With Coach Brent Chjonacki at the helm, the varsity football team marched its way to a 7-4 final record, an improvement over last year’s 6-4 season. Season highlights included a new head coach, a six-game winning streak, and a GAC South title.

Coming off a 10-2 season as head coach for Hazelwood Central, expectations were high for Chjonacki.

“He brought a lot more energy. He put in a lot of thought and time, and he cared about us on and off the field,” linebacker Jake Thomas said.

The team had a rocky 0-2 start that featured close losses to Ft. Zumwalt North (34-27) and Kirkwood (37-28).

“We didn’t have the same strong chemistry that we did at the end of the season. Those two teams are top 10 teams in the state and for us to go all the way to the last play of the game was a huge confidence booster. Knowing that we can play with anybody helped us out a lot,” quarterback Aidan McDaniel said.
The Vikings bounced back and went on a tear, winning six games in row during a streak that lasted over a month.

“Our mindset was the same each week,” defensive end John Recca said. “We never thought about weeks ahead or weeks in the past because our full focus had to be on the next opponent.”

Howell’s last GAC South title came in 2016. However, the Vikings took the title after posting a 6-3 regular season record.

Howell faced Ft. Zumwalt West in the first round of the playoffs and won 35-27. The season came to an end, however, when the team lost to opponent Rock Bridge, 35-10, in the next round.