Pony netters rise up at Helena Invite

When you're a class A school playing in the toughest Class AA tennis tournament of the season, you always hope for some surprises.

Over the years, the Havre High boys and girls tennis teams have had their share at the prestigious Helena Invitational. And this past Friday and Saturday was no different. Havre head coach George Ferguson said the Blue Ponies played some of the best tennis of the season, and there were more than a few surprises, including one very big one.

Havre High freshman Jeff Miller hits a forehand during the 2013 Havre Invitational tennis tournament last month. On Friday morning, Miller took a historic, and very rare set of Glacier High star Kellan Bates in their first-round match at the Helena Invitational.

On Friday morning, Havre freshman Jeff Miller found out he drew Glacier star Kellan Bates in the first round of the No. 1 boys singles bracket. Bates is a three-time, undefeated Class AA champion, and is headed to the University of Indiana to play college tennis next fall. He's also one of the top-ranked juniors in the Intermountain Tennis Circuit and had only lost one set in Montana high school tennis in his four years with the Wolfpack.

But thanks to Miller, the set total went up on Friday. Miller beat Bates in the first set of their match, 6-4, becoming just the second player to do so in an MHSA tennis match. Bates rebounded to win the second set 6-2, then took the match in a tiebreaker, 10-5.

Miller, who is ranked as one of the Top 20 16-year-olds in the Montana Tennis Association, though he's only 15, wasn't at all surprised, or disappointed that he drew Bates in the first round, just like his older brother Kyle did four years ago in Helena. But the result of the first set came as a shock to even him.

"I've known about him (Bates) because my brother played him when he was a senior," Miller told the Helena Independent Record Friday evening. " I just came out for the experience of it, and I just hit my forehand really well. I was going to be happy just to get a game to be honest ... Taking a set off one of the best players to ever come out of Montana helps the confidence a lot."

Miller went on to win a loser-out match against Aiden Goodman from Livingston before falling to Kalispell's Matt Widen on Saturday morning. The No. 1 singles draw at Helena is arguably the best bracket in Montana, and Miller saw just how well he stacked up.

"Jeff has played against or at least been around a lot of those top kids the last few summers," Havre High head coach George Ferguson said. "So he knows he fits in that group. And he wasn't scared or frustrated that he had to play Kellan right away. He relished the opportunity, and then when things started to go his way in that first set, he took his game up another notch and kicked the door wide open.

"It was just one set, and Jeff is a competitive player and he would say, he didn't win the match so it wasn't that big of a deal," Ferguson continued. "And as a coach, you like that mentality. But in hindsight, it was a big deal because this is a kid who is going to be playing Big Ten tennis next fall. Indiana is a top-level program and Jeff, who is a freshman, was right there with him for over an hour on Friday morning. That is big, and the experience and confidence he hopefully gained from that hour is priceless."

And the same goes for the rest of the Blue Ponies in Helena. Ferguson said his teams, especially the girls, played outstanding all weekend against the best competition they've seen this year.

Havre's No. 2 doubles duo of Breck Don and Ellery Bresler came within one match of placing, as they fell to a top-notch Glacier team Saturday evening. It was the second straight season in which Bresler and Don have gotten that far in Helena. This weekend, the junior tandem lost a tough first-rounder on Friday morning, then battled back to win four matches, including several in third-set tiebreakers.

Brandy Lambourne, playing in the No. 1 singles bracket, scored a pair of wins and played high-caliber players from Missoula Hellgate and Livingston as well. Shannon Herring and Tatiana Ralph, and Morgan Jappe and Haley Graham each won at least won or match in their respective brackets, while Lainey Chagnon and Jennifer Cichosz battled eventual champion Glacier in the No. 1 doubles bracket, before falling in a heartbreaking tiebreaker to Billings Senior's top duo.

"I am thrilled with the way all nine of our girls played in Helena," Ferguson said. "Our top kids were really tough draws and yet they were not overwhelmed or intimidated. They really played at a high level, even in losses. It was the second year in a row that Breck and Ellery went that far and it was exciting. Something about Helena really brings out the best in them. They came from way back, won some three-setters and beat some outstanding teams.

"But all of our girls played so awesome this weekend, and there isn't one thing they have to be disappointed in. They really proved themselves this weekend, and they proved their ready to go forward in the coming weeks."

On the boys side, Havre was somewhat overmatched in doubles, though the young duo of Jerod Boles and Wyatt Lindbloom scored a nice win on Friday afternoon. Jacob Holden also scored a victory over a CMR No. 3 on Friday, which was important as Holden normally plays No. 4 for the Blue Ponies, but moved up to the No. 3 bracket this week. Ned Malone drew a vicious draw in No. 2's bracket and wound up losing a tough loser-out match to a strong Helena Capitol player on Friday night.

"There were a lot of things I liked from our boys this weekend," Ferguson said. "They gave it their all, they weren't intimidated by the competition, and they played better in their losses than most of them had in some wins earlier this season. I think the experience our boys got this weekend, especially our doubles, and guys like Ned and Jacob, will be invaluable in the next two weeks."

And while Havre proved all weekend it was certainly good enough to hang with the AA's, the experience and the competition was what Ferguson wanted to his players to take away from Helena the most.

"We're on the right track," Ferguson said. "How we know that is by some of the results this weekend. Brandy and Shannon beat girls they lost to just last week. Others continued to beat kids they've already beaten earlier in the season, and others really surprised themselves with how well they played against kids they probably thought they didn't stand a chance against. Those experiences are really huge for us. And if the kids work hard to capitalize on those experiences, they will pay off for us over the course of this weekend in Lewistown and next weekend at divisional.

"So I'm really proud of all 18 kids we took to Helena," he continued. "It was a great weekend for us and one that will hopefully really pay off in the long run."

Havre has one regular season meet left, this Saturday's Lewistown Invitational. The Lewistown tournament features all four Central A schools in a dual format and is used to help seed the upcoming Central A Divisional.

2013 Helena Invite

Havre High Results

BOYS

Jeff Miller, No. 1 Singles

1st rd – lost to Kellan Bates, GLA, 4-6, 6-2, 10-5; Consol 1st rd – def. Aiden Goodman, LIV, 6-3, 6-4; Consol 2nd rd – lost to Matt Widen, FLA, 6-4, 5-7, 10-5.

Ned Malone, No. 2 Singles

1st rd – lost to Dylan Harvala, MH, 6-2, 6-2; Consol 1st rd – lost to Derek Lund, CAP, 6-3, 7-5.

Jacob Holden, No. 3 Singles

1st rd – lost to Chet Stefan, BOZ, 6-2, 6-4; Consol 1st rd – def. Jacob Bernhardt, CMR, 6-4, 6-2; Consol 2nd rd – lost to Fergus Pollard, BW, 6-3, 6-4.

Nick Rhines/J.J. Hovet, No. 1 Doubles

1st rd – lost to – Gilleran/Starke, HHS, 6-3, 6-3; Consol 1st rd – lost to Scheffels/Haagenson, GFH, 6-2, 6-4.

Noah Landgraf/Brian Smith, No. 2 Doubles

1st rd – lost to Car/Litle, BOZ, 6-3, 6-3; Consol 1st rd – lost to Deshazer/McGowan, MS, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

Jerod Boles/Wyatt Lindbloom, No. 3 Doubles

1st rd – lost to Gannon/Newhouse, LIV, 6-3, 6-4; Consol 1st rd – def. Olszewski/West, FLA, 6-2, 3-6, 10-3; Consol 2nd rd – lost to Paulson/Jendro, CAP, 7-6, (10-8), 6-2.

GIRLS

Brandy Lambourne, No. 1 Singles

1st rd – def. Kylie Mortenson, CMR, 6-2, 6-4; Quarters – lost to Sophie Panarella, MH, 7-5, 6-2; Consol 2nd rd – def. Danie Nichols, BS, 6-2, 6-3; Consol 3rd rd – lost to Macy Ricketts, LIV, 6-4, 6-3.

Shannon Herring, No. 2 Singles

1st rd – lost to Molly Nelson, BUT, 2-6, 7-5 (7-4), 16-14; Consol 1st rd – def. Marisa Barthuly, BSV, 6-3, 4-6, 10-7; Consol 2nd rd – lost to Cosron Battershall, HHS, 6-4, 6-4.

Tatiana Ralph, No. 3 Singles

1st rd – def. Jesslyn Valle, BUT, 6-4, 6-3; Quarters – lost to Leo Barton, BOZ, 6-3, 6-2; Consol 2nd rd – lost to Tegan Lane, LIV, 6-4, 6-3.

Jennifer Cichosz/Lainey Chagnon, No. 1 Doubles

1st rd – lost to Walton/Vaudt, GLA, 6-2, 6-2; Consol 1st rd – lost to Allie/Reinschmidt, BS, 6-3, 3-6, 14-12.

Breck Don/Ellery Bresler, No. 2 Doubles

1st rd – lost to Anderson/Bauer, MS, 6-4, 4-6, 11-9; Consol 1st rd – def. Woods/Debrowski, LIV, 2-6, 6-3, 11-9; Consol 2nd rd – def. Caldwell/Starke, HHS, 7-5, 6-3; Consol 3rd rd – def. Thomas/Fellows, GFH, 6-4, 6-3; Consol Semis – lost to Mathison/Haugeone, GLA, 2-6, 7-6, 10-8.

Haley Graham/Morgan Jappe, No. 3 Doubles

1st rd – def. Runkle/Campbell, CMR, 7-4, 6-3; Quarters – def. lost to Giddings/Hines, CAP, 7-5, 6-2; Consol 2nd rd – lost to Brandon/Spunkler, BUT, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-5.