Next week marks the start of a new season

It's been a great summer of sports along Havre and the Hi-Line. And with the Men's Fastpitch state softball tournament in town this weekend, it's not over yet. But, the fall sports season is just around the corner and for those who love high school athletics, the start can't get here fast enough.

Thankfully, for those fans, and of course, the student-athletes, the wait won't be much longer. That's because the start of the fall sports season is just weeks away and that means that high school athletes will begin hitting the field, the gym and the course for their first practices.

Football, golf, volleyball and cross country all take place during the fall sports season and they all start organized practices next week, but no one starts sooner than golf, which gets things going Aug. 13, at least for the schools in Class AA and A.

Havre High is the only team from the area that fields a fall golf team and the Blue Ponies will get things underway Aug. 18 at the Great Falls Invitational.

While golfers will start practice next week, every other fall sports team in the area will hold their first practices Friday, Aug. 14. Of course, the sport that gets the most recognition in the fall is football, and the Ponies, who will be led by first-year head coach Mark Samson and three-time All-State quarterback Dane Warp, will kick off their season with a much-anticipated showdown against Whitefish Saturday, Aug. 29.

Another team in the area that can't wait for the start of the 2015 season is the Chinook Sugarbeeters. The Beeters, who were the 2014 Class C 8-man runner up, will open the season and the defense of their 2014 Northern C conference championship Sept. 5 on the road against Centerville. The Chester/J-I Hawks are another 8-man team that is looking forward to the start of the season and that will come Aug. 28 at home against Fort Benton.

The Box Elder Bears have never been a power in Class C six-man football but they have won three games in each of the past two seasons and with the return of several key platters they will be looking to make the playoffs for the first time in years. That mission will begin Aug. 29 on the road at Geraldine/Highwood. The North Star Knights, another local team, will open their season on the road against Big Sandy in six-man action. Harlem and Rocky Boy will also be kicking off their respective seasons in Class B around the same time.

Volleyball is one of the other sports that will be getting underway soon and the Ponies, who will be under the direction of new head coach Tamecia Jarvis, will start their season Sept. 4 with road games against both Livingston and Belgrade. In the Class C ranks, matches will get underway Aug. 28, which is the first official day that competition is allowed to take place. Many local teams such as C/J-I and Chinook will open their season at a tournament in Sunburst.

And last, but certainly not least, is cross country. The Ponies should have an exciting season with Josh Holt taking over as head coach. HHS will kick off his tenure Sept. 4 in Cut Bank.

As a reminder, all student-athletes wishing to participate in a fall sport need to have a sports physical completed before their first practice

Havre High Fall Sports Parent

Meeting Set

Havre High School will hold a fall sports parent meeting on Monday. The meeting is slated for 7 p.m. and will begin in the Havre High Auditorium. Parents of student-athletes who are participating in a fall sport at HHS are encouraged to attend.