Blue Pony golfers, cross country teams in action

Two tournaments are all that stand between the Havre High boys and girls golf teams and the 2013 Central A Divisional Tournament. Two tough tournaments on tough golf courses that is.

Today, the Blue Ponies play the first of two 18-hole tournaments in the Billings area as Havre participates in the Billings Central Invitational. The Ponies will also be in Laurel for the Laurel Invitational Friday morning.

Havre has finished its varsity qualifying for the 2013 season, so the players playing in this week’s events will be the same that play at the divisional tournament next Saturday at Prairie Farms Golf Course.

The HHS girls have seniors Nikki Gabrielsen, Boston Swensen and Katie Beck, while standout sophomores Payton Howard and Randi Gabrielsen round out the lineup. The Pony boys are led by sophomores Jerod Boles and Jeff Miller, as well as solid freshmen Kane Gabrielsen and Dustin Haas. Junior Wyatt Lindbloom rounds out the Pony boys lineup.

As for this weekend, the Ponies will be in two solid fields on two good golf courses.

Today’s Billings Central Invite features the host Rams, the Laurel Locomotives, as well as fellow Eastern A members Miles City and Glendive. The field should also see junior varsity players from Billings West, Senior and Skyview. The tournament is played on the Eagle Rock Golf Course. The course, one of the newer layouts in Billings, is an open, rolling badlands type course.

Friday’s tournament will feature many of the same schools, but will be played on a much more difficult course. The Laurel Country Club is a difficult track with long par 4s, lots of water and plenty of trees. The greens are some of the best kept greens in Montana, and it will provide the Blue Ponies with a firm test Friday afternoon.

Following the 36 holes the Ponies play today and Friday, their attention will shift to the Central A meet, which is set for next Saturday morning in Havre. On the line in Havre are coveted spots in the Class A state tournament, which will be held Oct. 4-5 at Mission Bay Golf Club in Polson.

Meanwhile, the Havre High cross country teams will run in the biggest race of the young season.

Today the Central A Ponies will race in Lewistown, the third race of the season for the Ponies. Last weekend the Ponies ran in Malta and turned in some solid times. But running in Lewistown against much tougher runners, and on a much tougher course, the Ponies will look to improve on their times yet again. Last weekend the top girls were in the 21-minute range, while the top boys were in the 18 minute range.

“I know this is a big meet and a tough course,” Havre High head coach Darci Heninger said. “But we are going to get to see who some of our main competitors are, and this race is going to give us an even better idea of how our times compare. But I think we should see better times because we are in better shape, and we are going to have tougher runners to keep up with.”

With the Lewistown Golden Eagles running in their home race, the Ponies will especially keep a close eye on their times this weekend.

And while the Ponies have been on the verge of running at 100 percent this season, this weekend should finally mark that occasion. Peyton Filius ran for the first time last week and fit right in as the HHS No. 1. But Elijah David will finally make his 2013 debut in Lewistown and is expected to take over as the boys’ No. 1 as well. Right now, Sundance Lodge is running very strongly and will make a competitive effort to keep that No. 1 position.

Also running the varsity race for the HHS boys will Brandon Robertson, Brock Ross, Dylan Stewart, Cameron Knapton, and Ethan Smith. And running for the HHS girls will be Morgan Mazurkiewicz, Haley Ohm, Kiana Robertson, McKenna Barkus, Tori Mazurkiewicz, and Meggie Zook.

In preparation for the Lewistown course, the Ponies have trained all week for a three-mile race that houses a number of grueling hills. But as tough as the uphill portions are, the Ponies can surely take advantage of the downhill stretches. And personal records will be hard to come by, but Heninger is confident her runners will still turn in great times and continue to improve.

“I think every race is just as exciting as the previous race,” Heninger said. “Especially as we get in better shape. But I told the kids how hard the Lewistown course is and they are going to have to be ready. Physically they have to be prepared, and they have to run disciplined.”