Jess Howard was on the other end of the phone and the anguish in her voice awakened me immediately. Through sobs, she told me that she’d just broken the news to her players that she had tendered her resignation as the head softball coach at Webster City.

After 13 seasons, 220 victories, a .741 win percentage in the North Central Conference and three league championships, she came to the conclusion that it was time.

I get it. And you should too.

With four children — Aaliyah, Sophie, Houston and Landry — under the age of 10, Howard has missed out on so many moments during the summer months that she can never get back. That’s what happens when you’re in charge of a storied program where a short day is eight or nine hours of work. It was usually like 12 to 13.

Jess Howard (above) compiled a career record of 220-170, including 146-51 in the NCC, in 13 seasons as the head softball coach at Webster City. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

She painfully had to admit to herself that she didn’t want to miss any more. Aaliyah, 9, will start Little League softball next summer and as a mom first, Howard knows that’s where her ultimate loyalty has to lie.

“I don’t want to hear about what she does, I want to see it first-hand,” Howard, who will remain as the Lynx head volleyball coach, said Monday afternoon through more tears. “It’s hard because both of my teams, volleyball and softball, are my family. But (my children) can’t take second to that.

“The softball team has helped me through a lot of stuff over the past 13 years and it’s really hard to say goodbye to that. But it’s not really a goodbye, it’s just helping in a different way.”

Howard will still be involved with Lynx softball, just as the lower levels. She took over control of the youth program several years back and she’ll remain a figure within the program for as long as the next coach will have her.

But it won’t be the same. She knows that.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

It won’t be the same for me either.

I first met Jessica Kastler when she was a high school junior in 1999, my first year at the Daily Freeman-Journal. I watched her be a mostly quiet but commanding leader at first base on the WCHS softball team that won the 2001 Class 2A state softball championship, and I’ve watched her blossom into a fantastic coach over the past 13 years that have resulted in nine winning seasons, including a 22-8 mark and conference title this summer.

But her coaching talent pales in comparison to Jess Howard the person. She’s demanding, but fair. Firm, but compassionate. Someone I happily call a friend, and hope to for a long, long time.

If that makes me a bad sports journalist, someone who can’t stay unbiased, I’m fine with that. I’ll never apologize for it either.

All of her players respect her. Some may even fear her, which always makes me chuckle considering I still remember the 16-year-old who was as quiet as a church mouse and more respectful than a lot of people twice her age.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

She cares. It sounds simplistic, I know, but it’s the best way to describe her.

Two years ago, when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, Jess was one of the many Webster City residents that asked me, “How can I help?” I vividly remember another phone call where she spoke through tears, as she described to me the plans she had for several fundraisers that would benefit us on our journey. I can still hear her words to a Webster City crowd during one of those fundraisers that meant more to me than any award or promotion ever could.

And, yep, now it’s my turn to shed a few tears. Again. But that’s just the type of person Jess is, and it’s why her decision to step away is personally painful.

She leaves the program in a good place though. WCHS will return seven starters next summer, including one of the best players in the history of the program (that’s you, Kelly Stoakes), and will be among the favorites in the NCC just like it was during every single season of Howard’s tenure.

But that’s also what makes her decision hard.

“I don’t want (the players) to feel like I’m dropping the ball on them, but I’m here for them for whatever they need,” she said. “It’s not like I’m leaving Webster City. They’re just going to hear me on the other side of the fence now.

“I’m very lucky in the sense that I was able to come back to my hometown and be able to have my kids experience that same atmosphere that I grew up in. This program has been a huge part of my life since I was five years old and it’s part of what has shaped me into who I am.”

WCHS softball has been a storied program for decades, and Howard has more than continued that tradition.

I’ll miss you on the diamond, Jess. And so will a lot of people.

THE LEGACY

A look at Jess Howard’s 13 seasons in charge of the Webster City softball program:

Season NCC (Pl) Overall

2009 14-4 (2) 22-11

2010 13-4 (2) 16-13

2011 14-4 (1) 20-16

2012 14-4 (3) 20-14

2013 17-1 (1) 25-7

2014 14-4 (2) 17-18

2015 8-6 (3) 13-20

2016 10-4 (2) 13-18

2017 6-7 (3) 8-16

2018 6-8 (5) 16-15

2019 12-2 (2) 21-7

2020 5-2 (3) 7-7

2021 13-1 (1) 22-8

Career Overall: 220-170

Career in NCC: 146-51