Blue Pony track teams make long-awaited return to Great Falls

The Havre High track teams are around a month away from the divisional and state track meets and starting with Saturday’s meet in Great Falls, the Blue Ponies are getting ready for the stretch run.

Both Havre track teams have just three varsity meets before the Eastern A Divisional meet in in Belgrade May 19-20. So HHS has the Belt-Fairfield All Comers Invite Saturday in Great Falls, followed by the Top Ten meet in Glasgow Tuesday and the Havre Invite May 6 to close out the regular-season schedule.

Both Havre teams performed well in their recent competitions as the Pony boys and girls squads both earned second-place showings at the Malta Invitational last Tuesday.

The girls team, which has scored points consistently all season long, will have its usual athletes in action. One of the top point-getters for Havre this season has been Logan Huebsch, who normally participates in the 100-meter and 300 hurdles, as well as the 400-meter relay.

Ireland Coyne is another Havre girl that has done well in the hurdles this season, while Grace Loftus, Tayler Marinkovich, Katie Wirtzberger and Jessa Chvilicek have all done well at one time or another in the sprints.

With Kristen Nash in the discus, along with Jordan Keith throwing the javelin and shotput, Havre has some solid depth in the throwing events. But the area where the Havre girls might be the strongest is in the jumps.

Sarah Faber has performed well in the high jump this year and Caitlyn Terry has placed routinely in both the long jump and triple jumps. Amelia Beard has also done well in jumping events for Havre, along with Chvilicek and in the pole vault, the Havre girls have Loni Waid.

“A lot of our girls are really coming along and doing some good things,” HHS head coach John Ita said. “They have still have a lot to learn. Our coaches are doing the best they can at teaching them all those little things, like how and when to warm up, but those things take time, but we are getting there.”

The boys, which surprised in its second-place finish in Malta, was led in large part by the distance runners such as Austin Jones who the 1,600 in Malta and helped the 1,600 relay team also take first. Noah Azure and Jakob Keller have also been consistent performers in the 3,200 and the 800 respectively, and in the 400, the Ponies have Jacob LaBrie.

This Havre boys team is young and still gaining experience, but as they have shown in recent weeks, it doesn’t mean the Ponies lack talent. Both Ethan Roberts and Martin Wilkie were new additions to the 1,600 relay team, which won the event in Malta.

Roberts should also help Havre in the sprinting events and Wilkie, along with Mason Rismon are starting to make some noise in the pole vault and could soon be another area of strength for Havre. Tanner Parsons is also making positive contributions in the jumps for a Havre team that is still looking for consistency.

Havre will be in Great Falls Saturday, before heading to Glasgow Tuesday for the annual Northeastern Top Ten track meet.