Pony Extra: Spectacular Debuts

The Havre Blue Ponies looked like a football team on a mission Friday night against Hardin and the reality is that they were. They were determined to put an end to their 12-game losing streak, a losing streak that dated back to September 2016.

And from very early in the game at Blue Pony Stadium Friday, you could tell the result was going to be different. When Reese Bulkley hit Ethan Roberts for a 46-yard touchdown on the first series of the game, you knew it was going to be a good night. It got even better after the Ponies recovered an onside kick and got three more points thanks to a 42-yard field goal from Max Olson, in what had to be one of the longest field goals in Havre High football history.

All in all, it was a night of firsts for the Ponies. It was their first win in 12 games, their first shutout win in 13 games and the first start of Bulkley. While the junior signal caller stole the show, there were some other stellar performances on the best night Havre football fans have had in a some time.

Bulkley era begins with a bang

There is a lot of great tradition within the Havre High football program and over the last few decades, the Ponies have had more than a few star quarterbacks. It's too early to tell if Bulkley is going to be the next great Havre quarterback but it's worth comparing his first start to some other recent Havre High greats.

Bulkley didn't have the kind of day that Gary Wagner did back in 2003 vs Sidney when he threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns or a game like Justin Jensen had in 2010, when he threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns against Whitefish. Yet Bulkley does join Wagner, Jensen and C.J. Evans as the only Havre quarterbacks to throw two or more touchdowns with zero interceptions in a first career start since the year 2000. Not surprisingly, all four quarterbacks led their respective Havre teams to victory. Bulkley's 47-yards rushing are also the highest of any first-time starter at quarterback in the last two decades.

Of course, it was just one game and with a tough, road test coming up this week at Lewistown, we should learn a lot more about Bulkley and the entire HHS football team.

Roberts' patience pays off

Following the Ponies 24-0 win over Hardin, there was plenty of emotion surrounding the team. After all, the victory ended a 12-game losing streak and gave HHS its first win in nearly two calendar years, so it was understandable. However, no one was more emotional than senior wide receiver Ethan Roberts, who said he almost didn't play football this season.

"This is just a great feeling," An emotional Roberts said Friday night after the win. "I almost wasn't going to come back, but I just love this sport and I had to do it for the team. I just tried to pour all of my heart into this for these boys."

Roberts was certainly instrumental in the win for the Ponies and might have been their best player overall. On offense, he caught seven passes for 134 scores and scored touchdowns from 46 and 43 yards out. On the second score, he out-fought two Hardin defenders for the ball and raced away to the end zone. Roberts was also solid on defense (three tackles) and on special teams (45 yards in punt returns) with some stellar returns, including one punt he returned for a touchdown, which was nullified by a penalty. It was a special night for Roberts and the fact that it was so productive, shouldn't surprise anyone.

"Ethan, he's a guy that can take advantage of some people," Gatch said. "We knew we had a good matchup with him. He's a tough guy to cover, and he made some big plays for us. (I'm) really happy for him."

Kellen Detrick makes a name for himself

Last season, Kellen Detrick earned some varsity snaps as a freshman but he wasn't quite ready to contribute consistently at the varsity level. Yet, as a sophomore, it's clear Detrick has turned a corner and Friday night against Hardin, he was the Ponies most dominant player defensively.

Early in the game, Detrick recovered a fumble and registered a sack, helping to set the tone for a Pony defense that allowed just one first down in the first half and that came off a penalty. As well as he started the game, Detrick finished just as strong and by the time he registered a sack in the fourth quarter, it was his third of the game. He also forced an intentional grounding call, which along with the fumble recovery, gave him five impact plays defensively in his first start.

"My dad taught me a lot about using my hands," Detrick said of his father Kino Detrick, who still holds the single season record for sacks at Montana State University-Northern. "He was really great at that. So, shout-out to him. He taught me a lot."

Detrick was part of a Havre defense that held Hardin to three first downs for the game and allowed the Bulldogs to cross midfield just once.

"It was a team effort," Detrick said. "Everyone was flying around, and we got some great calls from our coaches."

There were a lot of great efforts from the Ponies Friday night and if Havre can manage to have some repeat performances like that against Lewistown this week, the Ponies might achieve another first - their first winning streak since back-to-back wins over Browning and Livingston in 2016.