Ponies loaded with talent and potential

The 2013 season was defined by ups and downs for the Havre High football team. But after a year of growing pains, the young and talented Ponies have their sights set on reclaiming superiority in the Central A conference.

After an uninspiring 0-2-1 start in nonconference play, the Ponies rallied, posting a 3-1 record in the Central A and finishing the season 4-4-1. Their 3-1 record was good enough for second in the league, giving them a home game in the first round of the Class A state playoffs. Havre knocked off Miles City 21-20 before falling in the state quarterfinals at the hands of Columbia Falls in blowout fashion.

Despite the fact that the Ponies did not advance as far as they would have liked in 2013, that playoff experience will prove invaluable as HHS returns a number of key players from last season.

“We are a young team but we have a lot of guys coming back,” HHS head coach Jason Christenson. “They all have another year of experience under their belt, which is huge. They know what I expect of them. They are better leaders. We are going to go as far as they take us but if we continue to work and get better every week, I think we can definitely surprise some people.”

The top player returning for Havre is All-State quarterback Dane Warp, who enters his junior season with two years of starting experience under his belt. Warp had a tremendous statistical season for the Ponies in 2013, as he completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,941 yards, 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 125 yards and had a pair of touchdowns.

Yet, Warp is not the only weapon coming back on what should be an electrifying offense. The Ponies also return a pair of wide receivers in junior Nate Rismon and sophomore Parker Filius both who earned Second-Team All-Conference honors. Rismon is a true wide receiver and was third on the team with 43 receptions last season to go along with 640 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Filius, on the other hand, will do damage to defenses as both a runner and receiver. Last season, Filius showed just how dynamic he can be, leading the Ponies with 49 receptions and 1,034 yards from scrimmage. He also was second on the team with seven touchdowns.

“The thing about Parker is he missed four or five games,” Christenson said. “We didn’t bring him up until we had some injuries but once we did, he owned it. He took the position and no one could take it away from him.”

One big change for the Havre offense in 2014 will be the play-caller. Those duties used to reside with former offensive coordinator Danny Wirtzberger, who is no longer part of the coaching staff after moving on to become the Athletic Director at Laurel High School. That responsibility now belongs to the head coach. Christenson earned his reputation as a defensive coach for the Ponies and at Montana State University-Northern and thinks that his experience on the defensive side of the ball will only help him when calling plays on offense.

“You don’t know how much you pick up coming from the defensive side to offense,” Christenson said. “But I know what routes and what run plays affect us in our coverages, so now on offense I know how to attack certain defenses. So making packages and planning how to attack things is pretty easy, it’s just passing it along to the kids, who are used to me barking at them on defense.”

While Warp and the passing game will be the strength of the Pony offense, Christenson still wants to establish the run whenever possible, which will be made easier with the return of Filius and All-Conference fullback Kody Pribyl. Pribyl, a junior, led HHS in rushing yards last season totaling 312 yards on 66 carries, good enough for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. He also scored six rushing touchdowns and hauled in 18 receptions for 238 yards.

“We are going to try to mix it up as much as we can, it just depends on our offensive line,” Christenson said. “I am always of the philosophy that 50-50 is good but if we have to lean more on the pass we will. It just depends on how our o-line progresses but if we can run the ball we will. That will take a lot of pressure off Dane and open up the passing game even more.”

The rest of the offensive starters for Havre include senior tight end Jase Kato, junior Thomas Keith at left tackle, senior Rocky Kuhr at center and junior Travis Adams at right tackle. Seniors Mike Compton and Ruben Stewart will man the guard positons.

Defensively, the Ponies are led by senior Tyrell Pierce, who earned First-Team All-Conference honors at defensive end in 2013. In the secondary, Filius and Rismon will play key roles, starting at strong safety and cornerback, respectively. At linebacker, the Ponies are led by returning starters Pribyl and senior Jace Billy, who will each play outside. Sophomore Jase Stoke will man the middle.

“Nate and Parker are two good players for us as defensive backs,” Christenson said. “We also have a crew of linebackers that I am pretty excited about.”

Other key players on defense include senior Alec Drew, who starts at corner opposite Rismon. Sophomore Michael Loftus is the nickel corner and at strong safety, the starter will be junior Gunner Aageson. He will be backed up by Warp and junior Logan Pleninger.

At defensive end, starting opposite of Pierce will be senior Josh Emge. At defensive tackle, Stewart and Compton will be the starters. Derrick Matosich will also be part of the rotation.

When it comes to the Central A conference, the Ponies should do well enough to finish in the top three and qualify for the playoffs, but in order to capture the conference championship for the first time since 2011, HHS will need to conquer Belgrade, which dominated Havre 37-7 in last year’s meeting.

“It’s hard to say because I don’t know what everyone else has but I think that both Belgrade and Lewistown will be tough,” Christenson said. “I think it will be us and Lewistown competing to try and knock off Belgrade.”

The Ponies will open the season will four nonconference games, including the annual season-opener against Whitefish for the BNSF trophy, before beginning Central A conference play Sept. 26 with a trip to Livingston. Belgrade comes to Havre Oct. 3 for a crucial game that will likely decide the Central A championship.

While the showdown against Belgrade is Oct. 3, the Ponies begin conference play on Sept. 27 when they travel to Livingston for a must-win road game. On Oct. 10, they will travel to Lewistown for another Central A showdown, before finishing conference play Oct. 24 when they host Browning.

“You never know what Belgrade is going to bring to the table because they have so many kids, so they will be tough and Lewistown is going to be tough as well,” Christenson said. “But, I am pretty confident that we will be competing for the conference championship. I know that is boastful to say but these kids have been working hard and will go as far as these kids want to take us.”

The Ponies start their season Saturday against Whitefish at Blue Pony Stadium, where they will try to reclaim the BNSF trophy after falling to Whitefish 45-27 last season.