Spring sports set to go out with a bang

The last weekend in May is always a great time for high school sports. It's state weekend with tennis, track and softball all holding their state tournaments simultaneously.

In terms of local teams, it's a busy weekend. The Blue Pony tennis team is in Kalispell for the Class A state tournament, while the Havre High softball team is in Sidney for its version of the state tournament. And today, state track meets get underway, as Havre and local Class C teams head to Laurel. At the same time, Class B athletes from Harlem, will be in Butte for the Class B/Class AA combined track meets.

In short, this weekend is the last hurrah for high school sports in the state of Montana, at least for this school year. Once track, tennis and softball wrap things up, it will be onto summer, which means time for baseball, the fair, the rodeo and of course the sweltering temperatures that accompany those activities.

But before we move too quickly into the next season of sports, we should take a second to look back at the spring season that was and still is, at least for a couple more days. Certainly, there have been a lot of great storylines along the Hi-Line this spring, the Fort Benton girls for one, come to mind.

A year ago, the Longhorns won the District 9C track meet and the Northern C Divisional, only to put together a relatively quiet performance at 2016 Class C state track. However, this time around, Fort Benton has more than enough firepower to stand atop the team podium come Saturday.

With throwers, sprinters, jumpers, pole vaulters and hurdlers, all capable of racking up points, the Longhorns have built a true track power, one that might not be going away anytime soon with Leah Gannon, Maddy Thompson and many others slated to be back next year.

Fort Benton has gotten much of the attention when it comes to Class C track and it's deserved, but the Chinook girls are also going to make some noise this weekend and truthfully, it's not beyond the realm of possibility for both the Sugarbeeters and Longhorns to bring home a team trophy, especially with the dynamic Megan Molyneux, anchoring the Beeters in the 100-meter dash, the 200 and the relays.

Yet, one interesting thing about track, is that even though it's a team sport, it's also about individual achievement. And while the Harlem Wildcats may not have enough to win any team titles, athletes like Reece Hutton and Damon Adams, still have a chance to make a name themselves, as does freshman runner L'Tia Lawrence, who could place for the Harlem girls in the 1,600 and the 3,200.

Like track, tennis is an individual sport, except of course when playing doubles. And this weekend, for the Blue Ponies, it might be the doubles team of seniors Nate Korb and Jake Sedahl that brings home some state hardware for HHS. The two veterans played their way to a Central A doubles championship last weekend and could be in the mix for another trophy at state.

The girls team, with just Paige Nelson playing, will not contend for a team trophy, but the Havre boys will, as Havre's other doubles team of Trey Murphy and Kennedy McKay should score points, along with singles player Trey Hanson. 12 times in head coach George Ferguson's tenure, the Pony boys have brought home a trophy from state and it wouldn't be shocking at all to see them bring home number 13.

Additionally, the Havre softball team, which lost its opening game at the state softball on a walk-off home run by Columbia Falls Thursday, will attempt to keep itself alive and swinging for as long as possible.

Regardless of what happens this coming days, spring sports will be over for 2017, which is why those of us who enjoy them, should sit back and celebrate one of Montana's truly great sports weekends.