HHS netters off to a good start

There hasn't been much fun to be had in the first two weeks of the 2018 spring sports season. That changed however for the Havre High tennis teams Saturday in Cut Bank.

Despite winter grasping firmly to much of Montana, the Blue Pony netters got their regular season started thanks to the two indoor tennis courts in Cut Bank. The Ponies met up the with the host Wolves, as well as a handful of players from Conrad Saturday, and Havre got in a ton of matches, which was exactly what longtime head coach George Ferguson was hoping for.

"It was a great day," Ferguson said. "We took 22 kids down to Cut Bank and we played a ton of tennis. The kids really had a good day and were very successful. But the most important thing was just the fact that we played tennis. It's been a rough start to this season, so it was a lot of fun to watch our kids have a day that we would consider normal."

Normal indeed. While much of Class A doesn't start their season until later this week, the Cut Bank Invite is always the jumping off point for the Ponies. And while Havre expected to be rusty given how little practice time it has had this season, Ferguson said that rust came off very quickly, and in total, the Ponies lost just seven matches the entire day.

"I think the kids even surprised themselves," Ferguson said. "They played really well. We literally have only played points in practice one day so far, and we also had several days in the gym. So we were behind going into Cut Bank, and yet we played really well, and got better and better as the day went on. To me, that really speaks to how hard these kids have worked, and how much they've put into the sport. All the offseason stuff they've done, that is really showing because they were getting into form really quickly in Cut Bank."

On the boys side, Havre won 11 of 14 matches, with Tommy Brown, Tyrel Kjersem, Vander Swensen and Kendall Holden all going 2-0 in singles. Kennedy McKay and Brady Ophus were also 2-0 in doubles, while Jake Huston and Reese Bulkley went 1-1, and knocked off a team from Cut Bank that finished third at the Class B-C state tournament last spring.

The Havre girls enjoyed plenty of success, too. Havre won 12 of 16 matches on the day, with Paige Nelson, and Kadyn and Cassidy Acor going unbeaten in singles. McKenzie Tommerup also won one of two matches, while the doubles teams of Marcee Murphy and Devyn Solomon, Katie and Alex Donaldson, Baylee Miller and Nelson, Teagan Fee and Brynn Nault and Miller and Kadyn Acor each won at least one match as well.

So, while Havre piled up plenty of victories on the opening day of its regular season, that wasn't what impressed Ferguson the most. He said it wasn't just the fact that his kids played so well, but it was their attitude and positivity that stood out.

"I told the kids before we got off the bus, to embrace this day, to make the absolute most out of it," Ferguson said. "We preach that every single day, but it was especially important given where we're at with this bad spring we're having. I wanted them to really relish the opportunity to play real tennis matches, because, with this crazy weather, we just aren't ever going to know when we're going to get back on the court again.

"And the kids took that to heart," he continued. "They were just awesome. They competed hard, they were really energetic all day long, and most importantly, they had a lot of fun competing for the first time this season. And with all of that, they also played some really good tennis. They really got their season off to a strong start, and Saturday was a perfect day to look at and build from there. So I couldn't be more pleased and more excited about Saturday and what we got out of it. It was just a really fun, exciting day of tennis."

The Pony varsity teams aren't slated to play again until the Havre Invitational, which is scheduled for March 6-7.

Cut Bank Invitational

Boys

Tommy Brown, HAV def. Javier Fuermayer, CON, 8-5; Tyrel Kjersem, HAV def. Ron Barnhill, CON, 8-3; Kennedy McKay/Brady Ophus, HAV def. Matt/Kraft, CB, 8-2; Estey/Meiwald, CB def. Jake Huston/Reece Bulkley, HAV, 8-6; Matt/Estey, CB def. Ethan Roberts/Troy Powell, HAV, 8-1; Kendall Holden, HAV def. Ethan Cliver, CON, 8-4; Vander Swensen, HAV def. Ethan Wittmeir, CON, 8-3; Tommy Brown, HAV def. Colby Kraft, CB, 8-7 (4), Tyrel Kjersem, HAV def. Dawson Matt, CB, 8-6; Kennedy McKay/Brady Ophus, HAV def. Meiwald/Vermlum, CB, 8-2; Jake Huston/Reese Bulkley, HAV def. Matt/Kraft, CB, 8-7 (5); Vermlum/Kraft, CB def. Ethan Roberts/Jack Johnsrud, HAV, 8-5; Kendall Holden, HAV def. Vermlum, CB, 8-4; Vander Swensen, HAV def. Vermlum, CB, 8-7 (4).

Girls

Paige Nelson, HAV def. Megan Barrett, CB, 8-7 (4); Riley Bird, CB def. McKenzie Tommerup, HAV, 8-6; Marcee Murphy/Devyn Solomon, HAV def. Seifert/Edinger, CB, 8-5; Alex Donaldson/Katie Donaldson, HAV def. First Rider/Schmitt, CB, 8-4; Baylee Miller/Paige Nelson, HAV def. Anderson/Frydelund, CB, 8-1; Cassidy Acor, HAV def. Sarah Edinger, CB, 8-2; Kadyn Acor, HAV def. Frydelund, CB, 8-2; Paige Nelson, HAV def. Siefert, CB, 8-2; McKenzie Tommerup, HAV def. Courtney Anderson, CB, 8-2; Barrett/Bird, CB def. Marcee Murphy/Devyn Solomon, HAV, 8-2; Frydenlund/Siefert, CB def. Alex Donaldson/Katie Donaldson, 8-4; Jaycee/Katelyn, CB def. Teagan Fee/Brynn Nault, HAV, 8-4; Cassidy Acor, HAV def. Anderson, CB, 8-0; Kadyn Acor, HAV def. First Rider, CB, 8-0; Teagan Fee/Brynn Nault, HAV def. First Rider/Schmitt, CB, 8-6; Baylee Miller/Kadyn Acor, HAV def. First Rider/Schmitt, CB, 8-1.