Friday Night Lights: That Special Night

Homecoming is a special event for everyone. It’s a time for festivities, school spirit and celebration. In terms of athletics, the homecoming game is always one of the most important games on the schedule, which is true again this season for the Havre Blue Ponies.

This year, the homecoming game will be even more electrifying as the Ponies will participate in the festivities by welcoming Central A rival Belgrade into Blue Pony Stadium tonight. The showdown against the Panthers will have a huge role in determining the conference champion and is easily Havre’s most important game of the season.

The importance of the Belgrade game makes it an even better matchup for homecoming because nothing gets a crowd more frenzied than the chance to pull an upset over a heated rival.

“It’s a really fun atmosphere for the kids,” HHS head coach Jason Christenson said. “There is always a little more on the line. It’s homecoming, so there’s a title to the game. You always want to win homecoming and perform well in front of the fans. (Homecoming) seems to be when we get our best turn out.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere and it’s going to be a brawl,” He added. “Belgrade has a really good football team, but I think we are a good football team, too.”

Homecoming is all about tradition. From the king and queen, to the different theme for dressing up each day of the week leading up to the game. Heck, there even used to be a tradition of getting an old car, painting it the opposing team’s color and destroying it with a sledge hammer. It’s all good fun and all in the name of school spirit.

“The school definitely gets more involved in the whole thing,” Senior tight end Jase Kato said. “Everyone is dressing up and there is more school spirit this week than normal.”

While the homecoming festivities are all good natured, it’s important for players to maintain focus and not be distracted by what’s going on around them. It’s a fun tradition but when the clock strikes 7 tonight, it will be time for the Ponies to get to work.

“I think it’s just like any other game,” Sophomore tailback Parker Filius said. “There are just more people and it’s a little louder.”

The desire to win on homecoming is always greater than the average game, after all, it happens just once a year and most high school football players will play on homecoming at the varsity level just once or twice, so it’s not taken lightly.

Last week in Livingston, the Ponies saw first-hand how the emotion of homecoming can elevate a team’s play.

Leading up to the game against Havre, the Rangers had scored just seven points all season. Against HHS, they scored 20 in the first half and even had a 20-6 lead at one point in the first ha. HHS went on to win the game 52-27 but it showed how impactful homecoming night can be.

This week, the Ponies will try to channel some of that same magic Livingston had a week ago as the Ponies will try to knock off Belgrade for the first time since the 2011 season, which is also the last time Havre won the Central A.

The Panthers also have enjoyed plenty of success at Blue Pony Stadium recently, knocking off the Ponies 32-7 in 2012 and 41-12 in 2010. The last time Havre beat Belgrade at home was in 2008 when HHS earned a 39-14 victory.

“It definitely drives us more,” Senior Gunnar Aageson said when asked about playing Belgrade on homecoming. “It’s the big game of the year and of course you want to know you are going to win, but it also should help give us that extra push to get over the top.”

To a man, the Ponies are ready to take on Belgrade and in the eyes of star quarterback Dane Warp, all the festivities and emotion can only help his team as it prepares for its biggest game of the season.

“I think it helps a lot,” Warp said. “This is the most important game all year, for us as players and it’s also the most important game for the student body and the fans of Havre.”

Tonight’s homecoming game between the Blue Ponies and Panthers kicks off at 7 inside Blue Pony Stadium.