Time to tee it up at state

It may have seemed like just yesterday that the Havre High golf teams were teeing off on the beginning of their season. Now however, the end is near.

Friday, four HHS girls and five boys will tee it up at the Class A state tournament, which will be played over 36 holes at the Hamilton Country Club. The tournament will feature every Class A school, with favorites on the boys side including Hamilton, Laurel and Stevensville. On the girls side, Whitefish, Laurel and Billings Central are strong contenders.

Meanwhile, for Havre, the tournament will be an exciting experience.

The Blue pony girls have three returning players from last year's state tourney team starting with senior Teagan Fee, who is a two-time All-Stater. Kinzee Peterson is playing in her third straight state tournament, while Jocelyn Staples also has postseason experience. Freshman Sophie Kirkpatrick rounds out the HHS lineup.

On the boys side, Havre's Nolan Lotton has state experience, but overall the Ponies are a very young team. Junior Tyrel Kjersem posted a Top 5 at last week's Central A while sophomores Josh Warp, Clint Owens and Caleb Chambliss are also headed to state.

"The divisional tournament was good for our kids," HHS coach Walynn Burgess said. "Now they see a little better what they need to focus on heading to state."

The Class A state tournament starts Friday and concludes Saturday in Hamilton.