On Oct. 31, Howell Highlanders will play their first playoff game of the 2025 season against Kalamazoo Central Maroon Giants (6-1). The team has been putting in the work, pushing each other to their limits, and putting every bit of effort they can into each game. And they haven’t taken a single moment for granted, which in turn has helped create that “brotherly bond” that plays a role in the driving force behind the team’s confidence in the playoffs. 

“Remembering what we do during the week and the hard work we put in over the off-season, and kind of just talking through it, because even small talk during the game calms the mind, and everyone feeds into the brotherhood,” senior Jackson Pahl said.

Head coach Brian Lewis credits the captains and the team as a whole for their maturity, leadership, and commitment in setting the tone throughout this season. They have been preparing for a long time for the upcoming playoffs. 

“Success is doing everything your absolute best to prepare for the moment,” Lewis said. 

The highlanders have many different ways to prepare for upcoming games. Some players have their game-day music to help get into the right mindset, while others spend time with family. However, junior Marc Flynn has a different approach to his game-day routine, which helps prepare him for success. 

“Go home. Eat some waffles. Come back,” Flynn said. 

The standard of excellence has played a significant role in the team’s success this season. Lewis explained that excellence isn’t based solely on winning games, but also on showing up on time, being there for one another, holding each other accountable, and maintaining consistency. 

“It’s been a refuse to lose mentality. Coach Lewis instills in us through hard practices every single day, and that really makes us compete together as a team,” sophomore Jack Gondick said.

Lewis emphasised not just the importance of showing up for Friday night games but also being a “great teammate.” 

 “The expectation is to be an awesome dude. That means showing up on time, that means trying hard at practice, that means being a good teammate, that means being an awesome dude, in your mind,”  Lewis said.

This team places a considerable emphasis on brotherhood; they all state that they have created an amazing environment and family throughout this season, as well as in past seasons.

“Being able to step up and be with such a good football team… having friends and pretty much family I’m around every day,” Flynn said

This bond impacts the mindset and motivation as teams enter the playoffs. They showed this spectacular bond during their match-up against Belleville, winning 57-36. This made them back-to-back champions for the KLAA East vs. West conference. The bond isn’t the only thing that lets them take home the win; it is the encouragement throughout the whole team. They used the motivation of losing to Northville in the early season to take no days off lightly and push through the hard loss. 

“We had a tough loss. Week three against Northville, and it was a gut shot, but we went back to practice and kept working, and we definitely improved from that right for a good playoff run,” Pahl said.

The resilience is evident throughout the entire team in many ways, most notably in their 8-1 finish to the conference season. Pahl enjoyed every minute of his senior year season and would encourage the following teams to be grateful for all the memories. 

“Don’t take it for granted. Everyone’s right. It goes by super fast, especially for seniors. But buy into the work, because it’s definitely worth it,” Pahl said.