Howard Reflects on Coach of the Year Awards

In his first season leading the Kettle Falls High School wrestling program, A.J. Howard has been named the NE2B North Coach of the Year and the Class B State Coach of the Year, a double honor that he insists belongs to far more than just himself.

“Of course, initially I was excited – and I still am,” Howard said. “When I found out about the league award, it was a few days before the Freeman State Qualifier. I only told my wife and kids. Sitting there ‘not knowing’ while they announced it and hearing our wrestlers and their families erupt was pretty special. That moment wasn’t about me – it felt like an award for all of Kettle Falls.”

The announcement came during the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

“Finding out at the state tournament was surreal,” Howard said. “Kyle Dodge called Wednesday night to let me know I was in the running, but nothing was certain. On the second day of State, he asked me to be ready mat-side as the tournament started. Walking out on that floor at the Tacoma Dome is something I’ll never forget.”

Even with the recognition, Howard is quick to deflect praise.

“At the same time, I’ve always struggled with how sports sometimes credit or blame one person or how people have egos as coaches,” he said. “A quarterback doesn’t win a game alone. A guard doesn’t hit the winning shot alone. It takes a team. I received a lot of praise, which I appreciate deeply, but this season wasn’t built by one person. If our kids didn’t show up every day eager to learn and wrestle hard, I would never have been recognized. If our coaches didn’t pour into them daily – many of them volunteering their time – they wouldn’t have grown the way they did. If parents didn’t sign them up, drive them, feed them, encourage them – it wouldn’t happen.”

Howard said the groundwork for the season began long before he officially became head coach.

“This didn’t really start this year. It started years ago,” he said.

After coaching youth and middle school wrestlers, Howard said he and fellow coach Travis Mitchell often discussed the program’s potential. He studied successful programs and reached out to coaches at Mead and Tonasket, while also examining national powers like Penn State and Iowa.

When he stepped into the role, he said he joined forces with Mitchell and assistants Jeremy Henderson and Glenn Hume, later adding Mark Anderson.

“We put our heads together and decided culture had to come first,” Howard said.

His core principles were simple, “Team above self. Fundamentals done right. Compete hard. Be great humans.”

Howard said, “We wanted kids who battle. Kids who are eager to learn. Kids who strive to improve. And honestly, I wanted them to have fun,” he said. “There’s an old-school belief in sports that louder is better, harder is better, tougher is better. But I don’t yell, not really who I am. I tell my 9-year-old son before every match, ‘Wrestle hard, wrestle smart, and have fun or you’re wasting your time.’ Our high school kids embodied that. They competed intensely, but they had joy in it.”

Howard described this year’s team in simple terms.

“They are fun. Flat out,” he said. “I told my wife multiple times I didn’t know how I didn’t have a six-pack from how hard I laughed this year.”

The wrestlers bonded outside competition – fishing together, building beach fires, and renting a movie theater to watch a wrestling film.

“They took the sport seriously, but they had joy,” Howard said. “Even the Monday after the season ended, several of them said they already missed it and wanted to roll the mats back out.”

He said the team didn’t shy away from challenges. Howard said after one of the team's hardest practices of the year, the team asked if they could do more of those.

"That says a lot," Howard said. "They didn’t shy away from hard. They wanted it.”

A key component of the program was post-practice reflection and journaling. There was 10 to 15 minutes of honest conversation about wrestling, school, family and character between the team, which Howard said brought the team closer. 

“Through consistency and communication,” he said. “I don't believe that culture is a speech – it’s daily conversation. It’s accountability. It’s captains stepping up. It’s teammates holding each other to standards respectfully.”

The Bulldogs practice without a dedicated wrestling room, rolling mats out into the school commons each day. That's extra work that other squads don't have to tackle, but Howard said the Kettle Falls wrestlers embraced it. A quicker setup and cleanup meant less conditioning the next day. 

Howard credited Athletic Director Greg Mace, Secretary Shelly Adams, and Principal Keith Wells for their support.

“We’re building something, even if it’s one rolled mat at a time,” Howard said.

Howard emphasized that the recognition is shared with his staff.

“Without them, there is no recognition,” he said. “There’s no collaboration. No multiple coaching styles to reach different kids. No great partners in the room. No depth. When I received the state certificate, I wrote their names on it: Jeremy Henderson, Travis Mitchell, Glenn Hume, and Mark Anderson.”

Beyond the high school program, Howard pointed to the importance of youth development through the Mat Dogs program.

“When I considered applying for the job, I called Phil McLean from Mead and Cole Denison from Tonasket. Both emphasized one thing: youth alignment,” he said. “Little guys to middle school to high school. But not building champions at age 6. Building love for the sport. Teaching fundamentals. Making it fun.”

Howard insisted that if kids burn out by middle school, it doesn’t matter how talented they were at 8 years old. Coaches want kids to come back.

In Mat Dogs practices, the young wrestlers work hard but always end with games.

“I want them smiling. I want them wanting more,” Howard said. “I’d rather have 10% of 100 kids with solid fundamentals and joy for the sport than 10% of 30 kids and three early standouts because we built elite athletes when they were young. Depth builds programs. Depth builds team championships. Depth builds culture.”

For Howard, the awards reflect something bigger than wins and losses.

“It says everything about them,” he said of the community. “It recognizes parents. It recognizes youth coaches. It recognizes our district supporting Mat Dogs, middle school, and high school programs. It recognizes every teacher and mentor who has poured into these kids. This award belongs to the entire Kettle Falls wrestling family.”