Blue Pony netters get off to a warm start

No matter the scores, or the level of competition, it was a successful start to the 2016 Havre High tennis season. And it was mainly because, even though it's still March, the Blue Ponies played, and they played a lot.

The Havre boys and girls got plenty of time on the courts on a rare, mild day in Cut Bank, as the Ponies took part in the Cut Bank Invitational last Saturday.

"This early in the year, or really, all spring long, your first hope is just to get outside and get on the court," said HHS head coach George Ferguson. "And we were able to do that on Saturday. It was a nice day in Cut Bank, and we played a lot of tennis. So really, we couldn't have gotten the season started any better."

As for the matches, Havre also won plenty of them, against the likes of Cut Bank, Conrad and Central A rival Lewistown.

The Pony boys got a singles championship from senior Jeff Miller, who beat teammate Dustin Haas in the championship match. Meanwhile, the doubles duo of Jake Sedahl and Trey Hanson won the doubles crown, while Nate Korb and Kennedy McKay finished third.

"Our older kids were pretty sharp," Ferguson said. "I saw a lot of positives out of our returning boys. There was certainly some match rust, but overall, for our first matches of the year, I saw a lot of good things. But more importantly, we also were better able to define exactly what we need to work on going forward."

The Ponies also got a second-place finish from freshman Tommy Brown in the No. 3's singles bracket, and overall, Havre took a lot of young players to the tournament. On the girls side, the Ponies had four first-time players in their lineup, and all of them, Marcee Murphy, Katie Donaldson, Dakota Acor and Caprice Gobin won at least one match their first time out. Acor wound up placing third in the No. 3's bracket.

"We took a lot of kids who were getting their first taste of high school tennis," Ferguson said. "And that's so much fun. It's fun to watch them learn, watch them kind of figure things out as the day goes on. And all of those kids got to play a lot, so it was a really valuable day for them."

Havre's varsity girls also got plenty of time on the court in Cut Bank. The senior duo of Reggie Bernard and Alara Vogel placed second in doubles, while Rainey Stoner and Madison Huebsch finished third. Havre also got a fourth-place finish by senior Meggan Smith in singles.

"I thought our varsity girls did a really good job," Ferguson said. "The other teams were short-handed on the girls side, so a lot of our kids ended up playing each other. But, the most important thing was just to play, to get the rust off and gain match experience, and all of our girls did a great job of doing that, of taking advantage of just being out there and getting to play again."

And at the end of the day, playing was the most important thing for the Blue Ponies, who will next travel to Conrad this Saturday, where they'll see basically the same competition, only in a dual format.

"We learned a lot on Saturday," Ferguson said. "We got started, and now we have a reference for what needs to happen next. So, all the kids did great, and we'll go back to work this week, sticking with the basics and fundamentals. And then in Conrad, we'll really see how quickly we're improving because the kids will play a lot of the same kids they did in Cut Bank. And improving every day, every weekend, that's our main goal right now."

Cut Bank Invitational

BOYS

Singles 1-2

Jeff Miller (1st Place) – def. Jordan Castle, CB, 10-0; def. Danyon Rice, LEW, 10-6; def. Dustin Haas, HAV, 6-4, 6-0.

Dustin Haas (2nd Place) – def. Kody Neil, LEW, 10-8; def. Mark Ostby, CB, 10-5; lost to Jeff Miller, HAV, 6-4, 6-0.

Brady Ophus – lost to Ostby, CB, 10-1; lost to Neil, LEW, 10-1.

Boys Doubles

Jake Sedahl/Trey Hanson (1st Place) – def. Smith/Landers, LEW, 10-3; def. Farrar/Mannin, LEW, 10-2; def. Church/Miller, LEW, 6-3, 6-2.

Nate Korb/Kennedy McKay (3rd Place) – lost to Church/Miller, LEW, 10-9, 7-4; def. Smith/Landers, LEW, 10-3; def. Farrar/Mannin, LEW, 6-1, 6-1.

Vander Swensen/Kendall Holden – lost to Church/Miller, LEW, 10-2; lost to Farrar/Mannin, LEW, 10-2.

Singles 3-4

Tommy Brown (2nd Place) – def. Jack Johnsrud, HAV, 10-2; lost to Dalton, LEW, 10-5.

Josiah Harrison (4th Place) – lost to Dalton, LEW, 10-6; lost to Kraft, CB, 10-8.

Jack Johnsrud – lost to Brown, HAV, 10-2; lost to Kraft, CB, 10-4.

GIRLS

Singles 1-2

Meggan Smith (4th Place) – lost to Paige Johnson, CB, 10-2; def. Baylee Miller, HAV, 10-0; def. Paige Nelson, HAV, 10-3; lost to Megan Barrett, CB, 6-2, 6-3.

Paige Nelson – def. Megan Barrett, CB, 10-6; lost to Summer Elmore, LEW, 10-4; lost to Smith, HAV, 10-3.

Ashley Hoffland – lost to Elmore, LEW, 10-3; lost to Barrett, CB, 10-3.

Baylee Miller – lost to Abby Gatz, LEW, 10-0; lost to Smith, HAV, 10-0.

Doubles

Reggie Bernard/Alara Vogel (2nd Place) – def. Lindbloom/Donaldson, HAV, 10-3; lost to VanDyke/Jones, CON,. 6-4, 2-6, 2-6.

Rainey Stoner/Madison Huebsch (3rd Place) – lost to VanDyke/Jones, CON< 10-9, 7-4; def. Lindbloom/Donaldson, HAV, 6-4, 6-0.

Megan Lindbloom/Alex Donaldson (4th Place) – lost to Bernard/Vogel, HAV, 10-3; lost to Stoner/Huebsch, HAV, 6-4, 6-0.

Singles 3-4

Kadyn Acor (3rd Place) – lost to Curtiss, CB, 10-3; def. Yeager, CON, 10-0; def. Gobin, HAV, 10-6; def. Murphy, HAV, 10-3.

Marcee Murphy (4th Place) – lost to Gobert, CB, 10-3; def. Lew 3, 10-6; def. Katie Donaldson, HAV, 10-7; lost to Acor, HAV, 10-3.

Katie Donaldson – def. Yeager, CON, 10-8; lost to Curtiss, CB, 10-3; lost to Murphy, HAV, 10-7.

Caprice Gobin – def. LEW 3, 10-6; lost to Gobert, CB, 10-3; lost to Acor, HAV, 10-6.