Ponies host season opener

The Fall season has just begun, but jumping out of the gate, the Havre High boys and girls golf teams are already set to compete.

Thursday at 9:30 a.m. the Central A Blue Ponies will open their season. The Ponies will host Great Falls, Browning and Lewistown at the Prairie Farms Golf Course in Havre.

"We are still looking pretty green this early," Second-year Blue Pony head coach Mckinsey Rodriquez said. "But I definitely think we will be able to compete with the teams we are facing. Great Falls will bring some challenging golfers, but we will be able to compete."

Lewistown will also push the Ponies, but as of now, HHS should be evenly matched. And while things may be tight in their season debut, this tournament should show the Ponies exactly what they need to work on before moving forward.

Simon McCann, Sam Lippy and Ramsey Drew should lead the way for the HHS boys, while Katie Beck should lead the way for the girls. And if a few more Havre golfers can also turn in a good outing, fans shouldn't be surprised in just how well the Ponies do in their competition of the season.

And though it would be ideal for the Ponies to take a couple of team titles this weekend, that isn't the main focus or ultimate goal this time around. Besides a select few of Pony golfers, the team has talent, but not much experience. Havre should improve as the season goes on, and by state tournament time, a solid handful of golfers should find themselves qualifying.

"After this tournament my golfers should be able to look at their stat sheet and know what they have to improve on, and where to go from there," Rodriquez said. " And I really am just looking for individual improvement because we are just getting our feet wet and pretty young."

The season debut comes very early in the season, but it is a good starting point for the Ponies. Lewistown and Great Falls will challenge the Ponies, but the competition is manageable, giving the Ponies a solid start to a long and challenging season.

Thursday at 9:30 a.m. the Ponies will host Lewistown, Browning and Great Falls at the Prairie Farms Golf Course in Havre.