Carrying a bright tennis torch

There have been few high school sports teams in the area that have had the success that the Havre Blue Pony boys tennis team has had.

In the last 24 years, the boys tennis team from Havre has won 23 divisional championships. As of right now, the Ponies have won eight in a row and if the 2017 senior class has anything to say about that, it's going to be nine straight by the end of the day Saturday.

That's because this week is the start of the stretch run for the Havre tennis teams. The Central A Divisional tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday in Bozeman. And for the seniors on the 2017 boys tennis team, the sole focus is keeping the program's winning ways going.

"I think that we have a really good team environment," HHS senior Trey Hanson said. "We get along really well with each other and we have a really good team atmosphere. We also have a lot of guys that put in a lot of extra time and I think that's a big part of it."

Putting in extra time isn't something new for the boys on the Havre tennis team. For Jake Sedahl and Nate Korb, two of the veteran leaders on this year's team, it has simply come with the territory.

"I would have to agree with Trey," Sedahl said. "A lot of people on this team spend extra time practicing and working on things. Pretty much any night you drive by the tennis courts, you will see somebody there working on something."

Korb and Sedahl, who combine to form Havre's top doubles team, both have big hopes this week. Obviously, the first goal is to wrap up a berth at the 2017 Class A state tournament. But after putting together a stellar season, Sedahl and Korb have a good chance of winning the Central A doubles title.

Of course, that would be nothing new for Sedahl, who captured to double title at divisionals a year ago, playing alongside Jerold Boles. Sedahl and Boles also finished fifth at the state tournament.

Yet, with Boles gone due to gradation, along with Jeff Miller, who was a three-time finalist and 2014 state champion in singles for the Ponies, the burden of leading fell to Sedahl and Korb, as well as star singles player Dustin Haas, Hanson, Bobby Personett and Jase Stokes, who from a six-man senior class.

"We have just tried to be leaders for those who don't have as much experience," Korb said. "But we have had quite a few people on the team who were here last year, too, so we've just tried our best to be leaders."

"This group of seniors has done a lot for our program," Blue Pony head coach George Ferguson said. "They have been great leaders, including Bobby and Jase, who just joined us this season. But more than that, they all really fell in love with tennis. They got that passion for the game early in their careers, they got that passion from the older guys when they were young. And that's exactly how you continue on in a program. And this senior class has really helped keep our program moving forward."

While Haas, Korb, Sedahl and Hanson were the top veterans back on the team. Personett and Stokes are new seniors to the sport and they have added to the team's overall strength, as well as some underclassmen, who will play a big role for Havre this weekend.

"Jeff and Jerod were obviously really good players," Sedahl said. "And we knew they were going to be hard to replace, but we have some good players this year, too. And I think that we have more depth than we have before.

"I definitely think that we have more depth this year," Korb added. "And that's something that is really going to help us at divisionals and state."

Havre is set to go for its ninth consecutive divisional title this weekend and outside of some unforeseen struggles, the Pony boys will come away with the team title. Yet for this group there is much more at stake than a divisional title. They have their sights set on the state tournament and after the team has finished third in each of the past three seasons, the 2017 seniors are hoping that's another area where they can improve.

"I think the main thing is for us to have fun and try to win some matches," Korb said. "We want to keep the team success going, that is one of our big goals and all we can do is have fun and try our best.

"This group has been great, for many of them, since their freshman year, but this season, they have been an outstanding senior class," Ferguson said. "I think the guys that graduated the last couple of years would be very proud of how these guys have carried on the traditions and the integrity of our boys program. They got the torch passed to them, and soon it will be time for them to pass the torch on to others. I'm proud of this group, they've been just awesome to coach, and, because of the type of kids they are, when it's time for them to pass that torch, our program will continue to be in great hands."

The Ponies will head to the Central A Divisional this week, starting Thursday in Bozeman and concluding Saturday.