Ponies come up aces in Helena

No matter how difficult the best regular season tennis tournament in the state is, the Havre Blue Ponies always seem to thrive at the annual Helena Invitational.

And, the 2016 version was no different.

The Ponies were in Helena for the toughest test of their season this past weekend, and against all 14 Class AA schools, the Ponies were up to the challenge. Led by senior Jeff Miller’s outstanding third-place finish in the No. 1 boys singles bracket, the Ponies had what head coach George Ferguson called “their most productive weekend of the season thus far.”

“Very proud of all of our kids,” Ferguson said. “In some ways, this tournament is more difficult than our state meet. The competition is as good as it gets. And every single one of our kids took their game to another level. Whether it was five matches or two, all of our kids played some consistently good tennis, against great competition, and as a coach, you can’t ask for more than that. It was a great weekend for us.”

Miller, playing in his fourth straight Helena Invite as the No. 1 singles player, shined brightest. He lost a close quarterfinal match Friday evening, but rebounded to win four times Saturday, including wins over two of the top players in all of Class AA boys tennis. His third place was the highest finish by a Blue Pony boy playing in the No. 1 bracket in Helena in Ferguson’s 15 years as a coach.

And he wasn’t the only Pony to place. In the No. 3 boys doubles bracket, sophomores Kennedy McKay and Trey Murphy made a run to the semifinals Friday, before eventually finishing fourth Saturday afternoon.

“Jeff was phenomenal,” Ferguson said. “He’s always played well in Helena, but he saved his best for last. He always raises his game against the other top players in the state, but, on Saturday, he went to an even higher level. He beat a potential AA state champion from Glacier, and overall, he was simply one of the best players in the entire tournament, and that really speaks to how much he’s grown as a tennis player. It was very special to watch him do that well in his last Helena Invite.

“Kennedy and Trey also led us,” he added. “They have been getting better and better, and it showed in the way they played in Helena. And, it’s really great, because they haven’t peaked yet. They are going to keep getting better. And overall, I thought all of our boys did great. They got better, and they will be better for having played so well in Helena. I’m very proud of all of them.”

Senior Jerod Boles and junior Jake Sedahl won three times in the daunting No. 1 doubles bracket, while Dustin Haas and Tommy Brown each scored a win in singles for the HHS boys.

On the girls side, the senior duo of Reggie Bernard and Alara Vogel won twice in the No. 2 doubles draw, while Paige Nelson and Marca Herron each notched a win in singles, and Alex Donaldson and Megan Lindbloom advanced to the quarterfinals in the No. 3 doubles draw before falling twice.

“The girls also played really well,” Ferguson said. “It’s such a tough tournament, and it was really tough on our top girls because they all ran into some very good players. But, what I saw was how well our kids played against better players than they have seen all year. For this girls team, that matters much more to me than their records at the end of the weekend. All of our girls felt really good about the way they played, and that’s the most important thing for them. They gained experience and confidence and that will pay off in the next two weeks. So, I was very happy with what our girls team did in Helena.”

Of course, Helena is always a springboard for the Ponies into the postseason. And, with the important Lewistown Invitational looming this Saturday, and the divisional tournament just two weeks out, Ferguson said his teams got exactly what they needed out of the Helena tourney.

“I couldn’t have been more pleased,” he said. “It was so much fun to watch our kids play that well against such good competition. It’s exactly what we needed with the divisional tournament so close. We still have work to do, but our kids did a great job in Helena, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the coming weeks.”

Havre Results for Helena Invite

Jeff Miller – 3rd place Boys Singles 1

Jeff Miller, Hav, def. Jay Montagne, BS, 7-6, 6-4; Miller, Hav, def. Munn, CMR, 6-3, 6-2; ; Miller, Hav, def. Treece, MS, 6-4, 6-2; Miller, Hav, def. Johnson, Gla, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 10-5; Jeff Miller, Hav, def. Jacob Treece, MS, 6-4, 6-4; Cory Bowlby, HHS, def. Miller, Hav, 3-6, 7-6, 1-0 (11-9).

Dustin Haas - Boys Singles 2

Brock Belcher, CHS, def. Haas, Hav, 7-5, 6-4; Ryker McIntyre, Gla, def. Dustin Haas, Hav, 7-5, 6-4; Haas, Hav, def. Willimas, HHS, 6-4, 6-2.

Tommy Brown - Boys Singles 3

Welk, Flat, def. Brown, Hav, 6-4, 6-4; Tommy Brown, Hav, def. Sean McCallim, CHS, 5-7, 7-5, 1,0; Fox, Sky, def. Brown, Hav, 6-3, 6-4.

Boles/Sedahl - Boys Doubles 1

Boles/Sedahl, Hav, def. Buckingham/Luckword, Gla, 7-5, 7-5; Boles/Sedahl, Hav, def. Chelgren/Khan, Sky, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); Thoams/Driscoll, BS, def. Boles/Sedahl, Hav, 6-3, 6-2; Boles/Sedahl, Hav, def. Alex Romero/Taggart Sullivan, CHS, 6-3, 7-5; Johnson/Lunn, GFH, def. Boles/Sedahl, Hav, 7-6, 6-7 (12-10).

Hanson/Korb – Boys Doubles 2

Walker/Bakhuzien, BW, def. Hanson/Korb, Hav, 6-3, 3-6, 10-4; Ricketts/Molina, Liv, def. Hanson/Korb, Hav, 5-7, 6-3, 10-2.

Murphy/McKay – 4th place Boys Doubles 3

Gibbs/Dyre, MS, def.McKay/Murphy, Hav, 6-2, 0-6, 6-1; Collins/Kamp, Boz, def. McKay/Murphy, Hav, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; McKay/Murphy, Hav, def. Ellis/Dillon, Sky, 6-2, 6-2; McKay/Murphy, Hav, def. Robertson/Richards, GFH, 6-3, 7-3 (7-2); McKay/Murphy, Hav, def. Ricketts/Engbler, Liv, 6-3, 7-5.

Meggan Smith – Girls Singles 1

Mattie Shea, Boz, def. Meggan Smith, Hav, 6-2, 6-2; Hooten, Sky, def. Smith, Hav, 6-3, 6-2.

Paige Nelson – Girls Singles 2

Rayna Darrow, Flat, def. Paige Nelson, Hav, 5-7, 7-5, 11-9; Nelson, Hav, def. Boyd, Liv, 6-3, 6-3; Kraske, BS, def. Nelson, Hav, 6-4, 6-2.

Marca Herron – Girls Singles 3

Kathleen Schulz, HHS, def. Marca Herron, Hav, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6; Herron, Hav, def. Barnes, CMR, 6-4, 7-5; Pazmino, BS, def. Herron, Hav, 6-3, 6-2.

Huebsch/Stoner – Girls Doubles 1

Hays/Mailey, Boz, def. Huebsch/Stoner, Hav, 7-6 (1), 6-3; Burkett/Needs, HHS, def. Huebsch/Stoner, Hav, 6-4, 6-4.

Bernard/Vogel – Girls Doubles 2

Bernard/Vogel, Hav, def. Keck/Buchanan, MBS, 6-4, 6-3; Bernard/Vogel, Hav, def. Lane/Kujala, CMR, 6-4, 4-6, 10-5;

Lindbloom/Donaldson – Girls Doubles 3

Madden/Smith, Liv, def. Donaldson/Lindbloom, Hav, 6-4, 6-3; Donaldson/Lindbloom, Hav, def. Cassidy/Duffy, Bu, 4-6, 6-2, 11-9; Lundberg/Althof, HHS, def. Donaldson/Lindbloom, Hav, 6-3,6-4.