Ponies more focused on the run then revenge

Revenge, payback, vengeance, retribution, or whatever best describes a team turning the tables on a rival after a loss in the previous meeting is just a part of football. And coaches typically don’t use revenge as a preparation strategy, and it may never be clear just what kind of an impact that extra incentive has a game or team hungry for a win.

And if there was ever a team hungry for a revenge win, it was the Havre High football team hosting the rival Livingston Rangers for homecoming.

By the time the Ponies and Rangers took the field on Friday night in Havre, everybody knew what happened last year in Livingston. And it was surely on the mind of the Ponies on Friday night. And revenge or not, there was no way the Ponies were going to let the Rangers rush for over 600 yards and another eight touchdowns. So after a strong offensive and defensive showing, the Ponies routed the Rangers 41-22 in a more than satisfactory win.

“We really never talked about the revenge factor with the kids,” Havre High head coach Jason Christenson said. “We just wanted to come out and get our first conference win, and that goes a long way to come out and beat a quality opponent like Livingston. That puts us in a position where if we get a few more wins, we will battle for the conference championship. That was our main goal.”

And Jordan Schroeder, a staple in the HHS defense was also excited he and the rest of the defense could limit the Rangers’ production.

“This win felt pretty good,” Schroeder said after the win. “Especially since they beat us pretty bad last year. But to come out here on our home field in front of our home fans and get this win feels really good. After they ran all over us last year we really just wanted to put it to them and get this win.”

The Pony defense held the Rangers to just 11 yards in the air and 290 yards on the ground. The rushing yards may typically look devastating, but the Rangers got in the end zone just three times, not nearly enough to match HHS’s production.

And with Schroeder and the rest of the defense allowing the offense to go to work, all areas of the game allowed the Ponies to experience the feeling of flipping the script on Livingston.

“This win was good,” Quarterback Dane Warp said. “The conference loss to them last year hurt us a lot, and starting 1-0 in the conference is really good and we needed this win heading into next week and the rest of the conference schedule.”

Nate Rismon has quickly turned into one of Warp’s favorite targets, and with his two scores, Rismon was also excited about pitching in for the win.

“This was a big momentum booster,” Rismon added after the big game. “Now we just have to take the Central A and go all the way into the postseason. We played great tonight.”

Like coach Christenson said, the Ponies weren’t focused on revenge. That was never the answer for the win. Instead, the Ponies focused on their responsibilities and assignments and simply got the job done on homecoming night. Earning the win, the revenge aspect took care of itself.