Pirates try to stop the Pony Stampede

There is just one game left on the regular season schedule for the Havre High football team. And even though it may not mean much when it comes to the playoff picture, it’s still a game the Blue Ponies want to win.

Havre, which comes into tonight’s game in Polson with a 6-2 record overall and a 4-0 mark in the Central A Conference, has already wrapped up a conference title and first-round bye in the playoffs. Yet, one of its potential opponents in the postseason could be Polson, which brings added intrigue to tonight’s game. Kickoff is set for 6.

“I think it will be a good challenge for us,” HHS head coach Mark Samson said. “They are a good team. They do some things as far as spreading you out and throwing the football and that will be good for us to see. Teams like Miles City and Whitefish had success with those kinds of things earlier in the season and it will be interesting to see if we have learned anything.

“The game doesn’t really matter at all for us in terms of the playoffs,” He added. “But we still want to win the game. I think it matters to them, it’s senior night and I am sure that’s important to them. But, more than anything, we have things that we need to work on and get better at.”

The Pirates (3-4, 1-2) come into the game in a solid position to earn one of the two wild-card berth's available in Class A football’s Western Division. Polson lost a critical game against Columbia Falls last weekend, which gave the Wildcats the No. 2 spot in the Northwest A and the home playoff game that comes with it.

That means, win or lose, Polson will be on the road in the opening round of the playoffs and in all likelihood, the Pirates will play Columbia Falls in a rematch of the regular season. The winner of a potential Columbia Falls-Polson playoff matchup, would travel to Havre for a quarterfinal game, which means the Ponies could possibly see Polson for the second-straight game on Nov. 7.

“I don’t really worry about things that might happen,” Samson said when asked if he would alter his game plan at all with the chance of a rematch looming. “I am worried about our team and doing what we can to get better this week. But, I do think it’s important for us to play well and have some confidence going into the playoffs.”

The Pirates offense, which coach Samson alluded to, relies on throwing the football. The person doing the throwing for Polson will be quarterback Tanner Wilson. And when he throws the football, Wilson has a pair of big receivers to target in Matthew Rensvold and Haden Smith, who both stand at 6-3.

“We haven’t really played anyone since Miles City that has run a spread offense and thrown the ball,” Samson said. “I think that we have improved on defense, but I guess we will see.”

The Havre offense is also centered on the passing game and in particular quarterback Dane Warp, who is completing 68 percent of his passes. He has also thrown for 1,827 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Nate Rismon has also been a huge part of Havre’s success in the passing game and is coming off a six-catch, 241-yard effort against Lewistown. For the season, Rismon has 41 receptions for 861 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Parker Filius is another key cog for the Havre offense and is currently second on the team with 43 receptions for 341 yards. Filius also has four rushing touchdowns to go along with four receiving.

The Ponies have still struggled to establish a dominant run game this season and are averaging less than 100 yards per game on the ground. The backfield duties are still being split among Jazz Schroder (260 yards, 3 TDs) and Jase Stokes (262 yards, 3 TDs). Stokes is also third on the team in receptions with 12 for 148 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Stokes continues to be a thorn in the side of opposing offenses and has 72 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks to his credit this season, all of which are team-highs. Filius has also been outstanding with 57 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.

If Havre can conquer Polson, it will end the season on a six-game streak and post a 7-2 record, which would be the most wins for a Havre football team since 2011. Yet, regardless of what happens, Samson doesn’t want his team to be satisfied with regular-season achievements.

“We can’t be satisfied with just winning the Central A,” Samson said. “That’s great, but if you get into the playoffs and don’t win, then people don’t really care. They forget about that. So I told the kids this week that it’s up to them to determine how great they want to be.”

Havre and Polson will begin tonight’s game at 6.

Tonight at 6 p.m.

in Polson

Radio: 610 KOJM AM

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