Ponies brace for Browning

In most cases, a team plays better at home than it does on the road. But in the case of the Havre High football team, this year it's been the exact opposite.

Tonight the Central A Blue Ponies will take to the road for a conference game against the 0-5 Browning Indians in Browning.

And though the 1-1 in conference, and 3-2 overall Ponies have had their ups and downs this season, they have played their most consistent football on the road. This season the Ponies have earned a 21-14 win over Sidney as well as a 42-0 win over Lewistown, both games taking place away from Blue Pony Stadium.

But at home, the Ponies have suffered two big losses. They were defeated 34-14 by Miles City earlier in the year, and just last Friday, Butte Central defeated the Ponies 42-13.

"The kids are excited to get back out and try and get back into the win column," Havre High head coach Jason Christenson said. "We are playing an opponent we have traditionally had success against, but we aren't taking them lightly. It's just one of those games the kids are confident about, and hopefully we will go down there and get a big win."

In the past the Indians have shown they like to run the ball. They normally have decent backs with good speed, but tonight the Ponies are once again preparing for a mixture of run and pass.

The Indians will also come out in several different offensive sets. They like to run a wing formation that results in some sort of run play more than not. And they also like to empty the backfield and spread the field with a five receiver set.

Junior quarterback Charles Old Chief has the ability to be a definite threat, especially in the five receiver sets. If nothing opens up downfield, the Ponies have to be ready for Old Chief to tuck the ball and run. He has good speed, and can eat up big chunks of field on a single carry.

"I was surprised to see that they run a no-back set," Christenson said. "They come out with five receivers, but we have seen that already this year. Nothing they can throw at us is stuff that we haven't seen already, so we feel pretty prepared for them."

The Blue Pony defense is focused on playing fundamental defense. They want to play aggressive and smart, and if they can do their jobs and know their assignments they should be able to handle the Indians offensive attacks.

But a lot of the responsibility is falling on the shoulders of the defensive line.

Josh Salapich, Brandon Smith, Evan Flathers, Drew Kafka, Danny Roe and Donnie Lohman need to have a big game after last weekend. Against Butte Central the Ponies were unable to pressure the quarterback, giving the offense too much time to operate. This time around, that has to change, the Ponies need to get off their blocks and either sack the quarterback or hurry his decision making and flush him out of the pocket.

"I am putting the responsibility on the shoulders of the defensive line as a whole." Christenson said. "I think we are amongst the back part of the conference in sacks."

And as far as the Pony offense goes, they are still striving to find some sort of running game.

Casey Schaub has handled most of the running duties this season, but now suffers from a leg injury. He will definitely get his playing time on defense, but will see very limited time on offense.

Ryan Brandt has also seen a lot of time in the Pony backfield, and will see a lot of action with Schaub still recovering. Johathan Austin will also get some carries this weekend. And in an attempt to reclaim the Ponies' ground game, don't be surprised to see Kameron Pribiy and Eli Hinebauch in the backfield tonight as well.

"We absolutely need to work hard in getting our run game going," Christenson said. "We need to get that established and hopefully it will carry over into the next game, and into the next game, and into the playoffs."

If HHS is still looking to make yet another appearance in the Class A postseason, a win over the Indians would be huge. And though the Ponies have struggled at home this season, they are hoping to regain some momentum against a winless team on the road.

"We are kind of a better road team than home team," Christenson said. "Hopefully that kind of keeps consistent. The kids are confident, they have moved past the Butte Central loss and they are preparing for the Browning game right now. They just really want to get out there and get a win."

Tonight the Ponies will face the Indians in Browning in a Central A clash at 7 p.m.