PONIES ON THE PRAIRIE

The Havre Invitational golf tournament is steadily becoming one of the best events on the Class A golf scene. And the 2017 version, played Thursday, was certainly proof of that.

The Havre Blue Ponies hosted a strong field of teams, including Laurel and Billings Central, two Eastern A powers, as well as Central A rivals Browning and Lewistown on a sun-drenched and windless day at Prairie Farms Golf Course. Junior varsity squads from Class AA Great Falls High and CMR were also in the field, and the day couldn't have gone any better according to HHS head coach Brett Gilman.

"It was a really good day," Gilman said. "Everybody seemed to enjoy it. I think all of the teams really liked the course. It was a really competitive tournament, and it was a fun day."

It certainly seemed as though every player liked the course. Billings Central's Liam Clancy shot a 3-under par 69 to earn medalist honors on the boys side, while Kinsey Irvin of Lewistown shot a 79 to win the girls tourney. Those scores were two of the best shot in the Havre Invite in recent times. In the team competition, Laurel, which was making its first trip to Havre, won a tight race against rival Billings Central. The Locomotives edged the Rams 311-312, with the GFH JVs coming in a distant third. The Locomotives also had three of the Top 5 individuals.

Thanks to Irvin, the Eagles ran away with the girls team title with a 370, but the Blue Ponies had a strong showing as well.

Junior Teagan Fee earned a Top 5 finish with a 98 for her 18-hole home debut. And all the way around, it was a consistent effort from the Pony girls, who finished second with a team score of 403. Senior Regan Lammers shot 100, junior Kinzee Peterson fired a personal best 102 and senior Grace Litzinger came in with a 103. And all four HHS girls brought their scores down considerably from the Great Falls Invitational earlier in the week.

"The girls played really well," Gilman said. "They are right where they should be at this point in the season, and, based on the way they played today, I'm really excited for the rest of the season."

From a scoring standpoint, things were much more difficult for the Pony boys. But that's because every Havre player, from varsity to JV, was playing his first high school golf tournament. The Ponies have only newcomers on the roster, so Thursday was about gaining experience and simply learning what high school golf is all about.

"It was all of their first day," Gilman said. "So it was a really good experience for all of them. It was good to get that first round under their belt, and I thought all of them really improved from the front nine to the back nine."

Freshman Nolan Lotton paced the Havre boys with a 110, while Caleb Chambliss added a 114 and sophomore Tyrel Kjersem shot 118. Clint Owens rounded out the Havre varsity scoring with a 130, while Trennis Riley led the Pony JV team with a 120.

Yes, boys or girls, Thursday was a good day for the Blue Ponies, and now, their season really kicks into high gear. The HHS boys and JV girls head to East Glacier today, while the Pony varsity teams will be right back in action with Monday's Belgrade Invitational, which will be played at the Riverside Country Club in Bozeman.

Havre Invitational At Prairie Farms

BOYS

Team Scores

Laurel 311, Billings Central 312, GFH 363, CMR 390, Lewistown 390, Havre 472, Browning 483

Top 5 Individuals

Liam Clancy, BC, 69; Paul O'Neil, LAU, 72; Carson Hackmann, LAU, 75; Nick Pasquarillo, BC, 77; Ryan Kellam, LAU, 80.

Laurel

Paul O'Neil 72

Carson Hackmann 75

Ryan Kallem 80

Cash Golden 84

Isaiah Broyles 85

Billings Central

Liam Clancy 69

Mathew Hayden 85

Nick Pasquarello 77

Malachi Stewart 81

Cole Wandelinder 105

GFH

Alec Good 89

Blake Othiem 94

Trenton Olson 89

Aiden Debrae 91

CMR

Zane Potratz 85

Landen Blades 90

Paul Morris 110

Oliver Heavyside 105

Carter Phillips 112

Lewistown

Caleb Myers 85

Zack Jensen 114

Dawson Southworth  100

Truman Pierce 95

Ben Kolar 110

Havre

Caleb Chambliss 114

Tyrel Kjersem 118

Nolan Lotton 110

Clint Owens 130

Havre JV

Hunter Velk 125

Trennis Riley 120

Jaren Randolph 144

Colby Tilleman 155

Browning

Mark Pollock 97

Ryan Kipp 144

Matthew Conway 138

Drifted Louis 128

Benny Kittson 120

GIRLS

Team Scores

Lewistown 370, Havre 403, Browning 422

Top 5 Individuals

Kinsey Irvin, LEW, 75; Perry Widdicombe, BC, 88; Abby Germeuax, LEW, 88; Makayla Labuff, BRW, 97; Teagan Fee, HAV, 98.

Lewistown

Kinsey Irvin 79

Abby Gremaux 88

Val Kolstad 100

Annie Franz 107

Jessi Bolton 132

Havre

Teagan Fee 98

Regan Lammers 100

Grace Litzinger 103

Kinzee Peterson 102

Havre JV

Jocelyn Staples 138

Makayla Lindbloom 164

Browning

Makayla LaBuff 97

Danaiya Polk 116

Jillian Sure Chief 100

Sequoia Butterfly 109

Latasha Fitzgerald 156

Laurel

Elise Shovar 98

Keli Hodges 103

GFH

KaLonna Gervais 133

Presley Birdrattler 111

Billings Central

Perry Widdicombe 88