Havre Invite moved to Monday

Havre High has kept a close eye on this weekend’s weather forecast, and Saturday continues to look questionable for local athletes and the spring sports programs.

So instead of canceling the annual Havre Lions Invite outright, the track meet has been pushed to Monday instead. And unfortunately, some of the teams with an open invite to compete at the Havre Middle School track aren’t sure if they can make the trip with short notice. Teams like Lewistown, Malta, Chinook, North Star, Turner, Harlem, Box Elder, Big Sandy, Dodson and Fort Benton are expected to be in attendance Monday, with the field events set to start at 12 p.m., and the track events set to start at 1 p.m.

But in the early stages of the season, head coach John Ita still isn’t too concerned with who will or will not make the trip. Instead, his focus is still on his athletes getting extra work any chance they can.

“This early in the season, anytime you get the kids on the track they gain more confidence and more comfort,” Ita said. “We already have kids getting personal records, but it's also an important time for kids to continue getting in shape. We have some young kids that we will be relying on this season, and they just haven’t gotten in shape all the way yet.”

As the Ponies continue to get stronger throughout the season more kids should continue to step up. But a handful of athletes are already showing they are top competitors.

HHS boys like Ryne Antley (javelin), Kade Rismon (shot put and javelin), Mike Loftus (sprints), Nate Rismon (middle distance/jumps), Thomas Gruber (pole vault) and Gunnar Aageson (pole vault), and HHS girls like Haley Ohm (distance), Lacey Waid (pole vault), Rachel David (distance), Peyton Filius (distance), Martha Stocker (shot put), Naomi Terry (jumps) and Ceyara Plante (jumps) are looking for more top performances as they come off of great efforts at the Cal Wearly track meet Wednesday.

If they can continue to excel, as more younger competitors also improve, these early meets will be well spent for the growing Ponies.

“I am still worried about getting kids in shape and getting kids in the right event for them,” Ita said. “I still have about five or six kids that aren’t in the right event, and us coaches keep talking about where we can move them. We have to find the events kids can find success in.”

With Saturday expected to bring poor weather to the area, the Lions Invite will be pushed to Monday. The field events set to start at 12 p.m., and the track events set to start at 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Havre High tennis teams have also been forced to reschedule the annual Havre Invitational, which was set to be played Saturday at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts.

As of press time today, the details of the rescheduled event hadn’t been completed, but Blue Pony head coach George Ferguson said the tournament will be played Monday, April 21.

“We aren’t sure right now what teams can still attend and which ones can’t,” Ferguson said. “We’re working that out right now. But this is really our only chance to play at home all season long, so we’re going to do something.

“It’s unfortunate that the weather just isn’t going to be conducive to tennis on Saturday,” he continued. “We’re very proud of our Havre Invitational, but in the spring, the weather just doesn’t cooperate sometimes. “

Ferguson hopes to still have Lewistown, Conrad and Cut Bank in Havre for the tournament, but said that no matter who comes and who doesen’t, playing matches this time of year is all that matters.

“We just want to play tennis,” Ferguson said. “We just want to get better right now. That’s our goal, and no matter who the opponent is, we’ll be excited to play tennis and get have the opportunity to improve on our home courts."

The Havre Invite will be held Monday April 21.