Cowboys wrangle Blue Ponies in regular season finale

The Havre High football team was hoping to end its season on a high note Friday in Miles City, but instead the Blue Ponies fell victim to the hottest team in the Eastern A.

Havre and Miles City, two long-time rivals who have played numerous times in the playoffs over the years, met again in Miles City, but this time it was a one-sided affair as the Cowboys stomped the Blue Ponies 57-13.

“It's hard to say that I am happy,” HHS head coach Ryan Gatch said. “But I was pleased with the way the kids played and competed. They never gave up and fought until the end.”

Miles City jumped out to an early lead after two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter made it 14-0. Down 21-0, Havre got back into it momentarily, following a touchdown run by Mason Dionne, which made the score 21-7.

However, another Miles City touchdown before the half and three more in the third quarter, including a 49-yard interception for a score, meant Cowboys went ahead 49-7 after three quarters.

The score was 57-7 in the fourth quarter, when Dionne found the end zone for the second time on the ground making the final 57-13.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Gatch said, “but we are a young team, we don't have a lot of juniors and seniors, so we are still building. We had a lot of guys that we didn't think would play and they did a great job, but we were just a young team and I think that showed, but I think we have some good pieces here for the future.”

Turnovers plagued the Ponies again in the loss. Quarterback Trey Murphy threw two interceptions, while Dionne also threw one. Havre also lost a fumble. Miles City racked up 359 yards rushing in the win, compared to 236 yards total for HHS.

Murphy finished 20-of-33 for 177 yards. Dionne also contributed with 56 yards rushing and two scores. Ivar Aageson was the leading receiver with six catches for 66 yards. Jacob Irvin added six for 50 and Brady Ophus had four for 48. Tanner Parsons also added five tackles and one tackle for loss, while Dionne had eight total tackles as well as a tackle for loss.

“We had some guys that had nice games,” Gatch said. “Jacob Irvin had six catches, that is the most he has ever had. Ivar also had some nice plays for us on offense and defense; Tanner Parsons did some nice things.”

With the loss, Havre finished the season 0-9. Miles City on the other hand, ended the season 7-2 after winning its last seven games. The Cowboys finished fourth in the conference. Sidney got the top seed in the Eastern A, followed by Billings Central and Laurel. Lewistown finished fifth and Glendive earned the last playoff spot by getting sixth.

Havre had a rough season for sure. But Gatch said there was reason to be hopeful about the future.

“We have a lot of guys that got some really good experience,” Gatch said. “It hurts that we lose Trey (Murphy), and we are going to have to replace him and some other seniors, but we got a lot of young guys coming back and that gives us something to build on for next year. The truth is we don't have a lot of 18-year-old guys, we have had a lot of freshmen and sophomores, so that will start to change.”

Miles City 57, Havre 13

Havre 0 7 0 6 - 13

Miles City 14 14 21 8 - 57

M - 22 yard run (kick good)

M - 29 yard run (kick good)

M - 11 pas (kick good)

H - Masion Dionne 1 run (kick good)

M - 43 run (kick good)

M - 1 run (kick good)

M - 10 pass (kick good)

M - 49 interception return (kick good)

M - 9 run (conversion good)

H - Dionne 2 run (PAT no good)

Havre Individual stats

Passing - Trey Murphy, 21-33 176.

Rushing - Mason Dionne, 18-56; Jeremiah Hughes, 6-5; Trey Murphy, 1 (-7).

Receiving - Ivar Aageson, 6-66; Jacob Irvin, 6-50; Brady Ophus, 4-48; Mason Dionne, 3-9; Tanner Parson, 2-3.