Golf kicks off the new season

With the Havre High varsity golf teams taking swings and putts this morning at Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls, it became official. The high school fall sports season is underway.

The Pony teams, headed by third-year coach Brett Gilman are playing the annual Great Falls Invitational today and Tuesday. The Ponies are at prestigious Meadowlark Country Club today, and will play at Eagle Falls Golf Course Tuesday. It’s the first tourney of the season for the HHS boys and girls, which should both field very good teams this fall.

The Great Falls Invite is composed of all 14 Class AA schools, as well as Havre and Whitefish, two of the top teams in Class A golf. The 36-hole tournament is one of the most challenging on Havre’s schedule, a schedule that also includes two tournaments in Havre, as well as trips to Billings and Laurel, Lewistown and the East Glacier Golf Course.

“It’s a pretty short preseason for us, only three practices,” Gilman said last week talking about the Great Falls Invite. “And for some of the younger kids, the ones who haven’t been playing much, it’s pretty tough. It’s one of the tougher tournaments we’ll play all year, and we’ll find out who the kids who have been playing and practicing are. But it’s a good way to start the season and to help the kids gauge where they’re at right now.”

While golf season is now officially in its regular season, the Blue Ponies in the other fall sports are also hard at work.

The Havre High football team, under first-year head coach Mark Samson, began fall camp last Friday. The Ponies are an early favorite to capture the Central A title this season, and should be one of the top teams in Class A.

Going through two-a-day practices, Havre is building toward its annual preseason scrimmage. The Blue Pony Blue/White Game will take place Saturday night at Blue Pony Stadium. The scrimmage will end fall camp, and next Monday, Havre will begin preparations for its season-opening game with the Whitefish Bulldogs. Like Havre, Whitefish is a popular choice to be one of the Class A contenders this season, so that Aug. 29 showdown in Havre should be a big one.

Today also marks the start of the new season for the Havre High volleyball and cross country teams. Both Blue Pony squads are also under new head coaches.

Tamecia Jarvis takes over a talented HHS volleyball team which enters the season with high hopes. The Ponies first challenge will be Saturday afternoon when they play in their annual Blue/White Scrimmage at the HHS gymnasium. Havre opens its season Sept. 4 with Central A games at Livingston and Belgrade.

The Pony cross country teams are now led by head coach Josh Holt. Both teams also return some key runners which should make for an exciting season. The Pony harriers begin competition Sept. 4 at the Cut Bank Time Trials in Cut Bank.

The first home action for any Blue Pony team will come Thursday when the Havre golf teams host the Havre Golf Tournament at Prairie Farms Golf Course.