THE BIGGEST RACE

This is the weekend that every high school swimmer dreams about. All of the laps, all of the training, all of the races, it all comes down to two days and a few minutes inside the Swarthout Pool in Great Falls.

The Havre High boys and girls swim teams begin the two-day Montana State Swimming Championships today in Great Falls. The Ponies will swim the preliminaries today, while consolation and championship finals will be held Saturday.

"I've emphasized to the kids all year that, in order to achieve our goals of winning, we have to swim perfect meets as a team and as individuals," HHS head coach Bill Kilgore said. "We finally accomplished that at our Havre Invitational and reaped the rewards. Going into the state meet it's the same concept. We have to be perfect as a team, and that includes me as a coach. The swimmers have to swim at their top level, but it is my job to get them there and have them ready."

The Ponies certainly appear ready.

The Havre girls come in as the defending Class A state champions, and, the Ponies could be poised for a repeat. The team points race in Class A will come down to the Ponies and perennial power Billings Central, but of course, the races include AA and A swimmers, so really, it comes down to who can score more points individually against the bigger schools.

And Havre has the swimmers to do it.

Junior Amelia Miller is a returning state placer in the 500-yard freestyle, and she'll lead HHS into the state meet. Miller will swim the 200 and 100 free at the state meet as well. Sophomore Ally Padgett is a final's contender for the ponies too, and her strength will be in the 100 butterfly. Sophomore Hannah Lunak will look to score in the 100 backstroke, while Havre has a contender in Laura Vance in the 100 breaststroke. Vance, along with Aria Pratt and Lace Huseby will also swim the 50 free, while Huseby and Jessica Otto will swim the 100 free as well, and Pratt will swim the 100 breaststroke.

As usual, the Ponies will also look to their relay teams to keep them in the title hunt. Havre's freestyle relay teams have been outstanding all season long. Lunak, Padgett, Pratt and Miller will swim the 400 and 200 free relays, while Lunak, Vance, Otto and Padgett will swim the 200 medley relay.

Of course, the Havre girls have big goals this weekend in Great Falls, but so do the Blue Pony boys. Havre is taking one of its strongest teams to state in recent years, and while Billings Central is certainly the Class A favorite, the Pony boys are capable of making a big splash.

The freestyle races will be one of HHS' strengths with Shane Friede and Mason Sandstrom leading the way in the 50 free. Sandstrom should also do well in the 100 free, while Barrett Kilgore will swim the 200 free. Ethan Lines will also be a contender in the 100 butterfly, as will Shandon Oberquell in the 100 breaststroke.

Lines and Clayton Twombly will also swim the 50 free for the Ponies, while Twombly, Oberquell and Paxtin McCann will swim the 100 butterfly, Kilgore, McCann and Aylan Pratt will swim the 100 free, and Pratt will also compete in the breaststroke.

Havre's relay teams will also be strong as Jacob Miller, Pratt, Lines and Friede swim the 200 medley, Friede, Pratt, Sandstrom and Miller go in the 200 free and Lines, Miller, Friede and Sandstrom swim the 400 free.

And while both Pony teams are swimming for hardware this weekend in Great Falls, they're also swimming for pride and for themselves. And no one is more proud of them already than their first-year head coach.

"It's like a test," coach Kilgore said. "We've studied and studied and put in the hard work, but is it the right work and have we studied the right material? Those questions will be answered in the pool in Great Falls on Friday and Saturday. Clearly I have high hopes for this team, but I know that the competition is fierce. All I can ask is that each swimmer give as much as they can and do the best that they can. Let the chips fall where they may. I am proud to take this team to the Montana State Meet to represent Havre High School."

The 2017 Montana State Swimming Championships begin today and run through Saturday afternoon at the Swarthout Pool in Great Falls.