Pony swimmers return to Havre waters

The holiday break was a long one for the Havre High swim team. But, the Blue Ponies don’t have to go far to make their 2016 debut.

On Saturday, the Havre Community Pool will play host to the annual Class A Invitational, a meet which features the three top Class A swimming programs in the state, including the Blue Ponies. The meet will be Havre’s second at home this season, as the Ponies hosted the Havre Invitational back on Dec. 14.

But unlike the Havre Invite, Saturday’s meet isn’t the Ponies’ first of the year, and it won’t have them squaring off against Great Falls High and CMR. Instead, the Class A Invite includes Havre’s two main rivals, Billings Central and Hardin. Whitefish and Columbia Falls also have swimming, but those two teams elected to travel to Missoula instead.

Still, when it comes to Class A swimming, the race has always been between the Blue Ponies, Rams and Bulldogs of Hardin, so Saturday’s meet will certainly give all three teams the opportunity to find out just where they are in relation to earning the state championship come February.

For the Pony girls, they have been outstanding so far this season, as Aubri McCann, Lita Cammon, Amelia Miller, Jackie Martin, Alara Vogel and Hannah Lunak all have placed or won different events so far this season, while all three of the HHS relay teams have looked extremely strong and produced great times in the three meets the Ponies have swam in.

But, as good as the Pony girls have been, Saturday’s meet will be a real test with defending champion Billings Central coming to town. The Ponies feel they are closing the gap on the Rams’ dominant program, but Saturday will be a chance to see just how much the gap has closed.

On the boys side, the Ponies are also turning in great times so far this season, led by the likes of Mason Sandstrom, Shandon Oberquell and brothers Etan and Ammon Lines. Havre is a young team still, led by a big junior class, and while the Ponies are certainly coming on strong, Billings Central once again looks like the team to beat in Class A, and Havre will get a chance to test themselves against the powerful Rams in their own pool on Saturday.

And the meet is important for reasons beyond just competing against the Rams and Bulldogs. Havre hasn’t swam in a competitive meet since Dec. 19, so Saturday’s meet is a chance to get back in the water against real competition. And, it also marks the start of the home stretch for the Blue Ponies, as the 2016 state meet is now just a month away. So, for many reasons, Saturday’s meet is a big one for Havre High, and the other teams in attendance.

The 2016 Class A Invite will get started at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Havre Community Pool. The Ponies will then head to Great Falls next Saturday for a double-dual with GFH and CMR.