in Northwest 1A/B League play.
Howell had an equally stellar day at the plate with two singles, a double and a home run. Kasey Swanson had two singles, Amanda Taylor had two singles and Alesha Benson added two RBI for the Lions (7-0 in league).
Friday, April 28
Lady Lions Down Vikings
Concrete Lions ............................5 Bellevue Christian Vikings............3
BELLEVUE — Kassy Taylor pitched a five-hitter and Britt Howell missed hitting for the cycle by a home run in the non-league contest.
Howell had an RBI triple in the fifth and a two-run double in the seventh for the Lions (8-3 overall). Lindsey Ehmke’s two-run single in the first accounted for Concrete’s other runs.
Taylor did the rest, improving to 4-1 on the season.
“She pitched well. She threw strikes and made them put it in play,” Concrete coach Kelly Howell said. “Our defense for the most part played well. I think we had a little big of a hangover from the weekend, playing two games Saturday. But we had enough hits to win it.”
Tuesday, April 25
Lions Lose Two Hard Fought Games
Archbishop Murphy Wildcats ..............4 Concrete Lions ..................................3
DEMING — The Lions fell just short in a game against an undefeated Class 2A opponent. Concrete coach Kelly Howell said three of the Wildcats’ four runs scored on passed balls, and a fourth was the result of a throwing effort. But he said he was pleased with the competitive effort the Lions made against a tough opponent. “It was close throughout the game,” he said. Britt Howell had two singles and an RBI for Concrete, and Kayla Zitkovich added an RBI single.
Mount Baker Mountaineers ................2 Concrete Lions ..................................1
DEMING — The Lions had chances against the Mountaineers in the non-league contest, but couldn’t convert.
Alesha Benson had an RBI single in the first inning to score Kasey Swanson, but the Lions (7-3 overall) couldn’t capitalize for more runs.
“We had baserunners in almost every inning, but couldn’t bring them home,” Concrete coach Kelly Howell said.
Tuesday, April 25
Concrete Softball Blast Darrington
PREP ROUNDUP
Concrete softball blasts Darrington
Skagit Valley Herald staff
DARRINGTON — The Concrete softball team scored 11 runs in the first inning and maintained that advantage the rest of the way Friday in a 16-5 victory over Darrington in Northwest 1A/B League play.
After an out, the next 11 Concrete batters reached base. Britt Howell had two hits in the inning and drove in three.
“They were all pretty much clean hits. We kept getting hit after hit,” Lions coach Kelly Howell said. “We jumped out to a big lead and got to play a lot of swing players and JV players, and got Kassy Taylor some pitching time in league play, which was good.”
Concrete (6-0 league, 7-1 overall) finished with 17 hits, two each from Kasey Swanson, Kassy Taylor, Howell, Alesha Benson, Amanda Taylor, Kayla Zitkovich and Brandi Dellinger.
Britt Howell pitched two innings before giving way to Kassy Taylor for the final five.
Friday, April 14
Lady Lions Overpower Braves!
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Concrete rolls to a win
Howell pitches, hits Lions past La Conner
Skagit Valley Herald staff
LA CONNER — Britt Howell was stellar on the mound and the Concrete softball team hit throughout the lineup Tuesday in a 12-0 win over La Conner.
Howell struck out 14, walked two and allowed one hit to improve her record to 5-0.
She also had two singles, a double, a triple and five RBI. Kassy Taylor added a three-run single for the Lions (5-0 in Northwest 1A/B League, 6-1 overall).
Concrete coach Kelly Howell said Taylor’s two-out hit in the second inning, which helped stake the Lions to a 4-0 lead, was an important one.
“That got the confidence going for the rest of the girls,” he said.
Kendall Dubuque had the only hit for La Conner (0-3, 1-5), a double.
“We keep getting better, that’s the important part,” La Conner coach Peg Seeling said.
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Lady Lions Win 19th League Game in a Row, To Take Sole Possession Of First Place!
Herald
Concrete pitcher Britt Howell throws a pitch plateward against Friday Harbor. Concrete won 1-0 behind Howell’s three-hitter Friday.
Concrete edges Friday Harbor
By TREVOR PYLE
Staff Writer
CONCRETE — Britt Howell used
power. Kayla Zitkovich used patience.
No matter what technique they
used Friday, the Concrete Lions
earned a key softball win over Friday
Harbor. Howell threw seven scoreless
innings and Zitkovich drew a key
walk as the Lions won 1-0.
Howell gave up just three hits and
struck out 12 to improve to 4-0.
Zitkovich scored the game’s only run
in the second inning on an RBI single
to shallow right field by Beka
Thomas.
Before Thomas’ hit, Zitkovich had
drawn a painstaking walk from Friday
Harbor ace Beth Kelsey to reach
base. Kelsey pinned two strikes on
Zitkovich to open the at-bat before
the Concrete batter coaxed four balls
for the trip to first.
“That was the key play of the
game,” Concrete coach Kelly Howell
said.
Zitkovich said one pitch in particular
made her nervous.
“I was a little scared. I thought (the
umpire) was going to call that third
ball a strike, but it was a little low,”
she said.
Thomas followed with a flare to
right field, and Zitkovich made it all
the way home from first with what
proved to be the winning run.
“That was a classic fastpitch game,”
Friday Harbor coach Kevin Carlton
said. “One little thing can make a difference.”
The game featured a matchup of
two aces: Kelsey, a senior who is a
veteran of several Class 1A state tournaments
and Howell, a junior who
threw three no-hitters at last year’s
state tournament to help the Lions to
a second-place finish.
“Britt relies more on power and
Beth relies more on location,” Kelly
Howell said. “That’s the best pitching
we’ve faced all year.”
Kelsey allowed just two hits —
Thomas’ hit and a single by Alesha
Benson — and struck out 13.
“We knew it was going to be a great
game and a low-scoring affair,” Carlton
said.
The Wolverines mounted their
most dangerous threat in the sixth.
Second baseman Jenny Guard singled
to open the inning, Katie Shanks was
hit by a pitch and Beth Ware reached
on error to load the bases with only
one out.
Howell stopped a comebacker and
shoveled it to catcher Kasey Swanson
for the force at home, then struck out
the next batter to end the rally.
Although it’s still relatively early in
the season, the win may prove to be
important for Concrete (4-0 in league,
5-1 overall). Friday Harbor and Concrete
were expected to be the two top
contenders for the league title, as they
were last season, when the Lions
ended up with the crown.
“They’re definitely our biggest
rival. They’re the team to beat,”
Zitkovich said.
Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-
416-2156 or by e-mail at tpyle@skagitvalleyherald.
Friday, April 14
Lady Lion's Shutout Orcas Vikings!
Concrete Lions...................5 Orcas Island Vikings...........0
CONCRETE — Concrete pitcher Britt Howell struck out 13, walked none and allowed one hit as the Lions improved to 3-0 in the Northwest 1A/B League.
“This is her third time out, and she’s been improving each time,” Concrete coach Kelly Howell said. “She kept the hitters off-balance.”
Howell had a single and a double, and Amanda Taylor had a pair of singles.
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Concrete earns fourth-place finish
Onalaska ends Lions’ chance at winning a state championship
By TREVOR PYLE
Staff Writer
MOSES LAKE — For the second year in a row, Shelly Hadaller stood between the Concrete softball team and its dream of a state title.
And for the second year in a row, the right-handed pitcher with an explosive fastball and a crafty riseball would not let the Lions pass.
Hadaller allowed two hits and struck out 12 as Onalaska defeated Concrete 3-0 Saturday in the Class 1A state semifinals, denying the Lions a berth in the state title game. Concrete then split its next two games to take fourth in the state tournament.
Onalaska was the team that defeated Concrete in last year’s eight-inning championship game, which was defined by stellar pitching by Hadaller and Concrete ace Britt Howell.
Saturday’s rematch didn’t disappoint, with Howell scattering six hits and striking out seven.
But Onalaska scored one run in the first inning on an RBI double by Haylee Schuttie, then tacked on two in the sixth on an RBI double by Amanda Durand and an RBI groundout by Anna Hall.
Concrete struggled to spark its offense against Hadaller, last year’s Class 1A state most valuable player who has signed to play at NCAA Division I Mississippi Valley State.
The Onalaska ace struck out five of the first batters she faced, struck out the side in the seventh and coaxed three groundouts on five pitches in the sixth.
“She has an explosiveness we don’t normally see. There’s nobody like her in our league,” Concrete coach Kelly Howell said.
“She dominated, and she’s dominated all weekend,” Onalaska coach Bill Barnes said.
Howell said he believed the winner of the noon matchup between Onalaska and Concrete would go on to win the championship, and he was proven right later in the afternoon as Onalaska defeated Zillah 3-1to win the state title.
“In my mind, this was the state championship game,” he said of the game between the Loggers and Lions.
Concrete followed its loss to Onalaska by defeating Cedar Park Christian 4-1, then lost 13-6 to Toledo in a game where Britt Howell did not pitch.
The Lions scored three runs in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie with Cedar Park Christian on their way to the victory, with one run scoring on a wild pitch, another on an RBI single by Lindsay Ehmke and another on a bases-loaded walk by catcher Kasey Swanson.
Swanson had hit an RBI single to score Kassy Taylor in the third inning.
Kelly Howell said Britt Howell did not start the game against Toledo because the junior, who had pitched four games in two days, including two in the last six hours, was exhausted and the Lions had already guaranteed themselves a trophy from the tournament whether it was for third or fourth place.
“She was worn out. She had already given everything she had,” he said. “I didn’t see much difference between third and fourth if we weren’t going for the championship.”
B r i t t H o w e l l s a i d h e r exhaustion became evident in the game against Cedar Park Christian. Her fastball didn’t have the same zip, and her windup became less and less pronounced.
“I was definitely tired, and you could see it in the way I pitched,” she said.
Kassy Taylor started the third-place game.
Taylor doubled and drew a walk in the game, Howell hit a pair of RBI singles and Alesha Benson hit an RBI groundout, but Toledo used a six-run second inning lift itself to victory.
Britt Howell said the Lions exceeded her expectations this season, especially as their offense heated up early in the state tournament.
“We did really well,” she said.
Swanson, one of the two seniors on the team along with Benson, agreed that the Lions surprised, especially in Friday’s dominating win over White Pass.
“That was awesome,” she said.
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Lions Head to State
Concrete at Class 1A Tournament
The Concrete softball team came within one win of a state Class 1A title last year, so the Lions know how difficult that elusive goal can be.
This year’s title, they know, should be no different.
Led again by pitcher Britt Howell, who threw three nohitters in last year’s state tournament, the Lions begin play at 2 p.m. Friday at Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex in Moses Lake.
The Lions will face Okanogan in their first-round game.
While anything can happen at the state tournament, Concrete coach Kelly Howell thinks the Lions may face three teams from especially competitive District 4: White Pass, Toledo and Onalaska, which defeated the Lions last year in the title game.
“We could play all teams out of District 4, which will be a pretty tough road,” Howell said.
The Lions, he said, will need near-perfect execution in what Kelly Howell expects to be lowscoring, high-quality games.
“Runs are going to be at a premium. We need to do little things like getting bunts down, cutting down on strikeouts and putting together a few runs. Putting together a run or two will be enough to win some games,” he said.
Howell said the Lions will be helped by the several tight games they have played this season, including a 6-4 win over Friday Harbor and a 2-1 victory over Lakewood.
“Last year, our goal was to bring home a state trophy. We met our goal last year. Our goal this year is to be the first (Concrete girls’ team) to win a state championship. The girls are in it to win it,” he said.