CHATTER: HOWELL PENS HIS UW FUTURE.

Byline: Matthew Kredell and Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writers

Last year as a junior, Dan Howell wrote an English-class essay on why he would attend the University of Washington.

That essay turned prophetic Tuesday, when the Hart High of Newhall standout announced he has committed to play football at Washington.

``I had a hunch that I probably would be going to school somewhere in the northwest,'' Howell said. ``I remember telling my mom a long time ago, when recruiting just started, that I thought I had that hunch.''

Howell won't visit Washington for the first time until Jan. 16. But he decided to pick Washington sight-unseen over offers from Fresno State and Colorado State in order to get in before scholarship slots filled up.

Washington originally recruited Howell as a linebacker but lately has told him fullback is a possibility. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder rushed for 1,258 yards and scored 27 touchdowns as a senior. ...

Pro football finally is coming to the Southland.

OK, so it's not the NFL and it's not in Los Angeles. And it's not really pro considering the players aren't paid. In fact, the players aren't even men.

This football is the three-year-old National Women's Football Association, a 37-team league that recently announced it would add four teams in California, including one in the Antelope Valley in 2005.

Tryouts for the Antelope Valley team will be Jan. 10 and Jan. 17 at McAdam Park in Palmdale at 10 a.m. Interested players can visit the league's Web site at womensfootballaccociation.com.

``We're excited about finally coming out west,'' NWFA owner Catherine Masters said. ``We've been getting a lot of interest from players out there, and we can't wait to finally get out there.''

The league has teams in 27 states, with most playing at high school or college stadiums.

The NWFA draws players from rugby, softball and track.

``The easiest part of all this is finding players,'' Masters said from her office in Nashville, Tenn. ``They're out there for the sheer love of the sport, and you'd be amazed how many women want to play football.'' ...

Hart basketball standout Adam Rich is off to a solid start this year. Rich, a 6-5 forward, lit up opponents during last week's Cleveland tournament, scoring 127 points in four games to earn tournament-MVP honors.

``He really worked hard on his game during the offseason, and it shows,'' Hart coach Tom Kelly said. ``He has added a lot of versatility to his game.''

Rich has a terrific outside shot - as he continually showed during last week's tournament - but it's his ability to get to the lane this year that has helped him become a more complete player. ...

Cleveland of Reseda's Jason Hill had a coming-out party for the Cavaliers boys' basketball team in a 76-67 victory over Thousand Oaks on Monday. Hill had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists to help spark Cleveland. The Cavaliers rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit to turn around the game.

Cleveland also received a lift from sophomore Corey Duncan, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. ...

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City field hockey player Sandhya Dhir has committed to Brown. Dhir was the Golden West League MVP and a member of the All-CIF-SS/LAFHA Tournament Team. ...

The Valley Striders youth cross country team placed third at the recent Junior Olympics in Albuquerque, N.M. The team's top finisher was 10-year-old Tommy Hudson of Acton, who was sixth and earned All-America honors in the bantam boys' division.