SENIOR NIGHT PONY STAMPEDE

The Havre High football team earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern A after a big win over the Lewistown Golden Eagles last Friday in Blue Pony Stadium.

The Ponies came out on the field and put forth a powerful performance against Lewistown, grounding the Eagles 30-8.

Despite the cold and windy conditions, Havre's gameplan to run the ball was not bothered by the weather, as the Ponies rushed for 350 yards, and the Eagles were powerless to stop it. Both sides of the ball put forth the best showcase the Ponies have had this season.

On top of that, it was senior night for the Ponies and the win definitely will be something for them to remember.

HHS head coach Ryan Gatch was proud of the game his team played on the field.

"They played real well," said Gatch. "They played great defense. I'm really proud of our team, our players on our team that have committed throughout and, of course, our seniors who have committed over four years. I'm real proud of our players, program and everybody that's in it, so real happy about the game."

The first quarter opened with Havre on its own 25-yard-line. Senior running back Mason Dionne and senior quarterback Reese Bulkley kept the ball moving on the ground and to the first down twice, but Lewistown got the stop on fourth-down and took over from its own 30.

The Golden Eagles got a first down, but the Havre defense showed up and disrupted Lewistown. Junior Kellen Detrick made a play in the backfield for a two-yard loss and not long after Bulkley intercepted a pass and the Ponies took over deep in Lewistown territory.

A pass from Bulkley to Orion Thivierge to the Eagles 20 and a 15-yard run by Dionne set Havre up at the five. Dionne then ran in for his first touchdown of the night. The Ponies followed with a successful conversion and capped off the 32-yard drive, taking the lead 8-0.

After another stop by the Havre defense, the Ponies took over on their own 25. Bulkley, Detrick and Dionne put up some runs to set up Havre at their 42 as the first quarter ended. With the second quarter underway, the Blue Ponies wasted no time as Detrick scampered for a 51-yard touchdown. Havre extended its lead to 15-0 with 10:25 left in the second.

The Eagles could not find any traction on their next drive and turned the ball over to the Ponies with 8:46 left. Havre created another turnover after a reception was fumbled by the Lewistown receiver and recovered by Dionne. From there, Havre and Lewistown would not be able to find the endzone for the rest of the half and the Ponies kept their lead at 15-0.

The Golden Eagles kicked off the second half and the Havre defense wasted no time in getting the ball back. After some shaky plays from Lewistown, a bad snap was fumbled and Dionne found his second recovery of the night.

The Pony offense gave a big thank-you to its defense and marched 67 yards to the endzone. Dionne not only got his second pick of the night, but his second touchdown, as well. Dionne rushed 14 yards for the score and another conversion gave Havre a comfortable 23-0 lead.

Dionne had a great night on the field against the Golden Eagles and is proud of the work he and his team put forth. Dionne rushed for 204 yards on a staggering 37 carries.

"Big thanks to my o-line," said Dionne. "They got to the third-level and made my job a little bit easier. Lot of credit to them. I love those guys."

Lewistown aimed to respond to Havre's third score of the night but found another unsuccessful drive after Bulkley intercepted the ball once again to cap off the third quarter. The Ponies were pitching a shutout 23-0.

Bulkley was glad to see the results of his defensive plays turn out great for his team, as Havre forced four Eagle turnovers.

"I think that just really helped push us over the edge," said Bulkley. "It brought a lot of motivation to our team and helped us push even harder."

Havre's run game went to work once again and Bulkley, Detrick and Dionne again pushed the Ponies downfield all the way to a position at first-and-goal. From there, the call was easy and Bulkley snuck up the middle for one-yard score to seal the game for Havre 30-0. The 64-yard drive ate up most of the fourth quarter and gave Lewistown just 4:23 to score.

And it took the Golden Eagles one play to find the endzone for the first time. A 62-yard bomb and a run was the recipe for a score. Lewistown, after a good conversion, avoided the shutout.

From there, Havre just maintained possession and ran out the clock. Once again, the Ponies went into victory formation and won a big game to cap off their regular season.

In the end, Gatch is proud of the Ponies and their performance against Lewistown.

"We're really happy with how we did," said Gatch. "It was fun to see our guys play that physical."

The Blue Ponies will get to play the Golden Eagles at home once more, though. The rematch will be the first-round of the Class A football playoffs and Havre will look to down the Eagles again to advance in the postseason.

Havre (4-4) kicks off against Lewistown (4-4) for the rematch in the first-round of the playoffs Saturday at 1 p.m. in Blue Pony Stadium.

Blue Ponies 30, Lewistown 8

HAV – Mason Dionne 5 run (Conversion good)

HAV – Kellen Detrick 51 run (PAT good)

HAV – Mason Dionne 14 run (Conversion good)

HAV – Reese Bulkley 1 run (PAT good)

LWS – 62 pass (Conversion good)

Havre Individual Stats

Passing –Reese Bulkley 1-2 for 15, Mason Dionne 0-1

Rushing – Mason Dionne 37-204, Kellen Detrick 8-88, Reese Bulkley 10-47, Orion Thivierge 2-11

Receiving – Orion Thivierge 1-15