Exciting fall sports season is right around the corner

Sometimes it’s kind of crazy how fast time goes. Just one year ago at this time, I didn’t even live in Havre or work for the Havre Daily News. My first year back at the HDN has gone by fast and for that matter so has this summer.

Summer is always fleeting, probably because we all wish it would stay forever, most of us anyway. Yet, that’s only a wish, not reality. The reality is that our summer is already half over and with the Great Northern Fair already set to begin next week, it will truly be over before we know it.

But as sad as I will be to see summer go, I can honestly say I am really looking forward to the fall and not just because of the cold, cool weather. Of course every football fan loves the fall and I count myself amongst the pigskin enthusiasts who can’t wait for the first kickoff of 2015.

Most years I would be looking forward to watching my beloved Green Bay Packers take the field for the first time and, while I am very much counting down until that day comes, there is also plenty to be excited about right here in the metropolis of Havre.

That’s because the fall sports season along the Hi-Line will be upon us before we know it and I for one cannot wait.

Obviously, there is always a tremendous amount of excitement surrounding the Havre High football team, but with Mark Samson set to patrol the sidelines for the Blue Ponies in 2015, that excitement has reached a whole new level. Samson is a proven winner and his goal is to bring a state championship back to Havre. Yet, Samson and his pursuit of a fourth state championship on the sidelines is far from the only storyline brewing about the 2015 Ponies.

Havre football fans will also be treated to the final season of All-State quarterback Dane Warp being under center. Warp, who has been the starting quarterback at HHS since his freshman season has a loaded team surrounding him and with Samson at the helm, the sky really is the limit for the Ponies in 2015.

However, the excitement doesn’t end with Pony football. Both the Havre High volleyball and cross country teams will be under new leadership in 2015 as Tamecia Jarvis takes over HHS volleyball, and Josh Holt gets set to lead the Havre harriers. Like Samson, both Jarvis and Holt have taken over programs with state championships in their history and with the mission of doing their best to help each program reach that level again.

When it comes to sports, whether it’s at the high school, college or professional level, the one constant is change. Change can be frightening but it can also be exciting, which is why it will be fascinating to follow the progress of Aaron Christenson, the new head coach of the Montana State University-Northern football team.

The Lights had a tumultuous season, both on and off the field in 2014. But now, that is all behind them and with Christenson in charge, it’s time for a brand new era of Lights football to begin. No one knows what that will mean or what it will look like, but it should be fun to watch.

The point of all of this is to say that even though summer may be slipping through our fingers faster than anticipated, at the end of the day it’s OK because, at least as far as Havre sports fans are concerned, it’s going to be one heck of a fall season.