Maybe Howell football coach Brian Lewis should give the girls from Hartland a pep talk before they take on Belleville in their regional finals Wednesday (7 p.m.) at Howell.
Lewis and the Highlanders football team have already survived the impossible dream. Hartland is hoping to follow in their footsteps.
Hartland (20-5) would shock the world with a victory over top-ranked Belleville (24-1) who is mowing over people. The Hartland-Belleville match up has many similarities to the time Howell stunned the world by beating top-ranked Belleville in the KLAA championship football game.
Belleville’s football team was ranked number one in the state and led by Bryce Underwood, the top high school player in the nation. Hartland faces the number one team in the state led by super sophomore Sydney Savoury, the nation’s top prep player in the 2027 class.
Savoury averages 26.5 points and eight rebounds a game. She is so good that Ohio State offered her at age 12.
When I witnessed her 32-point explosion in a 79-40 victory over Dexter I questioned why she settled for three-point shots so often. The answer became clear. She rarely misses and her shot is smoother than silk.
Belleville looks like a Division I team. Secrette Carter has committed to Marquette and Rylan Buschell is headed to Central Michigan to play.
Anything is possible. Belleville looked past Wayne Memorial and lost 57-52. A few weeks later the Tigers were move focused and trounced Wayne Memorial, 62-38.
Hartland’s Izzy DePestel usually guards the opponent’s best player. But Savoury appears out of her league. DePestel stands 5-foot-7 and Savoury is 6-foot with a sold and sturdy build. And she’s fast.
I asked DePestel if she wanted to guard Savoury. She shrugged as if to say “that is my job.”
“Yeah, I am up for it,” she said. “I will give it my best shot, I guess.”
Freshman Brin Neuer is impressed by Belleville’s talent. She even said Savoury is the fastest and most talented high school player she’s seen. But she also believes in DePestel and she believes in her team.
“Belleville has a bunch of talented players, and they can shoot,” Beuer said. “I believe Izzy can stay with (Savoury.)”
This might be the impossible dream for Hartland to pull off this win. But that’s the same thing we said about Howell’s football team before playing Belleville.