Ponies, Bulldogs ready to collide; Update: Kickoff time changed

Updated at 11 a.m.: Due to the closure of Highway 2 near Essex, Havre High has moved the kickoff time of its game against Whitefish to 4 p.m.

Few seasons in the history of Havre High football have been as highly anticipated as this one. And come Saturday afternoon at Blue Pony Stadium, the wait will finally be over.

With a new head coach in Mark Samson and a talented group of returning players, HHS has high expectations for the 2015 season. Yet, potential and expectations don't mean much until you prove it on the field, which is what the Blue Ponies will be looking to do Saturday, when Whitefish comes to town for the annual battle for the BNSF trophy. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

"We are ready to play against another team," Samson said. "The kids are really excited to play this game. We know that Whitefish is a good football team, they are one of the top teams in the Northwest (A) and they will be a good challenge for us."

For Samson, Saturday's game will not only be his first time on the sidelines for HHS, but it will also be his first experience in the Havre-Whitefish rivalry. Samson knows the importance of winning this game and trying to bring back the BNSF traveling trophy, which Whitefish has had for three years after winning three straight games against Havre.

"I think the kids want to win it back," Samson said. "I am new to the Havre-Whitefish rivalry, so I asked the kids about it one time and they said it's a pretty cool trophy, it would be nice to win it. So it is important. I understand there are rivalries everywhere. For me, coming into Class A for the first time and being around the people in this town for a while, I think I have a good idea of who our rivals are. I know they have been playing this game between Whitefish and Havre High for eons and I think that it's a pride thing. But yeah, we want it back, no doubt about it."

If Samson and the Ponies are going to win back the trophy this year, they will need to find a way to stop Whitefish quarterback Luke May, who torched the Havre defensive a season ago in the Bulldogs' 27-14 win at Blue Pony Stadium.

Last season, May was equally deadly running and throwing the ball. As a passer, he completed 14-of-22 attempts for 253 yards, while also racking up 153 yards on just 18 carries on the ground. He also finished the game with three total touchdowns.

Yet May is not the only player the Pony defense will need to concern itself with, as wide receiver Jed Nagler, who is probably as good as pass-catcher as there is in Class A football, also presents plenty of problems. Last season, May found Nagler in the end zone twice against HHS and he will surely be targeting him plenty again Saturday.

"Whitefish has some very talented skill guys," Samson said. "The first thing that we need to do is stop the run. Last year, they ran the ball all over us and we missed a lot of tackles. As far as Nagler, he's a great player, but we feel comfortable with either of our cornerbacks (Nate Rismon and Ivar Aageson) playing him man-to-man. We might do some doubling and some two-deep type of coverages, but mostly our corners need to just stick to their assignments. We are also going to need to get a pass rush. We have to get backside pressure on that quarterback."

The Bulldogs racked up over 200 yards rushing in the game a season ago, compared to Havre, which rushed for just 19 yards on 22 carries. That is something that Samson said will change this weekend and a big reason why he is so confident has been the emergence of junior running back Jase Stokes.

"Last year the running game was nonexistent," Samson said. "And that will change. We are going to run the football and we need to be able to do it effectively."

Stokes closed the 2014 season in dominating fashion, scoring five rushing touchdowns in last season's playoff loss to Miles City. He will key a running game that has to get something going in order to keep pressure off three-time All-State quarterback Dane Warp.

Of course, Warp will also play a pivotal role for Havre on the offensive side of the ball. Last year, Warp was highly efficient against the Bulldogs, completing 17-of-26 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. While the Bulldogs will no doubt be worried about Warp, they should also concern themselves with who he is throwing the football to because Havre is loaded at wide receiver. Not only do the Ponies bring back All-State wide out Parker Filius, but also Nate Rismon, who earned All-Conference honors at the position as a sophomore, and returns to the team after breaking his leg against Whitefish in last season's opener.

In addition to Filius and Rismon, Nate Korb, Isaac Warp and Ivar Aageson should also have the ball thrown their way against the Bulldogs, which gives Dane Warp five talented pass-catchers to distribute the ball to.

But in the end, as talented as the Ponies are at the skill positions, a big key to victory on Saturday is going to be the play in the trenches, which is an area of concern for Samson and his staff.

"The biggest thing for us is going to be the play of our offensive line," Samson said. "But I am positive that they are going to be ready to go."

Defensively, the Ponies will be counting on Stokes and Filius to play key roles at inside and outside linebacker respectively, while Rismon and Aageson will lead a talented Havre secondary that also features Korb at safety as well as Logan Pleninger.

And while getting pressure on May is going to be important for Havre, the secondary will be a huge part of that as it needs to hold up in coverage, in order to allow the Ponies' blitzing style defense to be successful.

"We just have to make sure that we are taking care of our assignments and not making mistakes," Samson said. "This game is probably going to come down to the team that makes the fewest mistakes."

Regardless of how they do it, Samson made it clear that this is an important game for Havre to win and not just because the BNSF trophy is on the line.

"I think that every game is important, no matter who you are playing, conference or non-conference" Samson said. "But I think more than anything, we need to show people that what happened last year isn't truly what this football program is about. We lost a lot of close games, and I know I say we, when I wasn't a part of it, but this program lost a lot of close games last year and could have easily won six or seven games, so our kids need to learn how to work a little bit harder and step up and get that win, especially at home."

Havre and Whitefish will go head-to-head inside Blue Pony Stadium Saturday with kickoff coming at 2 p.m.

Week One

BNSF Trophy on the Line

Saturday at 2 p.m.

Blue Pony Stadium

Radio: 610 KOJM AM