One last run for the Blue Ponies

For the Havre High cross country teams, the 2016 season has all led up to one race and that race will finally take place this weekend, as both Blue Pony squads get set to compete in the Class A state meet.

The state meet, which will be held at Rebecca Farms in Kalispell, in an All-Class meet. The groups are divided by classification, but every cross country team in the state will be there. The Class A meets will begin with the girls competition at 1:45 p.m., Saturday, followed by the boys meet at 2:30.

“This is what we have worked for,” HHS head coach Josh Holt said. “We have been building up to this point, and I think that we have seen some really good things over the past few weeks, and I am expecting to see some very positive things.”

Last season, both Havre teams finished well back in the team standings, but HHS still had an All-State runner in Rachel David and another in Austin Jones, who fell just short of the mark.

Yet Jones is back for another chance this season and after finishing sixth at the Central A divisional meet last week, Jones has a strong chance to make All-State. Another Havre boy that has a chance to crack the top-15 and earn All-State honors is sophomore Jakob Keller, who also finished 10th at divisionals.

“I think that Austin and Jakob both have a chance to do really well this week,” Holt said. “They have been working really hard. It will be tough, because there are a lot of great runners in the state and the competition will be very tough but both of those guys have a chance.”

The rest of the Havre boys roster will include some runners that are making their first trip to the state meet, including Quinn Reno, Trevor Williams, Cameron Pleninger and Noah Azure. Barrett Kilgore, who competed at state last season, will also be in action for the boys team.

As far as the girls are concerned, the star of the show is Kadia Miller, who finished third at divisionals last week. The freshman has had a stellar campaign in her first year of high-school athletics, and she has an opportunity, according to Holt, to end it as an All-State runner.

“Kadia really has just had an exceptional season,” Holt said. “For her to do some of the things that she is doing as a freshman, are just incredible. But she has worked really hard, and it will be exciting to see what she can do this weekend.”

Yet Miller isn’t the only Havre girl who has a chance to do well this weekend. Kaylee Nystrom, who’s come on strong in recent, as evidenced by her sixth-place finish last week at divisionals, could also have a chance to finish around the top-15.

“Kaylee has just continued to get better and better,” Holt said. “For someone who has never run cross country before this season, she has done really well. She has just worked extremely hard, so that’s a credit to her.”

Outside of Miller and Nystrom, the top runner for Havre is senior Nicole Parsons, who also finished in the top-15 at divisionals. The other Pony girls that will be running at state for Havre are Amelia Miller, who was 14th at divisionals, as well as Melanie Jones, Lilly Tally and Meggie Zook.

“Our goal is for everyone to have their best time of the year,” Holt said. “That’s what we have been working towards and that’s what we’re looking for. We want to do better than we did last year, and I think that we have a chance to do some exciting things. We are really looking forward to it.”

Both Havre teams will compete in Kalispell Saturday. The girls meet will start in the afternoon at 1:45, followed by the boys meet at 2:30.