BONDED, NOT BROKEN

There are many things that have been lost with the official cancellation of the spring sports season. There will be no games, meets or events. And student-athletes, especially seniors, have been left to wonder: What might have been?

For a good majority of the seniors in high school sports, it has been a long time of dedication and hard work to go far in their sport, including Havre High tennis players Reese Bulkley and Jake Huston.

Bulkley and Huston have been a doubles team for the Blue Pony boys team since day one of their freshman year. The chemistry kicked off right away, with both Bulkley and Huston knowing that they wanted to go far as a doubles team.

"When we came into it, we both knew we wanted to be doubles partners from our freshman year to our senior year," Huston said. "We'd been through a lot, and it just became a really fun thing to do together.

"We've been friends for a long time," Bulkley said. "We joined tennis together to play doubles, so we'd have fun with it and progress."

The pair of netters have definitely had quite the journey and were hoping to continue their legacy as a dominant duo this spring, but with the COVID-19 concern, they won't get that last shot at glory.

Even so, the Bulkley and Huston know they have come a lot further since their first day on the court.

"We've come a lot farther than I thought we were going to," Huston said. "I kind of joined this sport not knowing I'd take it as seriously as I did and didn't think I'd grow this much as a person and a player. But Ferg (head coach George Ferguson) allowed us to, so it was great to see."

"I had never swung a racket before going into tennis," Bulkley said. "So I'm proud of where we came as a team and as players."

"I'm so proud of Reese and Jake, for the individual players they've become, and for the team that they are," Ferguson said. "They started out raw, had to work their way up, but to put it simply, going into this season, they are one of the best doubles teams in Class A in my opinion, and it's because they've worked so hard, they've been committed and, most importantly, they stuck together."

As sophomores, the duo came within a mere tiebreaker of reaching the state tournament. The two made it to the Class A State Tournament after posting up a second-place finish at the Central A last season, in which they fell short to teammates Tommy Brown and Tyrel Kjdersem, but still helped the Ponies win the tournament for the 10th year in a row. At the state competition, though, Bulkley and Huston met a tough double elimination right away.

The losses at state were tough, but the pair of netters were ready to make some noise once again for their last season as a doubles team, but COVID-19 got in the way of that. Either way, they both had goals for the doubles team.

"We wanted to come in this year a lot stronger and definitely hoping to make state for sure, but going as far as we can would have been the goal there, but I can't say how far.

"I was hoping to make a deep run at state," Bulkley said. "As well as win divisionals as a team and doubles.

"Reese and Jake were on track to do exactly what we expected when we saw them together as freshmen," Ferguson said. "And that's carry on the great legacy of doubles in our program. I believe they were going to do that this season, and I feel terrible for them that they didn't get that chance."

Tennis has been a very big sport in the spring in Havre. The Ponies have been one of the most dominant tennis programs in Class A for decades.

But the biggest thing that resonates with the Ponies is the community. For the coaches and players, the team is one big family and everyone has each other's backs and support throughout the seasons. Especially when it comes to doubles teams, those duos will always lift each other up no matter what.

That is the case for Bulkley and Huston, too. They both love the community and what they have done together on the team since the beginning.

"I love the tennis program," Huston said. "It was definitely a bigger community than I thought it was going to be and I didn't know I was going to love the family and the atmosphere as much as I did, so I was happy to be a part of it."

"I think it's a great program and we had a huge turnout for the boys this year for the team," Bulkley said. "It sucks that it was cut short for everyone."

Bulkley and Huston have a lot to credit when it comes to their rise as a doubles team. For many players, being great on their own does not work well, but that is why there is always a coach to help then hone their skills and rise to the next level. In the case of Ferguson, he has been a big part of helping Bulkley and Huston grow as a duo.

Coaches will always make an impact on the team and Ferguson has done a lot for the Havre tennis program. His influence has a big role in both Bulkley and Huston's craft, as well as their advice for future players for the Ponies.

"Definitely just try whatever Ferg tells you to, and when he tells you to do something, do it because he knows what's best for you," Huston said. "Try anything new that he offers and hit on your own time. That makes the biggest difference. And enjoy it while it lasts."

"Listen to Ferg," Bulkley said. "He knows what he's talking about. Don't overswing and keep your fundamentals."

It has been tough for Bulkley and Huston to not compete in their senior year. Many players look forward to giving it their all in that last year and going out with a bang. Unfortunately, that time will not come for the dynamic doubles duo. The past three years have been a wonderful experience for the young men, but this year was going to be a big moment for the two.

As of now, the doubles team is coping with the loss of the season and making the best of their last year at Havre High with what they have, but that does not mean that Bulkley and Huston have to be stuck in the present. Both have a plan for their futures, mainly when it comes to their college careers.

"I'm going to go to Montana Tech in the fall," Huston said. "I'm going to study environmental engineering there.

"I am planning on going to Northern at the moment and studying civil engineering," Bulkley said.

"Reese and Jake are great kids," Ferguson said. "Great athletes. Just look at what they've done with Reese in football and tennis, and Jake in basketball and tennis, I'm just so proud to have coached them and helped them grow as athletes. But as good as they are on the court, I'm going to just miss being around both of them, period. They are both such awesome kids. They mean so much to me, probably more than they know, and I feel cheated that I didn't get to spend this spring with them and the other seniors. But, it's been simply an honor to coach those two guys. I just love 'em."

Ferguson will dearly miss the duo of Bulkley and Huston, and, they'll miss each other too.

In the case of Bulkley and Huston, they have quite a few favorite things to look back on, starting with their favorite thing about being a doubles team.

"Definitely the bond we grew when we were together," Huston said. "You always had somebody to do something with, and I grew a lot of love for this kid over time."

"I love our friendship," Bulkley said. "We can communicate with each other and have fun on the court."

On top of that, there is a combination of moments that Bulkley and Huston can look back on, too.

"I don't know if I could pick just one," Huston said. "I love those matches where we both just play out of our minds and everything goes our way, but the whole experience as a whole was just the most memorable."

"I don't know," Bulkley added. "I loved every moment of it. I was real happy with what we did at divisionals last year and I was proud of us making it to state, but I wish we would've done better."

At the end of the day, Bulkley and Huston have done so much in their career with the Ponies. Through all the ups and downs, these young men have made an impact on the tennis program. The run to state last year was special and even though they will not get the opportunity to take a shot at state glory again, Bulkley and Huston will remember their time together as doubles teammates since day one.

The journey has been incredible, the time irreplaceable, the two inseparable, and overall, Bulkley and Huston will go down in history as a great part of the Havre team. Now, though, the dynamic duo is preparing for their future, with the great moments on the court alongside them.