2016 Pony teams to be unveiled Saturday

One of the great traditions of Havre High athletics are the annual Blue-White scrimmages, put on by the football and volleyball teams. The scrimmages signal the start of the fall sports season and in terms of the football team, it gives fans their first look at Blue Pony Stadium.

The Blue-White football game will also give Havre its first look at the 2016 Blue Ponies, along with a look at first-year head coach Ryan Gatch. Gatch inherits a team that went 7-3 a season ago and despite some losses to graduation, should contend for a spot in the Class A state playoffs once again.

Gatch and the Ponies will debut in the Blue-White game Saturday night. The scrimmage is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. The football scrimmage will follow the Blue-White volleyball game, which will be held earlier in the day inside the HHS gymnasium. It will start at 2 p.m.

“I think that the kids are looking forward to it," Gatch said. “Of course, that will mean that it’s the end of training camp and I think, whether you are in the NFL or playing high school football, that is always a happy moment. We have had about eight days to get better, and we have put a lot of hard work in. We have tried to install a lot of things and really figure out where everybody fits on the team, it’s been hard work, but it’s been fun.”

Gatch said that the Ponies will run a pretty traditional scrimmage that will last around 45 minutes for what he calls the veteran players. He said the the scrimmage would, for the most part, feature the No.1’s vs the No.2’s, although he said some positions are still up for grabs.

One spot where there is still some uncertainty is quarterback. Currently, Gatch said, two players are competing to take over the spot vacated by former All-State quarterback Dane Warp and they are juniors Trey Murphy and Ivar Aageson.

Gatch said that reps with the starting offense have been split evenly and that both quarterbacks have played well in camp, which has made the decision that much more difficult.

“It’s a good thing because both of them are playing really well right now,” Gatch said. “I think we are still just trying to see what each of them does well and put them in a position where they can succeed. But the idea is to give them the same amount of reps in the Blue-White game with the same group of players, that way we can get a good evaluation.”

Gatch also said that Havre fans will need to get used to a new offensive system, one that features a lot less of what would be considered a pro-style offense.

“I think you will see some different things,” Gatch said. “We will be doing less pro-style stuff than before. We are going to mix it up a little more, we will still do some of those things, but we will mix it up.”

But regardless of how things shake out Saturday, Gatch said he and his players were looking forward to getting back on the field and playing at Blue Pony Stadium.

“I think it’s always exciting,” Gatch said. “I think right now, the players are dragging a little bit, but when Friday comes around, they will have a little more hop in their step, knowing that is coming Saturday.”

However, before the football team takes the field, the HHS volleyball team will be in action inside the HHS gymnasium, as the Blue Pony volleyball team, under the direction of second-year head coach Tamecia Jarvis, makes it debut for 2016.

Last season, led by Jarvis and the outstanding play of Dani Wagner, Havre made its first trip to Class A state in nearly a decade. Wagner has graduated and the Ponies are also missing All-Conference standout Naomi Terry, who is unable to play due to injury, but HHS still boasts some talented returning players such as Jacey McDonald, Ceyara Plante and Claire Worm.

Jarvis also said that even though some may have carved out spots on the team, she is looking for roles to be filled and the Blue-White scrimmage could help determine that. Jarvis, who helped guide Havre to a third-place finish at the Eastern A Divisional last season, also said her team is excited to play in front of its hometown fans once again.

“It will be nice for us to get out there and see what we can do,” Jarvis said. “But, there is a lot of competition. I don’t have my starting six right now, we have 10 varsity players, but in terms of who plays and where, that’s still up to them.”

The Blue-White volleyball game will start at 2 p.m. inside the HHS gymnasium. The Blue-White football game will close out the big day Saturday with the action set to get underway at 5:30 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.