Blue Pony netters take their shot at state glory in Kalispell

The Class A state tennis tournament has always been a place the Havre Blue Ponies have thrived. In just the last 17 seasons, the Pony boys and girls have combined to win six state championships and bring home 18 top three trophies.

So, it would stand to reason that the 10 Ponies headed to this weekend's 2019 Class A state tournament in Kalispell, have a great chance to add to the trophy case in the hallowed halls of HHS. And the tournament, which runs Thursday and Friday, has 18-year HHS head coach George Ferguson excited.

"I'm so excited for our kids," Ferguson said. "The 10 kids who have made it this far, they've worked hard for this. They've been through a lot. They deserve this moment. And they're all ready. They're going to do great. We're taking two really good teams to state, and I just can't wait to get to Kalispell and see them do what they do."

What the Pony boys do is compete for team and individual titles, seemingly every year. In 2018, Havre scored the second-most points with 18, and crowned then-seniors Trey Murphy and Kennedy McKay as Class A doubles champs.

Fast forward one year, and Havre has another five boys primed for a state run, including senior Tommy Brown and junior Tyrel Kjersem, who played at last year's state tourney separately, but now come into the final weekend of the season as the Central A doubles champions.

And boys doubles will be a strength for the Ponies, as juniors Reese Bulkley and Jake Huston finished runner-up to Brown and Kjersem at last week's Central A Divisional and have been stellar all season.

"Both of our doubles teams are very, very good," Ferguson said. "They have played well all season long, but most importantly, they've gotten better and better as the season has went on. And they've pushed each other every day, and that's exactly what you want to see.

"Tommy, this is his last go-around, and he and Tyrel had an excellent divisional tournament. They are a really strong pairing even though they only played this season together. And Jake and Reese, they've been together from day one of their freshman year, and they've really grown. Last year, they came within a couple of points of going to state, and that really motivated them, and they've been really tough this season. Those two doubles teams are going to do a lot of damage in Kalispell, and I know, they're both teams no one wants to play. They both have a chance to rack up big points and be very special in Kalispell."

Havre's boys, which will be up against tough teams from Hardin, Dillon, Whitefish and Corvallis, will be special this weekend too because of sophomore singles player Josh Warp, who rounds out the Ponies' state lineup. Warp has been Havre's No. 1 singles player all season long, and finished second at the Central A Divisional. And while he's had plenty of growing pains through his first season atop the HHS lineup, Ferguson said he's impressed with how far he's come.

"Josh has grown so much this season," Ferguson said. "And it hasn't been easy. Josh is a competitor and he wants to win as bad as anybody on our team. But, when you're young and you play that number one spot, you have to go through a lot of ups and downs. It's just kind of the nature of high school tennis. And Josh has gone through that this season, but, it's also made him so much tougher and his game has come a really long way. I'm really proud of him, and he's not only going to be a real force in the future, he's going to be a force in Kalispell.

"Our boys team is really strong again this year," Ferguson continued. "And we've got some young guys that didn't quite make it this far that are really deep, too. It's interesting, at the beginning of the season, we really didn't know what we had as a boys team top to bottom, but, these guys have all worked hard to get to this point, and the five guys we're taking to state, they're all very good tennis players, and they're going to leave it all on the court in Kalispell, so nobody should sleep on this team, because I believe we're very dangerous."

Nobody will be sleeping on the Havre girls either, as the Ponies bring four seniors and a junior to the state tournament. And while only seniors Marcee Murphy and Devyn Solomon have past state tourney experience, Ferguson said his confidence level is extremely high in his girls team.

"All along, this has been a year when we expected our girls to be very tough and do great things," Ferguson said. "With so many seniors, they expected that of themselves. And because of all the great depth we had in our girls program this season, these five girls have been challenged and pushed all season long, and they've responded really well, because the five girls we're taking to state, they're all playing the best tennis of their careers."

Like the Pony boys, the Havre girls are bringing two doubles teams and their No. 1 singles player to state.

Senior McKenzie Tommerup finished second at last week's Central A in singles, and though she's making her first trip to state, Ferguson said, she's by no means a rookie.

"McKenzie has really come on strong this season," Ferguson said. "She kind of had to wait her turn to be top dog in our lineup, but, this year, she took it and ran with it. McKenzie is one of those singles players, she's so tough to beat. She's going to work her butt off every point, and she'll keep her opponent out on the court for hours if that's what it takes. She's so tough. And I'm just so proud of her for the player she's become."

Meanwhile, Murphy and Solomon are making their second-straight trip to state after finishing fourth at the Central A last week. They'll be joined by Kadyn and Cassidy Acor, who teamed up this season after playing singles, Kadyn the last three, and Cassidy the last two. The Acor sisters finished second at the Central A last weekend, and, together, the foursome gives the Ponies a lot of strength in the doubles bracket, as the Havre girls will try to catch Class A favorites Polson, Hardin, Whitefish and Corvallis.

"Those four girls, they've been really good from start to finish," Ferguson said. "The Acors, they've really come together. It took them a while to figure out the game of doubles, but, the last month or so, everything has clicked for them, and they're playing great. They're going to be one of those doubles teams that nobody is going to want to face this weekend. Marcee and Devyn, they have a ton of experience now. Not only do they know each other so well, but they've been to this level before, so they know what to expect. They are playing at a really high level right now, and if I was across the net from them, I wouldn't want to play them either. I think our girls doubles teams are going to be really tough at state."

And being tough is the main goal for the Ponies. Ferguson said he doesn't look ahead to and try to project the brackets or team points. Instead, he has his players focus only on themselves and the match their playing, and then see where they're at at the end of the tournament.

"There's no need for them to feel any pressure, in my opinion," Ferguson said. "This is a time when each player or doubles team can really kind of be a little more selfish and just worry about themselves. Obviously, we're going to pull for each other all weekend, but I want them to just focus on nothing but the match they're playing and not worry about team points and all that stuff. If they focus on their game, on their match and stay in the moment, they're going to play like their capable of, and the team points will add up anyway. That's always been my philosophy and it's always worked pretty well.

"Again, I'm just excited for these 10 kids," Ferguson continued. "They're great players, they're great teams, and most importantly, they're great student-athletes who represent Blue Pony tennis the right way. So I'm excited for them and happy for them that they get this opportunity, and I know they'll go out there, play their hardest and make the most out of it. This will be a weekend these 10 kids never forget, and I can't wait to watch it all unfold."

The 2019 Class A state tennis tournament begins Thursday and runs through Friday afternoon at the Flathead Valley Community College Tennis Courts in Kalispell.