Ponies search for first win in Glendive

To say that the Havre High football team is in desperate need of a win would be an understatement. The Blue Ponies have lost three very winnable games and even though they have yet to begin Central A conference play, they still want to avoid an 0-4 start at all costs.

Tonight, the Ponies will try to put it all together for the first time this season and end their three-game winless streak on the road against Glendive. The nonconference tilt between HHS and the Red Devils is set to kickoff at 7.

The Ponies (0-3) are coming off a heartbreaking loss last Friday at Blue Pony Stadium, when they fell to the Sidney Eagles 14-13. HHS scored a touchdown to pull within one point, but the game tying extra point went wide right with just 13 seconds left in regulation and the Eagles hung on for the win.

"The thing that we need to remember is that all of our goals are still in front of us," HHS head coach Jason Christenson said. "Would we rather be 3-0? Of course we would. But the fact is that we are 0-3. But our goal has always been and will always be to get into conference play and try to win the conference or finish high enough to get a home playoff game. All those goals are still ahead of us, so we need to remember that we can still achieve everything we set out to at the beginning of the season."

If the Ponies are going to turn their season around, the first thing they need to do is jumpstart a sputtering offense that has averaged just 15 points a game. With All-State quarterback Dane Warp at the helm and All-Conference tailback Parker Fillius, HHS should have a potent offense but it has yet to come to fruition. It's not that the Ponies have struggled to move the football, in fact they are averaging nearly 300 yards a game. The issue has been once they get in the red zone. Over the past two games, HHS has failed to convert four times in the red zone.

"We need to make sure when we get into the red zone, we punch it in," Christenson said. "Penalties and turnovers in the red zone have killed us, so we need to get those things cleaned up and take advantage of those opportunities."

The passing game has been prolific for Havre and is led by Warp, who has completed 67 percent of his passes this season for 777 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. The running game on the other hand, has been nonexistent. In three games, the Ponies have rushed for just 108 yards on 62 carries, which equates to just 1.7 yards per carry. Another problem facing the Havre offense has been its inability to get the ball to Filius on a consistent basis. Filius does have 11 receptions on the season, which is tied for the team lead but the explosive plays that came consistently a year ago, have been few and far between.

"We are going to try and make some adjustments to put Parker in some different spots to get him the ball," Christenson said. "We are going to move him around some more and, hopefully, we can start getting some big plays because we haven't had a big play go for a touchdown since the first game against Whitefish."

The Red Devils, who are also 0-3, will counter with quarterback Carson Oakland. The Glendive signal caller is a threat to run and pass and could present some problems for the Havre defense along with running back Tai Sokolski.

"They have a quarterback that can throw it but can also run around and make plays, which can be a dangerous combination," Christenson said. "They also have a running back that has some good quickness, so we need to be ready. They are 0-3, too, and are after a win as much as we are."

Defensively, the Ponies have been solid, surrendering just 20 points per game against three very good offenses in Whitefish, Miles City and Sidney. Last week, HHS held the Eagles vaunted running game to just 159 yards on 51 carries. Leading the way for HHS on defense is defensive end Tyrell Pierce, who has 20 tackles and three sacks so far this season. Filius will also play a key role on defense at safety and is second on the team with 24 tackles to go along with three forced fumbles. Middle linebacker Jase Stokes has also been a pleasant surprise for the Ponies and has a team-high 30 tackles through three games.

But to win tonight, HHS will need to play well in all three phases of the game.

"It's no good being 0-3," Christenson said. "But we can still achieve all our goals and it doesn't matter what road or path we take to get there. Either we dwell on being 0-3 and lose the taste of football or we gather ourselves and get a win. We need to just take it week by week and start climbing the ladder and hopefully we can compete for a Central A title."

The Ponies and Red Devils will square off tonight in Glendive. Kickoff is set for 7 at Glendive's brand new Perham Field. HHS is also on the road next week, traveling to Livingston.