Outlook

Darby Howard is a big-time goal scorer … Had a tremendous high school career up top for Bishop Carroll and helped her teams to multiple Kansas Soccer State playoff runs … Her impact was recognized constantly over her four-year high school career as she received multiple all state or all-league honors.

Freshman Year 2025

Helped JCCC win the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference D-II title, NJCAA Region 6 Division II title, finish ranked No.1 ranking in the final NJCAA D-II Poll, earn the No. 1 seed at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament and finish in a tie for fifth with an overall record of 21-1-1 … The 21 victories set a new program season record … Played in 19 matches, 16 as a starter … Tallied six goals and six assists for 18 points … Had one game-winning score and three of six assists led to game-winning goals, second most on the team … Recorded two multiple-goal matches and two multiple-assist matches … Began her collegiate career by provided both assists in a 2-1 win over Southwestern Illinois in the season opener (8-23-25) … Her two-assist performance is the most by a Cavalier in a season opener since August 30, 2019 … Was named the KJCCC D-II Offensive Player of the Week for the first week of the season … Followed with the game-winning goal in a 6-0 win at Metropolitan (8-26-25) … Provided the first assists in a 3-0 win over Allen (9-10-25) … Netted two goals in a 6-1 win over Pratt (9-20-25) and followed with two more goals in a 15-0 blowout over Southeast (9-24-25) … Netted the final goal in a 3-0 win over Neosho County in the Region 6 Championship (11-1-25).

High School  

Was a four-year starter for coach Greg Rauch at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, Wichita, Kan. … Graduated 2025  … Was a four-time Kansas 5A All-State selection ….Named first-team All-State at forward as a senior, second-team All-State her sophomore and  junior years and honorable mention as a freshman … Was also a four-time All-Greater Wichita Athletic Conference selection, earing  honorable mention as a freshman and second-team her sophomore, junior years and senior seasons … Was four-time All-City second-team selection … Named All-Metro second-team her sophomore and junior years and first-team a sa senior …  Bishop Carroll claim a 2-1 victory over St. James Academy to bring home the program’s first state championship her senior year … Finished 21-0-0 becoming just the sixth high school girls soccer team in Kansas at any level to finish a state championship season without a single loss and just the second to deliver a truly perfect record with a loss or a tie … Helped Bishop Caroll reach the Kansas 5A State championship game her sophomore year, falling 2-0 to St. Thomas Aquinas … Closed out her career as the third leading goal scorer in team history …  Had 11 goals with an assist as a freshman, 18 goals and six assists as a sophomore, 19 goals and seven assists her junior year and 17 goals and nine assists during the undefeated state championship campaign her senior year … Finished third all-time in goals scored at Bishop Carroll with 65 goals … Played club soccer for Kansas Rush coached by Travis Stipp from 2015 to 2020 and for FC Wichita coached by Blake Shumaker from 2020-25 … Helped Kansas Rush win a Heartland Championship and FC Wichita win an ECRL Central Region Championship … Selected ECRL All-Region in 2023 … Graduated Suma Cum Laude.

Personal  

Born Darby Jan Howard on May 31, 2007, in Wichita, Kan. … Nicknames are Darb and Deb … Daughter of Clayton and Donell Howard … Has three siblings; Daesha, Corbyn and Dacey … Her father played football at both Garden City Community College and Hutchinson Community College, and her brother, Corbyn, played soccer at Cloud County Community College … Majoring in biology … Career ambition is to be an optometrist … Also recruited by John Brown University, Graceland University, Newman University and Butler Community College … Favorite foods are sushi and pasta … Favorite fast food restaurant is Chipotle … Favorite restaurant is Wasabi … Favorite TV show is Stranger Things … Favorite movie is Surfs Up … Favorite sports movies are Benchwarmers and Kicking and Screaming … Favorite actor is Kevin hart … Favorite book is The Summer I Turned Pretty … Favorite music entertainer is Drake … Favorite cartoon character is Bender … Favorite athletes are Michael Jordan and Kylian Mbappé … Favorite sports team is the Chicago Cubs … Greatest sports moments were scoring the winning goal against Andover to make it to State and attempting a bicycle kick during one of her club games … Best player she has played against is former St. Thomas Aquinas and current Ole Miss forward Brooklyn Marn … A notable alumnus from her school is Kansas City Chiefs tight end Blake Bell.