Pony netters return to the Electric City

The Havre High tennis teams found success on a hot, sunny day in Great Falls Tuesday. Now, the Blue Ponies are headed right back to the Electric City.

Friday and Saturday, the Ponies will be in Great Falls for the annual Great Falls Invitational, a dual tournament where Havre will play four times, including three matches against Class AA opponents. And HHS head coach George Ferguson said the timing of the tournament couldn’t be better.

“We’re in the stretch run of our season now,” Ferguson said. “We’re pushing very hard in practice, refining both fundamentals and strategies. So we need the competition we’ll see this weekend to put what we’ve been working on to the test. The teams we’ll face this weekend will certainly provide that next level of competition we need, and that’s exciting.”

Friday, the Ponies will face off against the Butte Bulldogs and Billings Senior Broncs. Saturday, HHS will battle Billings Skyview and Class B rival Cut Bank to round out the tourney. Havre will play matches all over the Electric City, including at the CMR courts, as well as boys matches at the Hurd Riverside Courts and girls matches at Meadowlark Country Club.

“When the weather cooperates, this is a fun meet,” Ferguson said. “Teams like Senior and Skyview will present some of the toughest competition we’ve seen this entire season, and Butte High’s girls are usually very strong. So that competition is all part of the process of helping us prepare for the divisional tournament.

“I also like this trip because at the Class AA level, a varsity team is 12 players, with a fourth doubles team,” he continued. “So this gives us the opportunity to take four more kids than would normally go on a varsity trip, and that’s great because it’s usually four of our younger players who end up gaining some invaluable varsity experience. So again, this weekend will be a big part of our building process.”

The Havre boys enter this weekend’s tournament with a 14-1 dual record. The Ponies’ only blemish came at the hands of the Great Falls High Bison Tuesday. But HHS wasn’t at full strength Tuesday. However, with defending Class A singles champion Jeff Miller back in the lineup this weekend, Havre will indeed be at full strength. Jake Sedahl, Jamie Lieberg and Dustin Haas round out HHS’ singles lineup, while the unbeaten duo of Jerod Boles and Noah Landgraf lead the doubles. Wyatt Lindbloom and Nate Korb, Trey Hanson and Jeffrey Ralph, and Trey Murphy and Kennedy McKay solidify Havre’s doubles roster.

“Our boys team is progressing,” Ferguson said. “I thought they’ve made big strides the last couple of weeks, especially in practice. One thing I would like to see more of though is them carrying over those good things into the matches. Win or lose this weekend, I want to see them gain some confidence in their game this weekend because they are all hitting the ball and playing really well in practice right now.”

The Pony girls are also making big strides. Havre had to rebuild its varsity team at the start of the season, but now, seven weeks in, the Ponies are becoming a more experienced and confident group according to their head coach.

“Our girls are getting better every day, every time they step on the court and every time they swing the racket. You can just see it. And it’s been a lot of fun to watch,” Ferguson said. “I mean, we are playing kids this weekend at AA duals, with nearly half the team that had never swung a racket for real before March 9. So to see how far they’ve already come is just awesome. And this weekend will give them the opportunity to get even better.”

Senior singles player Tatiana Ralph has been on a tear as of late for the HHS girls and will face some top-level competition this weekend. The junior doubles tandem of Rainey Stoner and Madison Huebsch have also been playing well. Freshman Paige Nelson and junior Meggan Smith combined to win five times Tuesday, while steadily improving freshman Marca Herron rounds out HHS’ singles lineup. Ashley Hoffland and Reggie Bernard are teamed up at No. 2 doubles for the Ponies, while surging freshmen Megan Lindbloom and Alex Donaldson are No. 3 and Chido Chikwava and Kaylee Nash will play No. 4 doubles.

The Great Falls Invite starts at 10:30 a.m. Friday when Havre takes on Butte. The Ponies will dual Senior at 4:30, as well as Skyview at 10 a.m. Saturday and Cut Bank at 2 p.m. Saturday.