Pony thinclads will test themselves in Whitefish

The Havre High track teams have been busy lately and that hectic schedule will only continue Saturday as both Blue Pony squads will be in Whitefish for the A.R.M. Invitational.

One good thing about heading all the way to Whitefish for a track meet is that HHS will get the benefit of seeing different athletes and different teams than they have so far this season. The meet will get underway at 9:30 a.m.

“It’s always good to get out there and compete and measure yourself against some of the really talented kids that are out there,” HHS head coach John Ita said. “We have a lot of young kids and it’s good for them to test themselves against quality competition.”

Thus far this season, both the boys and girls teams have been competitive and just Tuesday in Malta, the Pony boys took home a second-place finish, while the girls came away with third.

The boys, in particular have been very consistent this season, winning three meets to go along with the second-place showing in Malta. And the biggest reason for that consistency has been the point production from the sprints, the relays and the pole vault.

So far this season the HHS boys have cleaned up in the sprints as Michael Loftus is a perpetual contender in the 100-meter dash just as Nate Rismon is in the 200. Both runners have also fared well in the 400.

Rismon, who has also placed in the pole vault multiple times this season, along with Loftus, Jacob LaBrie, Gunnar Aageson and Ivar Aageson, have given Havre two very good relay teams that have finished first multiple times this season. Rismon, Loftus and LaBrie do both the short and long relays. Gunnar Aageson does the 400 and Ivar Aageson competes in the 1,600.

“Both of our boys relay teams have continued to do well this year,” Ita said. “And I expect them to be competitive wherever we go. In Malta, we had some issues with handoffs that slowed us down a little bit, so we are looking to clean that up a bit.”

Gunnar Aageson may be an important part of the 400 relay team but he is also one of the Ponies’ most consistent point scorers as he routinely finishes in the top-3 in the pole vault. Ivar Aageson has also made a habit of finishing in the top-6 in the pole vault, which earns his team points.

Other Havre boys who could contribute points are Nick Keller in the high jump, Luke Karnauskas in the jumps and sprints and Rocky Kuhr, Jase Stokes and Shawn Raty in the throwing events.

The Pony girls have not had quite as much team success as the boys this season but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a number of promising individuals. For the most part this season, the Havre girls have been able to rely on distance races and the long relays to get points. That’s because Rachel David and Megan Erickson are both accomplished distance runners who have placed in the 400, 800 and 1,600 runs on a consistent basis for HHS.

Erickson and David are also part of the 1,600 relay team with Naomi Terry and Kaylee Nystrom. That team has been a successful one for Ita and has notched numerous first-place finishes and will look to do so again in Whitefish.

Yet, Terry is not just a threat to do damage in the 1,600 relay, she is also a strong sprinter and has placed in both the 100 and the 200 for Havre this season. She will be expected to contribute as will freshmen Logan Huebsch, who has performed well in the hurdles and jumps, and Ireland Coyne, who placed in both the 100 and 300 hurdles in Malta last weekend. Havre will also be looking for competitive outings from throwers Kristen Nash, Carleigh Rennick and Jordan Keith.

“We have some freshmen that are really doing well,” Ita said. “But we also have someone like Megan, who has just worked really hard and ran well for us at every meet.”

The competition at the A.R.M. Invitational in Whitefish Saturday will begin at 9:30 a.m.