Athlete of the Week: Wesley Howell

Athlete: Senior Wesley Howell

Sport: varsity football

Age/height/weight: 17; 5 feet 10 inches; 170 pounds

Position: Defensive line and running back

Stats: Eight tackles per game

Coach's view: "He's a 3.9 kid in the classroom, and he's one of our most stable and probably our most consistent player," said Coach Jeff Hill. "He's very undersized, and we moved him from linebacker to defensive line so we could have some speed there."

Hill said he knows that Howell is outsized at the position, but the senior is helping the team with his play.

"Every week, he's taking on a 6-foot-3- or 4-inch, 270-pound lineman, and he's consistently — though his stats won't jump off the page at you — doing what he's supposed to do and allowing our linebackers to come up and make plays."

The head coach also knows that Howell can succeed on the next level in the classroom, so he's pushing him there as well.

"He's a heck of a good kid," Hill said. "I made him apply to a couple of Ivy League schools as well. These are schools he should be applying to but just needs to see the big picture."

Athlete's view: "I've been playing football for about nine years and started with the Royal Oak Chargers," Howell said. "On average, I get about eight tackles a game."

Howell has been impressed with Hill and his staff as they've brought the team together and re-established the program.

"We've really come together," he said. "Our coaching staff this year has helped so much. We've been family throughout, but this year, we've come together in a way that's hard to explain."

The senior knows he is a part of rebuilding the program to respectability and new attitude.

"Hopefully, it will pick up more throughout this season, and even after we leave, there will be a new, solid foundation built for years to come."

Future plans: Howell is looking at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Cornell University in New York, with plans to pursue a computer engineering degree.