George Ferguson Column: Blue Ponies were fun to watch in Polson

Fastpitch softball is a sport I know well. I enjoyed playing the game for quite some time, at least until my body told me not to anymore.

It’s also a game that has long been a Havre tradition. I will never forget the days of Master Sports vs Valley Furniture, or the Can-Am Tournaments held at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field, and that was back in the days when the Sixth Avenue field still had real dugouts.

Yes, I am that old.

I don’t play on a fastpitch team anymore, and with tennis season at the same time as high school girls fastpitch season, I don’t see a lot of softball at all these days.

However, that changed last weekend, as, with tennis over, I got the chance to travel to Polson to watch and cover the Blue Pony girls appearance at the Class A state softball tournament.

First off, it was fun to be around the softball field again. Softball tournaments are always a unique experience, and it was a lot of fun to be in that mix.

But the Blue Ponies were the main reason my weekend, and the long drive to and from Polson, was such an enjoyable experience. The current Havre High softball team is a lot of fun to watch, especially if you appreciate the sport the way I do.

Havre has talent, and it was on display in Polson. Rachel Majeres is turning into one outstanding pitcher, and Paige Henderson is as good a shortstop as there is in Class A. Shania Carlson is very steady behind the plate, and that trio is surrounded by a lot of talented and steady players.

And of course, there’s sophomore Dani Wagner. Her pure power makes her a threat to hit one out of the park every time she steps to the plate, like she did in Havre’s win over Miles City last Thursday morning. But Wagner is an all-around great player, too. She’s about impossible to get past with her play in center field, she has speed on the base paths, and she can pitch, too. Simply put, Wagner was one of the best all-around players I saw last weekend at the state tournament.

But talent only takes a team so far, and Havre is a team that goes beyond individual talent. The Ponies are very well-coached and it shows because they play the game of fastpitch softball the right way. They rely on pitching, defense and the type of hitting which advances runners and manufactures runs. Yes, HHS has power at the plate, but the Ponies are clearly capable of moving runners and keeping the score close, and when you combine that with top-notch pitching, that’s how you win softball games.

The Blue Ponies may not have been quite ready to compete for a state championship this past weekend, but they took a huge step toward that goal, not just with their win over Miles City Thursday, but with getting to state in the first place, as well as competing with the best teams in Class A … and there are some very good softball teams in Class A.

No, from what I saw in Polson, Havre is not only fun to watch, but the Ponies should have left Polson with their heads held high. They made a great showing at the state tournament, they return a bunch of talented players next year, they play on one of the best home field’s in the state, and they have a great team chemistry.

Yes, Havre showed its back on the map when it comes to girls fastpitch softball last weekend, and from what I saw, and I had a lot of fun watching it, the Blue Ponies don’t look like they’re going away any time soon.