HOWELL, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – An exciting game last week brought Howell High School’s head football coach, Brian Lewis, the 2024 Week Nine Coach of the Week award from the Detroit Lions. Lewis guided Howell to an upset win over no. 1 Belleville, 30-29, with three seconds remaining in the game. The matchup in Division 1 was for the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Championship.
Howell is now 9-0 on the year for the first time since 1963 and takes over as the no. 1 team in Michigan. In their first-ever matchup, they host Kalamazoo Central on Friday, November 1, in the MHSAA District Semifinals.
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In his eighth season as head coach, Lewis has coached high school football for 10 years. This is his fifth season at Howell, and he has served as head coach for two seasons at Plymouth and one for Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard. The last-second win over Belleville was his 50th win as a head coach, and he now has a .649 winning percentage. Howell has been in the state playoffs in three of the last five seasons.
A key component of the award is community service and development. Lewis is heavily involved with the VetLife organization and the Lil Troops on the Field program. He says, “To give back to our vets is great. Thank you to them for their service and for providing us the opportunity to play on Friday nights. It’s about as American as it gets on Friday nights with a football field, especially in a town like Howell, as the town shuts down and the lights are on, and we become the focal point of the city. We love giving back to our community and to the people as it’s been a really good connection for us. Howell has a great veteran group the represents Howell and American the right way. We have a lot of pride in our city and our country and this is just another way our kids can give back.”
A panel of high school media members selects the High School Coach of the Week, choosing a coach that best demonstrates success on and off the field, develops players’ character, discipline, and football skill in addition to emphasizing player health and safety in their program and the commitment to the team, school, and community. Each weekly winner receives a $1,000 donation to their program, and at the end of the season, the Lions will select the High School Coach of the Year.
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