On every level and by every metric, Howell’s heart-stopping 30-29 win over Belleville on Friday night was the greatest game in Howell football history.
Friday night’s win over Belleville:
- Preserved an unbeaten 9-0 regular season for Howell.
- Resulted in a league championship.
- Was a win over the No. 1 team in the state and the No. 1 player in the country, and a team that hadn’t lost a regular-season game in three years.
- Came down to a brilliant play call at the goal line with just three seconds left in the game.
- Was played at home, giving thousands of Howell fans a chance to see the victory in person and storm the field.
Check, check, check, check and check. In every way, it was the greatest game in Howell football history.
As a former sports editor of the Livingston County Press, I feel I have some bonafides when it comes to being able to make this pronouncement.
Granted, it was 40 years ago, but there was a time when it was my job to watch Howell football games. I saw some great ones back then and I’ve seen some great ones since then, and I’ve studied a bunch of games that took place before then, so I feel confident in making that claim.
The Highlanders’ 30-29 win over Belleville on Friday night was the greatest game in Howell football history. Yes, it was that big.
I wasn’t there to see it in person (damn, I wish I was). Like many of you, I watched the broadcast live on YouTube. And if you want to see the whole game yourself, here it is.
Before we get into the specifics of the game – because it was so spectacular in every way – let’s get into some Howell football history.
Howell has never won a state championship in football, so if it happens this year – and you’d have to say there’s a pretty damn good chance that it might – this will be the first.
Michigan has only been crowning state champions in football since 1975, and there were a couple teams before that which might have had a chance at winning it all.
Prior to 2024, the last Howell team to finish the regular season 9-0 was the 1963 team. But as good as it was, that team doesn’t rank as the greatest one in school history.
That honor belongs to the 1955 team, which did this:
That’s right. They not only went 9-0, they also allowed JUST ONE TOUCHDOWN ALL SEASON. They pitched eight shutouts, and aside from one guy from Charlotte who scored a touchdown in the sixth game of the season, they didn’t allow another point all season.
So that makes the 1955 team not only the greatest team in Howell history, but quite possibly the greatest team in Michigan history,
From what I can tell, though, none of the games from 1955 or 1963 can match what happened on the last Friday night of October 2024.
To set the stage for the game, Howell and Belleville both came in at 8-0. Howell was ranked No. 3 in the state, while Belleville was ranked No. 1. They both compete in the state’s largest class, Division 1.
The game took place at Howell High School, and the winner would be crowned champion of the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association.
Even before beating Belleville, Howell had a remarkable season going. The Highlanders were just 3-6 last year, so the fact that they had turned it around and made it to 8-0 was an incredible story by itself. With coach Brian Lewis calling the shots, the Highlanders had a talented roster led by lineman Bobby Kanka, a University of Michigan commit.
Still, nobody outside of Howell gave Howell much of a chance against Belleville. The Tigers were the premiere football team in the state coming into the game, led by senior quarterback Bryce Underwood, an LSU commit who is the No. 1-ranked player in the country. They hadn’t lost a regular-season game since 2021.
As the game started, though, Howell and Belleville were trading shots. But with five minutes left in the game and the Highlanders trailing 29-21, the pivotal play in the game took place.
Howell had the ball fourth-and-goal on the Belleville 1-yard line. Howell senior running back Justin Jones, who was having the game of his life, got the ball and got stuffed. Turnover on downs.
Which – believe it or not – turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Howell. I know, it sounds stupid, but it’s true. NOT scoring the touchdown was a blessing for Howell.
If Jones had scored, Howell would have needed a two-point conversion to tie the game and then either way, Belleville would have gotten the ball back and Bryce Underwood could have bled out the final five minutes of the game.
Instead, Belleville took over at their own 1 and on the next play, the Highlanders sacked him in the end zone for a safety. Now the score is 29-23, Howell is within 6, and even better, they’re getting the ball back.
That’s when junior quarterback Preston Barb and Howell’s 1940s-era single-wing rushing offense took over. They chipped their way down the field and with eight seconds left on the clock and the ball sitting again on Belleville’s 1-yard line, they called their final timeout.
If Belleville stopped them, the clock would probably run out and that would be it. If Howell scored the touchdown and then kicked the extra point, that would likely give the Highlanders the win.
Everybody was expecting a run. Instead, Barb executed a beautiful fake handoff and rolled out to his right, tossing the ball to a wide-open Jones in the end zone with three seconds left on the clock. Luis Maldonado-Vazquez kicked the extra point, Howell had a 30-29 lead, and that’s how it ended.
The fans stormed the field, having just witnessed the greatest game in Howell football history.
And now the 9-0 Highlanders open the playoffs this weekend at home, and they’ll likely be ranked No. 1 in the state when the new rankings come out.
Whatever happens from here on out, this team has already made history – and given their fans a whole lot of smiles.
