His coach calls him an unsung hero. Perhaps any lineman who is a hero is an unsung hero.
“You probably won’t pick up the newspaper on Saturday morning and see the name John Howells,” North Ridgeville coach Jeff Riesen said. “He has been a key to our success. He has been excellent on both sides of the ball. He’s protected our quarterback well all year.”
Howells starts at offensive and defensive tackle for North Ridgeville. He’s the only senior starting lineman the Rangers have on either offense or defense. While Howells and the other North Ridgeville linemen get to labor in obscurity, their team has been drawing a good deal of attention over the last four weeks.
The Rangers are 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the West Shore Conference.  They have won their WSC games by an average score of 30-9. North Ridgeville is tied with Avon, its Week 9 opponent, for first place.
But before that anticipated showdown with Avon, rated No. 8 in Ohio in Division III, the Rangers must get by Vermilion, a team better than its 3-4 record.
“Vermilion isn’t going to be an easy game,” Riesen said. “They have a veteran coaching staff and an excellent group of seniors.
“Justin Turner stands out both as a runner and a linebacker. They have a player just like John Howells on the line, Dustin Hendricks, who’s a three-year letterman.
“Their quarterback (Tim Clark) is a kid I don’t think played last year who has really come along. We expect a very difficult team to beat.”
Vermilion hasn’t been ambushed this season. The four teams that have beaten the Sailors have a combined record of 26-2 and are all on pace to reach the playoffs.  Their only loss in conference play has been to Avon.
North Ridgeville has gotten the better of the Sailors each season since the WSC started in 2005. The Rangers would like to keep it that way and realize they can’t afford to listen to any “showdown” predictions.
“Lots of people talk,” Howells said. “You hear it around school but you don’t hear much of it from the players. The team has to stay focused on the game this week.  Sometimes a (teammate) will mention it, but we try to hush it up.”  
Howells and his fellow offensive linemen have opened holes big enough for Mohammed Jaber (7.2 yards per carry) and Derek Lozano (6.9) to combine for 761 yards in their four WSC games and held off the pass rush well enough for quarterback James Mees to complete 65 percent of his passes for an average of 144 yards a game.
“This is the smallest group of seniors I’ve had in 30 years of coaching,” Riesen said. “John has been a leader for us. He’s a co-captain and a three-year letterman. He’s one of three brothers who have played football at North Ridgeville.”
Howells’ older siblings, Jeremy and Robert, were also linemen for the Rangers.
“And he has been playing hurt,” Riesen added. “He has been playing with a bad shoulder. He will have to have surgery when the season’s over. But John has been toughing it out.”
Howells plans to continue his football career in college. He has gotten offers from Ohio Dominican and Northwood. He is listed at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds.
“He was heavier last year, about 280 pounds,” Riesen said. “He has dropped 30 pounds between seasons.”
”More like 50,” Howells said. “I was 280 and I went down to 230. Now I’m back up to 250. Nobody told me to lose weight. I started working out more and running more and eating healthier food.”
“He’s replaced the pounds with muscle and quickness,” Risen said.
Howells agrees with his coach, saying “I’m definitely faster and more agile than I was last year.”
Faster and more agile might describe North Ridgeville in general, as the Rangers head toward the finish line and a shot at a WSC title.
Contact Steve Byrne at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. 

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