CONCRETE — It took a tenacious second-half performance on Friday night, but the Concrete football team managed — eventually — to shake off its county rival.

Kyler Howell ran for two touchdowns, including a weaving, twisting 23-yard scamper, and the Lions’ defense turned in its third shutout in a row for a 14-0 Northwest 2B League win over a battling La Conner team.

Concrete came into the game ranked fifth among the state’s Class 2B teams by the Associated Press, and the Braves came into it winless, but the game was close all the way through. A fourth-quarter touchdown by Howell finally allowed the Lions some breathing room.

It was a satisfying performance for La Conner coach Patrick Brown, who is guiding a young Braves squad this season.

“I feel great about our growth,” he said. “This was a big confidence-booster for us.”

Howell scored from 5 yards out in the first quarter, a touchdown that was set up by a costly fumble on a punt return by La Conner that gave the Lions the ball at the Braves’ 8-yard line.

It became a theme for the Braves, who added two more turnovers, including a fumble late in the second quarter and an interception in the fourth.

“On offense, we played well but were our own worst enemy,” Brown said.

The Lions’ air attack was led by junior quarterback Erik Lindeman, who went 11-of-17 for 106 with an interception; on the ground, Nathan Lease had 72 yards on seven carries and Matt Burlingame had 66 yards on six carries.

“They played both a physical game and an emotional game,” Concrete coach Ron Rood said of the Braves. “In the first half, we didn’t ... in some games, emotion gets in your way. In football it gives you an edge.”

Rood said the Lions responded well with a stronger effort in the second half.

“La Conner played well, and I’m proud of the kids’ second half,” he said.

Howell, who was the Lions’ leading rusher with 16 carries for 73 yards, turned in a hard-charging performance on his 23-yard run, avoiding one tackler and twisting away from another to follow blocking downfield for the score.

The Lions also got 38 yards on the ground from quarterback Chris Smith and 35 from running back Derek Rice, both of whom left the game with injuries before coming back to contribute, including a first-down run by Smith on his first play back in the game.

“Chris and Derek both got hurt. They turned in gutsy performances,” Rood said.

Defensive lineman Brandon Kales had a sack and a tackle for a loss for the Lions (2-0 league, 5-1 overall), while defensive back Trent Kitchen had an interception.

Burlingame and Tommy Peth turned in sacks for the Braves (0-2, 0-6).

• Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-416-2156 or by e-mail at