M&M Boys earn tennis glory

Trey Murphy and Kennedy McKay have endured a lot during their careers as Havre High tennis players. But after winning the Class A doubles title last Friday, the long-time doubles partners will have something to share for the rest of their lives.

The pair of Blue Ponies got to the state title match with a thrilling victory Friday in Polson over undefeated Corvallis, rallying in each of the two sets to win 7-6, 7-5. The two then beat a duo from Hardin in the championship match, bringing home the seventh Class A state doubles championship in the history of Pony tennis and the fifth under current head coach George Ferguson.

"Trey and Kennedy put together an incredible season," Ferguson said. "One of the most impressive and special seasons in Havre High doubles. And they finished it with the best possible result, a state championship. So I'm extremely proud of them, because it was the goal for them all season long. They didn't really have a secondary goal. They wanted to win a state championship, and because of that goal, they put a lot of pressure on themselves this season. So to do what they did, that takes a lot of focus and hard work, but it also takes a lot of mental toughness. And they showed that throughout the year. They were extremely tough mentally and never more so than at state, both in the semifinals and the championship match. Because when you get to that level, it's never going to be easy or just go smoothly. It takes a lot of mental toughness to win at that level, and they had that in spades. So I'm really proud of them for that."

While Murphy and McKay won for a lot of reasons - skill, toughness and mental fortitude - when the times got tough, a little humor went a long way.

"In tennis, if you get down 5-2 in a set, they call it the dreaded," Murphy said. "That's when you are supposed to come back and be able to win. So I looked at Kennedy and I said why not us, and we actually came back and did it. We were down 5-2 in the first set and 5-1 in the second set and we came back and won them both."

After getting to the state title match, the two fell behind again, 4-3 in the first set. But from there, it was smooth sailing. Murphy and McKay won the final three games of the first set and won easily in the second, giving Havre its first state champion since Jeff Miller won an individual state title back in 2014.

"It felt really good," McKay said. "It felt like we accomplished what we have been wanting for the past four years. We finally got it done. I think about how much we have grown together, and how we have a brotherhood has helped us a lot. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses."

McKay and Murphy have been doubles partners for the past four years. McKay has a history of tennis, as his mother was a former Blue Pony tennis player who placed at state during her high school career.

"I definitely think that helped us," McKay said. "She was always there and we could hear and even though we might not have always liked it, like when we were down, it probably helped us."

Murphy, on the other hand, said he never really saw himself as a tennis player. Yet, he started playing as a freshman and it has progressed from there.

"Tennis was the last sport that I ever picked up," Murphy said. "And I never thought I would play tennis, but I fell in love with it."

According to Ferguson, the transformation and development of both Murphy and McKay has been something to watch the past few seasons.

"It's amazing now to look back on what Trey and Kennedy have gone through and achieved in their careers," Ferguson said. "They didn't come into our program with a major tennis pedigree. They really built this all from the ground up, and I think that's what makes this state championship so rewarding and special for them. They had to progress through the years to get here. They had to learn the sport, and doubles, and it took time. They had to go through all the ups and downs and the learning curves and even some disappointments and tough times to get to where they are now.

"And they are state champions because they were so dedicated to the sport, to the program and to becoming really good tennis players, both as individual players and as a team," Ferguson continued. "That's something I really admire about them, is their dedication and work ethic in tennis. They never got complacent or satisfied. They kept wanting to be better, they kept wanting to achieve more than they did the year before. They never stopped working at it. They put in time in the offseason, they worked with me, they asked questions, they asked for help, they showed a desire to get better, and it paid off for them, because they ended their careers in the best possible way, by winning the last Class A doubles match of the season. So this is a state championship that was earned through hard work, a lot of hard work, and through a will and a desire to get there. It's really cool to look back now on their career, and see where they started and where they ended up. It's just awesome, and it's something they should be very proud of."

While everything is focused on the state title they just won, the reality is that Murphy and McKay put together a spectacular senior season. The combo posted a 31-3 record and nabbed a Central A Divisional title to go along with their state doubles title. In the process, they went undefeated in the postseason and, in fact, didn't drop a single set, even against a Corvallis squad that was unbeaten going into the state semifinals. It was a crowning achievement, no doubt, and one that will be remembered in the annals of Havre High tennis for a long time to come.

"I'm just so happy for them," Ferguson said. "They really deserve those medals around their neck. They proved to themselves, and to everybody in the state that they are exactly what they set out to be, a great doubles team, great tennis players and, above all else, state champions. They also etched their names into the story book of Havre High tennis, and I might be biased, but we have a pretty proud and awesome story book in our program. So this is something that they'll have for the rest of their lives, this is something no one can ever take away from them. And for me, it's just special because no matter what the results were going to be at the end of this season, I was already so proud of them, and so honored to be their coach. I just love those guys, and they've meant so much to me personally. I loved every minute of coaching of them the last four years. And they were already great in my book. But to see them at the top of that podium, and to be able to add their names to our wall of fame at the tennis courts, that is something that just makes me so proud, because not only are they great tennis players and great student-athletes, but they're great kids, who do it the right way. So it's just been an honor to be their coach, and while I'm going to miss them, and our program is really going to miss them next spring, what they achieved in Polson will always be remembered. They will always be state champions."