Gazette MVP: Senior Eli Howard has lifted Highland to new heights

Bringing lessons and mentalities he learned from other sports, senior Eli Howard was able to affect the Highland boys lacrosse team in a number of ways this season, from the whistle that begins play until the Hornets put another goal in the back of the net. His combination of skills made Howard the driving force as Highland made a postseason run to the Division II, Region 5 semifinals for the first time in the program's six-year existence. His ability to be a dominant force in the faceoff circle and a multifaceted weapon in the scoring area for the rapidly ascending Hornets made Howard this year's Gazette MVP. "Lacrosse is the only sport where after a score the other team isn't guaranteed possession," coach and father Nate Howard said. "Having that faceoff guy that can get you another possession 70% of the time is huge. "They don't know how to play you when you can do all those different things. (His versatility) helps us with substitutions and all of those things." Having a player of that versatility helped the Hornets not miss a beat this season as they looked to fill the gaps of a highly talented departing senior class following the 2025 season. With Howard leading the way, the Hornets (12-7) won at least 10 games for the fourth consecutive season. That included running off three tournament victories that led Highland to the regional semifinals, where the season ended with a 12-5 loss to Walsh Jesuit. "I'm most proud of how the team came together and how close we grew together," Eli Howard said. "In the beginning of the year we were kind of questioning how good we were going to be after losing seniors like (2025 Gazette MVP) Dillon (Buran) and Berk (2025 All-Gazette selection Luke Berkmeyer). We were able to put together a really good team." Growing up, Howard played quarterback during football season. He continued to play the sport through his sophomore season before dedicating himself to lacrosse full time. The skills he learned as a quarterback translated to Howard's primary offensive role as a facilitator for Highland. He finished second in Medina County with a school-record 31 assists, which also placed him first in Region 5. Howard's ability to anticipate and sling passes on the move to help teammates get open, as well as take on defenders as he charged into the scoring area to score one of his 20 goals, often left defenses in a bind when trying to decide how to defend the Hornets. "I like physicality," he said. "I like to dodge with intent. I like to get into people. The best part of my game is to be able to get looks (at the field) and get people open. Getting assists is probably my favorite thing to do, to make cool passes to get people goals." As good as Howard was in the scoring area, he was even more important when it came to faceoffs. He won a county-best 211 faceoffs and was second with a .733 success rate. That gave the Hornets an advantage after scoring goals akin to playground basketball. "It's pretty much like you're playing make it, take it," he said. "If you're able to go score and win another faceoff, it changes the energy. If you're able to go on a run, it can change so quickly." Winning in the faceoff circle, which led to Howard being named first-team All-Region 5 and All-Suburban League, truly showed his dedication to his craft. "He works at it year-round," Nate Howard said. "He has all the different things you need as a faceoff guy. He has multiple exits, he's really good with ground balls, he can counter what the other guy does. "Once he has the ball, he has very good stick skills and makes good, smart decisions with the ball." Finding different roles to help his team came natural to Howard, who grew up playing with older brother Jack, who just completed his sophomore year at Tiffin. The two will reunite next season for the Dragons, as Howard is committed to Tiffin to study business or criminal justice. "My brother is an attackman, so he was always on offense," Howard said. "Whenever he'd practice, I'd go out and practice my shooting. Growing up, I always made sure I had a faceoff head that I could play offense with. "I've always had the offense in me and I started to really enjoy faceoffs. It's just a blessing to be able to go out there and do both for the team." Making Highland's tournament run this season even more special was the opportunity the Hornets had to avenge two previous losses. Highland topped SL rival Copley 8-7 on a goal by Beckett Mast with 10 seconds remaining that was assisted by Howard. That win avenged an 11-10 loss to the Indians in overtime in conference action. Then in the regional quarterfinals, Highland defeated Avon Lake 8-6. The Shoremen previously won the Hornets' regular-season finale 7-6. The win over Copley was especially sweet for Howard and Co., who were looking for that chance when the brackets were drawn. "When we lost to Copley in overtime that first time, we really wanted to get back at them," Howard said. "We had the option to go play them again (in the postseason) and we all wanted to go play them." As much of an impact as Howard had in the tournament run, he gives the coaching staff much of the credit in bringing the Hornets to new heights. "Our coaching staff, my dad and (Region 5 assistant of the year) Coach (Andrew) Spicher, did an amazing job," Howard said. "They wanted the same thing as us and it helped us to have them pushing us. They truly wanted us to get better." That progress was a trademark of the Hornets and his own career while Howard competed for Highland. "It's huge to be able to get better and better every year," Howard said. "We've got kids playing club and putting in the time to make the program better every year." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.