Howell offensive lineman Nate Rogowski kept believing even as East Kentwood quarterback Kayd Coffman kept showing people why he was the best player on the field and why he remained a Michigan State commit.
He believed even though teammates could not keep up with lightening bug wide receiver Ahman Edmonds
“Give us one more chance. Give us the ball one more time,” Rogowski barked to teammates even during Howell’s darkest hour.
He knew junior running back Bryce Kish had one more big run in him even though Howell trailed by as many as three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He knew his linemates had more blocks to give. He knew Howell’s defense which was peppered all afternoon had one more stop in it.
Rogowski’s belief in a miracle never came. Howell never gave up the fight in Saturday’s Division I district final against East Kentwood. But the final bell rung and taps were blown on the Highlander’s season, who fell 49-41 to East Kentwood (9-2).
“I trust them all,” Rogoski said. “I know we could get it done. It would have been great but we didn’t. I knew we had a chance. Fight. Fight is the word. That goes for any team. Fight that is my biggest thing.”
It didn’t surprise Howell coach Brian Lewis that his guys fought to the end and believed in themselves until the final whistle.
“When you come to Howell, there is no other way around it,” Lewis said. “You are going to walk into the fire, walk into the jungle as a group and see who comes out. And those guys who come out and they all stick together; you have a deep belief in us and a deep bond with each other. You can’t always make it easy on the guys. They understand that and they respond well to it. So that is why they are able to come together in adverse situations. They communicate well with each other in adverse situations. I am really proud of them for that.”
East Kentwood won because it scored three touchdowns in a two-minute span during the latter stages of the second quarter and on the first drive of the third. The Falcons won because they turned two fourth and 11 plays into explosive touchdowns.
They won because Howell (9-2) could not apply enough pressure on Coffman (452 yards passing and five touchdowns) who did many of the things quarterbacks are told not to do. For instance, he often rolled to his right, stopped, and flung passes into traffic on the other side of the field. But it worked over and over again.
How many times was Howell on the wrong side of an Edmonds catch? How many times did he disappear in traffic only to appear behind the bamboozled Howell secondary for another touchdown? He caught 12 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns.
The bad news for the Highlanders is their season is done. The good news is this senior class graduates with more victories (20 the last two years) than any other senior class in Howell history. That record is likely to last just one more year when next year’s senior class surpasses it.
“It’s a huge accomplishment,” Rogowski said. “I wish we had finished it with a state championship. It’s not what you wanted, but it’s amazing. Best senior class ever.”