Bulldogs nip Ponies in opener

Winning on the road is never easy and last Friday night in Hardin, the Havre Blue Ponies were reminded of that fact.

In its first game of the season, the Havre High football team was plagued by turnovers and missed opportunities, as it fell to Eastern A rival Hardin 15-7.

The Ponies are 0-1 and will try to even their record this Friday at home against Lewistown.

"We had execution issues and had some unforced errors," HHS head coach Ryan Gatch said. "We had some substitution issues and we just had some miscues. Once we had a first-and-goal at the seven and then we snap the ball over the quarterback's head and all of a sudden we are back on the 30-yard line. We had three times when we were down there with a first down inside the 20-yard line and we didn't come away with any points."

One of the biggest differences early in the game was the Bulldogs domination on the ground. Codi Small, who scored both of Hardin's touchdowns, rushed for close to 200 yards, while Havre as a team, was held to minus five yards rushing.

"One thing that we need to do is get more physical," Gatch said. "That is going to be a big focus for us this week. We had some guys who were a little flat footed out there, so we need to get out and coach them up."

Despite a non-existent ground game, Havre still trailed just 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and thanks to a nine-yard touchdown pass from Trey Murphy to Ivar Aageson in the second, HHS tied the score at 7-7, which was the score at halftime.

"Offensively, we did a nice job moving the ball," Gatch said. "And we got the touchdown there to Ivar, but we just had trouble finishing drives and weren't able to score any more points, so that was frustrating."

With the score tied in the third quarter, Hardin again turned to the running game and the Ponies were unable to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone as Small scored for the second time, putting Hardin in front 15-7.

Even though Havre trailed by eight points, there was plenty of time on the clock to mount a comeback. However, two interceptions by Small, when the Ponies were driving, helped Hardin preserve the lead.

Still, the Ponies had a chance to tie the game late, but despite moving the ball to Hardin's side of the field, Havre turned it over on downs, which allowed the Bulldogs to run out the clock.

"Even on that last drive, we did a good job of getting the ball back to our offense in pretty good field position," Gatch said. "We just weren't able to take advantage of it."

While Havre struggled to establish anything on the ground, the passing game was also a bit off. Murphy was sacked a number of times and completed just 17-of-40 passes for 193 yards. He also threw one touchdown compared to two interceptions.

Ethan Roberts was the leading receiver on the night for Havre, as he hauled in 10 passes for 86 yards. Aageson also had a solid night, catching four for 70. Mason Dionne, Havre's top rusher, garnered just eight yards on 19 carries.

On the defensive side of the ball, Tony Antley led the way with five tackles and one tackle for loss. Kellen Detrick also pitched in with three tackles and a fumble recovery.

"At the end of the game, obviously everyone was disappointed from the coaches to the players, because we had ample opportunities, we just didn't capitalize on them," Gatch said. "I guess overall, we are disappointed that we lost, but you should be disappointed anytime you lose. It's just a matter of how you respond to it. So it will be an interesting week of practice."

Havre (0-1) will be back in action Friday night for its home opener at Blue Pony Stadium. The Ponies will take on Lewistown with the kickoff set for 7 p.m.

Hardin 15, Havre 7

Havre 0 7 0 0 - 7

Hardin 7 0 8 0 - 15

Har - Codi Small run (PAT good)

Havre - Ivar Aageson 9 pass from Trey Murphy (PAT good)

HAR - Small run (2-point good)

Havre Individual stats -

Passing - Trey Murphy 17-40, 193.

Rushing - Mason Dionne 19-8, Jeremiah Hughes 3-2, Jazz Schroeder 1 (-5), Trey Murphy 6 - (-15).

Receiving - Ethan Roberts 10-86, Ivar Aageson 4-70, Dawson Kinsella 1-15, Brady Ophus 1-15, Jacob Irvin 1-7.