Friday Night Lights: A walk every Blue Pony lives to take

There are many great traditions when it comes to Havre High football. But there are none that mean more than the final walk Blue Pony players take in their last home game.

The walk, a time-held pastime for Havre football, is one where all the senior players walk hand-in-hand with the senior cheerleaders, across that 100-yard stretch of gridiron one last time at Blue Pony Stadium.

“I have been watching it for the last four years,” HHS senior Jase Stokes said. “And I know that it’s been emotional for those guys. It kind of flew by and it’s kind of weird thinking that I have to do that now, but it will be cool to finally do it.”

Tonight, regardless of what happens against Polson in Havre’s regular-season finale at Blue Pony Stadium, it will be the final time this year’s seniors will play on their home field donning the royal blue. While the game will be the last at home for the Ponies, it may also be their last of the season, which will largely depend on the outcome of their showdown with Northwest A champ Polson.

The Ponies, who can do no better than third in the Central A, still have a chance to make the playoffs, via the Class A wildcard system, but will likely need either a win over Polson or a loss by Miles City to Glendive in order to make that happen.

Stokes, who has put together a monster season for Havre in 2016, said that even though senior night will bring about plenty of emotion, he and his teammates are looking forward to the challenge of trying to play their way into the postseason.

“We have been looking forward to this opportunity all week,” Stokes said. “It will be emotional for sure, but the fact that we get to play Polson on senior night is big. We get to have the chance to beat a good team. It will be fun. I am just going to leave it all out on the field and do everything that I can do and see what happens from there.”

Stokes has put together a great season for Havre, but he’s far from the only senior that has stood out. In truth, it’s been a stellar senior class across the board, featuring 10 players total who will take the walk tonight, including Isaac Warp, Nate Korb, Dane Flammond, Chris Gabrielsen, Jacob LaBrie, Jared Sienkowski, Cody Rennick, Will Thomas and Jake Sedahl.

“It’s going to mean a lot to me,” Warp said. “Playing (at Blue Pony Stadium) has been important to me. I played there with my brother and I have played with my teammates, some of them for 10 years now. I am going to give it my all during the game and, afterwards, I am going to be happy that I got to finish with the kids that I started with.”

Obviously, not everyone who starts playing football in middle school or even in high school finishes. This year’s group of seniors has 10 total and their objective tonight in their final home game is to give it all they have, for each other.

“I am not looking forward to it. I am looking forward to the game, but not playing at Blue Pony Stadium for the last time,” Gabrielsen said. “I remember we started out with about 30 kids playing in middle school. Now, we are down to eight or nine, or whatever it is, that are on the field. So we have been together through it all and, at this point, it feels more like being part of a family than a team. The realization that you are going to be done playing for your school, that’s going to be tough. I don’t think any of us want to give up football just yet, but that gosh darn Father Time will do that to you.”

For every Havre football player, taking part in the walk brings a tremendous sense of pride. It symbolizes the end of one chapter in life, as well as the beginning of another. In that way, there is nothing quite like high school football. The memories created last forever, but thankfully, the 2016 Ponies have a chance to make one more lasting memory, by upsetting Polson and sending out the senior class in style.

“It’s going to be an emotional game,” Korb said. “We are going to go out there and play the best that we can and try to have fun and try to get into the playoffs. The walk will be emotional, the last time playing at Blue Pony Stadium. We have a tight group of seniors. We mean a lot to each other and that will be the hard part.”

Win or lose, the 2016 seniors will make memories tonight — memories that will last them a lifetime. And at the end of the day, win or lose, that’s what will really matter.

“It’s always important,” HHS head coach Ryan Gatch said. “The senior walk is important for everyone involved. Some of these kids won’t get the chance to play football again, some will and some won’t, but they won’t get to ever play in an environment again like the one at Blue Pony Stadium, so it’s important for us and our seniors to end on a positive note and take advantage of this final chance to play at such a cool place.”