You could tell this was a big game and a big moment for Howell Head coach Brian Lewis.
Midway through the fourth quarter he did a wicked jab step where he pranced down the sideline in torment as his play chart bounced around like a rag doll during a tense ball game against Northville.
He is not used to losing, let alone being in a tight ball game where every play mattered as the Highlanders looked up to a team outperforming them.
On the other sideline Northville coaches barked that their superior speed on the edges could turn the tide in their favor. Northville made two big offensive splashes all night, but that was enough to upend the defending KLAA champion Highlanders, 17-7 Friday night at Howell.
Northville speedster Kamden Brown (four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown) burned Howell on a 21-yard touchdown pass off a flea flicker from quarterback Cooper Derkach on a fourth and two play. Later, he got behind Howell’s safeties on a 52-yard catch on fourth and 20 that set up Northville’s final touchdown with 8.8 seconds left.
“It took a lot of guts to call that play,’ said Northville coach Brent Luplow who said the flea flicker wasn’t in Northville’s play book until last week.
Howell junior running back Bryce Kish ran the ball 18 times for 81 yards and caught one pass for 11 yards. Dropped passes hurt Howell for much of the game. That led to a 3-of 9 passing night by quarterback Preston Barb for just 27 yards.
Northville’s Max DeFore ran for 85 yards and the game-clinching touchdown.
Howell players were stunned when it was over, but took defeat like men. It is something they are not accustomed to. It was their first regular season loss since October of 2023 when Livonia Franklin edged them 27-21 in a season-ending conference cross over game.
Howell’s reign of terror is not over by any means, but during a roll that saw it thump 11 straight KLAA opponents, beat top-ranked Belleville in an emotional KLAA championship game and win a Division I District title Howell established itself as one of the top teams in the state.
It made the Detroit News Super 25 state rankings, checking in at No. 18.
“This is part of our journey,” Lewis said. “We will respond because our leadership is strong.”
Howell (2-1 overall, 1-1 in the KLAA) is in a tough spot. The Highlanders fell to fourth place in the KLAA West Division behind Northville (2-0), Brighton (2-0) and Hartland (2-0). Howell can get back in the race with victories at Hartland (Oct. 3) and Brighton (Oct. 17). But it cannot win the race without help from its fellow rivals.
“We were not characteristically Howell in the first half and that hurt us,” Lewis said. “We were not Howell because we did not do the things we were in control of.”