HHS harriers eager to race

The Havre High cross country team has been getting better and better under the direction of head coach Josh Holt and after a solid showing last season for both Havre teams, the sights are set even higher this season.

“So far I think things have gone really well,” Holt said. “We have good numbers, and the kids have really been working hard. I think both of our teams have a chance to do some really good things this season.”

While Havre didn’t earn any team trophies last season, with the boys or the girls, both Blue Pony teams enjoyed success. The girls finished sixth overall, with three runners finishing in the top 40, including Kadia Miller, who finished 12th to earn All-State honors.

“Kadia has been looking really good,” Holt said. “If we can just get her out of her comfort zone as a runner, she could do great things. I think she can be right there around the top five runners in class A.”

Miller certainly is the most decorated runner coming back for the Ponies, however, the girls team also boasts Tamera O’Leary, who finished 32nd at the state meet a season ago. Holt said another strong runner this season will be Grace Loftus, a junior, who was injured last season and didn’t compete in enough meets to qualify for state. If she had though, Holt said she would have been a state participant.

“Grace is a really strong runner,” Holt said. “She won the JV Fall Classic last year and that was her only meet. But she is healthy and strong now and I think she will do some good things. After that, those spots four through seven will be pretty interesting, we will have a lot of competition.”

Some of the contenders for those spots on the girls team will be Katie Wirtzberger, Emma Gillen, Rhoda Peterson, Aliviah Pratt, Savannah Stewart, Blakelee Lines, Hannah Haslem and Hannah Pratt.

The boys team also returns with a runner who should have all-state potential in 2018 and that’s Jakob Keller, who finished 19th last season. Cameron Pleninger and Noah Azure are two others who competed at state last season that are back in the fold for Havre. Some of the names that will be in the running for a spot on the boys varsity roster include Riley Pleninger, Ethan Durward, Noah Gjesdal, Sid Moffitt, Dylan Young, Austin Ratliff, Tysen Sangrey, Austin Delarosa, Kendall Pleninger, Christian Mathis, Torek Swenson, Ammon Lines, Joshua Williams and Hyram Cammon.

“There is going to be a lot of competition on our boys team,” Holt said. “Jakob will be one of our top runners, along with Noah and Cameron, but we have some others that are going to be interesting to watch. I am going to change things up a bit this year and really let them compete for those spots each and every week, so we will see how that plays out.”

While the other fall sports teams already started competition, the cross country team will open its season at the Cut Bank Time Trials this Friday. That will give the coaching staff a chance to see where all the kids stack up and will help determine the final varsity spots on both teams.

“Kids are going to have to earn it,” Holt said. “Those 4-7 spots on both teams are going to be interesting and there is going to be a lot of competition, so I am interested to see how that works out, but I feel good about the depth we have on both teams.”

Both Havre teams will take their top seven runners to the Class A state meet which will be held in Missoula this year. The meet will take place Oct. 20. Some of the other key meets for the Ponies will be the Mountain West Classic in Missoula Sept. 29, along with the Helena Preview Meet Oct. 4. Havre will also host the Fall Classic, a non-official divisional meet, which is set for Oct. 13.

The Ponies open the season Friday in Cut Bank.