Ponies shut out Browning

After a big win over the highly-touted Sidney Eagles, the Havre High football team rode a wave of momentum into Friday's game against Browning.

And following another good performance, the Blue Ponies kept the positive vibes going.

On the opening night of Central A conference play, Havre paid a visit to conference rival Browning and even though it was homecoming for the Indians, it was the Ponies that walked away celebrating a 28-0 victory.

The win improved Havre's record to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Indians, on the other hand, fell to 0-4 on the season and 0-1 in the Central A.

"I felt we played well in the first half in everything that we did," HHS head coach Mark Samson said. "We had big plays on both sides of the ball. We got our running game going with Jase Stokes, Parker Filius and Jazz Schroeder, all performing well."

The Blue Ponies entered the game as heavy favorites and early on they played like it. The Ponies found the end zone in the first quarter on a Schroeder touchdown run, which put Havre in front 6-0. Then, before the end of the first stanza, the Havre offense struck again as Filius found the end zone to make the score 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, it didn't take long for the Pony offense to get back into scoring position and following a defensive stop, the Ponies scored again as quarterback Dane Warp found Logan Pleninger for a nine-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Leading 22-0, HHS had a chance to extend its lead before half but failed to convert a goal-to-go opportunity, which left the Ponies in front 22-0 at the half.

Despite Havre playing a commanding first half of football, Browning was still within striking distance. But, late in the third quarter - Warp and senior wide receiver Nate Rismon delivered a dagger in the form of a 54-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Ponies a 28-0 advantage.

Warp had another stellar night throwing the football for HHS as he completed 17-of-25 passes for 251 yards to go along with two touchdowns and one interception. Rismon also had a big night for the Ponies as he hauled in six receptions for 127 yards and a score.

"Dane Warp made some big plays both with his arm and his legs," Samson said. "Nate Rismon showed again why he is one of the best wide receivers in our league, as well as doing a great job on defense. We were able to play a lot of kids and now we'll start getting more of our injured kids back for Park High this weekend."

In addition to Warp and Rismon having big nights, so did Filius, who not only caught six passes for 50 yards but also ran the ball nine times for 61 yards, giving him a total of 111 yards from scrimmage. Schroeder also had a strong night with 18 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Stokes also carried it seven times for 33 yards and Pleninger finished with three receptions for 38 yards.

Defensively, Stokes was all over the place from his linebacker spot on the Havre defense and finished with not just two sacks, but also two tackles for loss. Dane Flammond finished with a team-high seven tackles, plus a forced fumble. Travis Adams also contributed with four tackles and a sack.

The Ponies, who need to finish in the top two of the final Central A standings to earn a spot in the state playoffs, will take on another Central A rival this Friday, when they will host the 0-3 Livingston at Blue Pony Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Havre 28, Browning 0

Havre 14 8 6 0 – 28

Browning 0 0 0 0 - 0

Scoring Summary

HAV – Jazz Schroeder 4 yard run (Conversion no good)

HAV – Parker Filius 2 yard run (Conversion good)

HAV – Logan Pleninger 9 pass from Warp (conversion Good)

HAV – Nate Rismon 54 pass from Warp (Conversion no good)

Havre Individual Stats

Passing – Dane Warp, 17-25-251.

Rushing – Jazz Schroeder 18-63, Parker Filius 9-61, Jase Stokes 7-33.

Receiving – Nate Rismon 6-127, Parker Filius 6-50, Logan Pleninger 3-38, Jase Stokes 1-29, Ivar Aageson 1-4.