Pony Extra: A night they won't forget

If there was any question about how much playing high school football meant to the seniors on the Havre High football team, and in particular Gunner Aageson and Levi Huston, it was answered on senior night inside Blue Pony Stadium.

To say it bluntly, it meant a lot, maybe more than words can describe.

Aageson and Huston, two of just 11 seniors this season for the Blue Ponies, each enjoyed a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives as they played at home for the final time in a 62-0 win over Browning last Friday.

With Havre up 41-0 in the second quarter against the Indians, Aageson, a defensive starter, got the call at running back. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and he made sure he took advantage of it, scoring on an 8-yard run to find the end zone for the first time in his high school career.

Then, in the third quarter, Aageson’s dream night continued as he scored on a four-yard rushing touchdown, drawing a picture perfect ending to his four-year high school career at home.

“Throughout my four years, I always wanted to score a varsity touchdown,” Aageson said. “And it just feels amazing that it finally happened. I never imagined, watching the previous seniors that my last game would feel like this and seeing them walk their final walk. I totally understand how they feel now. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

All night long, cheers rang out as the Ponies scored touchdown after touchdown against the Indians, but the loudest, most boisterous cheer came in the fourth quarter, long after the game was decided.

With the Ponies ahead 55-0, Huston got his chance on the stage and did not disappoint. He took the handoff from quarterback Dane Warp, found an opening and ran 25 yards for a touchdown, while the fans and sideline erupted simultaneously.

“I was scared because that was the first game I had ever played offense,” Huston said. “(Dane) told me that it was going to be alright and that I was going to laugh when I was done and when I got into that end zone, I was laughing. It was the best feeling I have experienced. It is the best memory I have ever had.”

Aageson has been playing since his freshmen year at Havre High and has been a starter on defense since the opening game against Whitefish. Huston, on the other hand, didn’t join the squad until his senior season and even then it took some convincing from Warp.

“Levi will remember that for the rest of his life,” Warp said. “It was great for Gunner, he lettered for four years and waited his time. I had to convince Levi to come out for football. So, that worked out really good.”

After scoring their touchdowns, both Aageson and Huston took part in the time honored tradition of walking the field at Blue Pony Stadium one last time.

Every senior, walks hand-in-hand, covering the 100 yards from end zone to end zone one final time. And while they may have had tears in their eyes, they also had smiles on their faces, giving us a reminder to us all why high school athletics matter. It’s not the win or losses that are important, it’s the experience. Aageson and Huston can attest to that after experiencing something that will stick with each of them, forever.

“It’s all just so great,” Aageson said. “I’m just going to remember playing (at Blue Pony Stadium) every Friday night and wishing I could come back and do it again.”