Pony harriers cross the final finish line

The Havre High cross country teams wrapped up the 2019 season at the Montana State Cross Country Championships last Saturday in Great Falls. The meet was held at the Eagle Falls Golf Course.

It was the biggest meet of the year for Havre, and the Blue Pony harriers did well against the Class A competition, on what was a tough course, which included snow and cold temperatures.

Out of the 20 schools that attended, the Havre boys team placed 11th overall and the girls team placed 12th overall.

HHS head coach Josh Holt was happy to end the 2019 season on a good note.

“It was good,” said Holt. “It was snowy and conditions were a little more difficult than we were hoping for, but all-in-all, I think the kids ran well. We were a bit slower than we were expecting given the nature of the course, but I still think the kids ran well and ran hard.”

The abrupt snowy weather definitely gave the heated race a bit of a chill, but nevertheless, there was a great effort from the Ponies. Though no runners finished in the top 25, there were still some Havre harriers who had stellar performances.

For the boys team, junior Dylan Young was the Ponies’ top runner once more, finishing in 32nd and a 17:34.38. Young has pushed himself to be great throughout the whole season and to place in a decently high spot among over 100 runners is something to be proud of.

Senior Cameron Pleninger was the second runner to cross the finish line for Havre. Pleninger landed in 60th with a 18:13.70 and has capped off a nice final season with the Blue Ponies. Pleninger’s effort and hard work have done wonders for his cross country career. Finishing in a mid-range spot may not seem so major at first, but it is still something to look back on and remember fondly.

Holt was proud of his boys team’s performance.

“For our boys, they stayed closer together,” Holt said. “My four, five, six and seven boys fought a lot harder this weekend than they have in the past. Those gentlemen gave a great performance and that was huge.

On the girls side, juniors Tamera O’Leary and Hannah Haslem ended the 2019 season with a great finish. O’Leary crossed the finish line in 27th with a 21:00.79, with Haslem not too far behind her on a 21:05.45 and 28th spot.

The two still have one year left in their high school cross country careers and with the performances they put forward at state, it is no doubt the two will continue to be excellent harriers for Havre. Sophomore Emma Gillen was the girls’ third runner to finish, placing 53 on a 22:11.48.

Holt was excited to see his girls team do well at state.

“My top three girls ran really well,” Holt said. “My four and five girls put in an extremely tough effort. They made some good passes right at the end of the race that always help out.”

With the cross country season at an end, the returning harriers will look forward to another year of racing. For the seniors, it is safe to say their last season as a Blue Pony ended on a swell note.

With another year done, Holt is proud to see how far his teams have progressed throughout the season.

“I think we’ve come a long ways from day one,” said Holt. “We made some huge advancements this year. Training was tougher this year than it had been in the previous years that I’ve been here. All-in-all, I think things went really well and the kids know what they can do now. They can push harder and further than they had in the years prior. We just need to keep training, move forward and we’ll continuously get better.”

Columbia Falls won the Class A boys team title, edging Hardin and Lewistown. The Hardin girls won the state title, while Corvallis was second and Whitefish finished third.

State Cross Country

Class A

BOYS

Team scores: Columbia Falls 65, Hardin 87, Lewistown 97, Hamilton 125, Corvallis 162, Ronan 192, Park 204, Whitefish 231, Laurel 261, Polson 311, Havre 334, Frenchtown 343, Browning 348, Dillon 362, Miles City 393, Billings Central 396, Glendive 424, Libby 447, Stevensville 534, Sidney 598

Top Individuals

Sam Fulbright, Lewistown, 16:10.43; Colter Kirkland, Hamilton, 16:17.42; Tyler Schmautz, Frenchtown, 16:18.27; Aiden Jarvis, Columbia Falls, 16:29.35; Quaiden Whiteman, Hardin, 16:39.92; Dylan Wichman, Billings Central, 16:47.61; James Role, Columbia Falls, 16:49.87; Trae Hugs, Hardin, 16:51.54; Mason Sloan, Polson, 16:52.08; Thomas Hicks, Park, 16:57.12; James Petersen, Columbia Falls, 16:57.79; Will Flowers, Corvallis, 16:58.75; Jalen Robinson, Lewistown, 16:59.61; Ben Steadman, Dillon, 17:01.67; Brinson Wyche, Corvallis, 17:02.45; Haden Wilson, Laurel, 17:02.68; Brant Heiner, Ronan, 17:05.57; Keyshawn Rogers, Hardin, 17:08.24; Miles Vrentas, Whitefish, 17:10.02; Ryker Melton, Lewistown, 17:14.56; Joe Lamb, Columbia Falls, 17:14.61; Seth Umbriaco, Columbia Falls, 17:14.74; James Normandeau, Ronan, 17:17; Logan Wisenbaugh, Lewistown, 17:19.25; Jalen High Hawk, Hardin, 17:19.30

Havre boys: 32, Dylan Young, 17:34.38; 60, Cameron Pleninger, 18:13.70; 78, Paul Bartlett, 18:45.59; 81, Sidney Moffitt, 18:51.68; 83, Ethan Durward, 18:53.94; 87, Riley Pleninger, 19:00.01; 90, Trenton Varney, 19:03.22

GIRLS

Team scores: Hardin 71, Corvallis 87, Whitefish 119, Laurel 125, Columbia Falls 150, Hamilton 159, Dillon 200, Frenchtown 211, Polson 228, Lewistown 285, Park 293, Havre 299, Ronan 311, Miles City 350, Browning 356, Glendive 491, Sidney 513

Top Individuals

Brynnli Poulsen, Hamilton, 18:16.22; Madalen Shipman, Dillon, 19:41.84; Kelle Mosher, Dillon, 18:47.58; Carly Cook, Laurel, 19:54.23; Analeta Yellow Bird, Ronan, 19:54.92; Josephine Vardell, Whitefish, 20:03.32; Olivia Buoy, Corvallis, 20:04.21; Ellianna Wester, Park, 20:08.23; Andria Mourich, Laurel, 20:08.88; Libby Nedens, Hardin, 20:13.50; Lauren Taylor, Laurel, 20:14.10; Lara Erickson, Columbia Falls, 20:14.29; Khylah Two Leggins, Hardin, 20:18.83; Marion Hugs, Hardin, 20:22.50; Rose Day, Corvallis, 20:24.33; Ivery Fritzler, Hardin, 20:30.39; Hannah Sempf, Columbia Falls, 20:31.40; Sophie Nedens, Hardin, 20:34.36; Anna Jessop, Corvallis, 20:38.91; Sarah Passey, Hamilton, 20:41.79; Katie Gleason, Corvallis, 20:54.71; Jessica Henson, Whitefish, 20:52.11; Paetra Cooke, Whitefish, 20:52.98; Journey Erickson, Hardin, 20:53.52; Jessica Venema, Corvallis, 20:54.71

Havre girls: 27, Tamera O'Leary, 21:00.79; 28, Hannah Haslem, 21:05.45; 53, Emma Gillen, 22:11.48; 99, Chloe Shennum, 24:03.30; 103, Grace Loftus, 24:20.02; 119, Lilly Taly, 26:23.64.