New Havre High AD working hard to navigate the new normal so that Pony athletes, coaches get a chance to play this fall

The fall sports season is right around the corner for Havre High School. After the spring sports season was wiped away by the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of high school athletics was hanging in the balance. But, after the state of Montana went into Phase II of its re-opening plan, things were looking brighter.

And recently, the Montana High School Association put forward a set of guidelines and restrictions in place for the fall sports season, as well as a plan to have at least some semblance of a season for 2020. There is a lot of worry about possibly losing the season, but with the fall season having a green light right now, new Havre High and activities director Brian Kessler are making plans to keep that drive going.

Kessler agrees with the aspects of the MHSA guidelines for the fall sports season, which will be implemented in a close-knit fashion for Havre High athletics in its return to play plan, which was designed by Kessler.

"We are following pretty close to what the MHSA had put in place," Kessler said. "We probably are a little more strict on a few things, but we've been working with the Hill County Health Department. The biggest thing in Class A, especially the Eastern A, is we need to be consistent at all levels, follow procedures the same way, like how many kids we're bringing to events and who's running events, so when you go somewhere like Miles City it's the same as Havre and vice versa."

The MHSA's plan revolved around the guidelines that have been set for the state, like social distancing, the mask mandate and possible quarantining restrictions. These were reflected in the MHSA fall sports guidelines. For example, athletes in certain sports, like cross country, must return straight to the bus after finishing a race, volleyball players have to warm up while maintaining social distancing guidelines and must have their own ball and all sports require masks when not in active play.

There will be many different things that will make the 2020 fall season pretty odd, but the Blue Pony student-athletes are known to be able to adapt under any situation. The hope to have a season is always on the student-athletes' minds and going forward, there will not be a moment to waste, whether it be on the court, course, field or track.

Kessler said that Havre will be doing its utmost work to assure that the student-athletes' safety will be a priority.

"The biggest thing for myself, our district and our community is making sure that the kids are safe," Kessler said. "We don't want them doing anything or putting themselves in a precarious situation where it would put them at a higher risk. We want to avoid that in all situations."

There are a lot of challenges with the upcoming fall season, keeping student-athletes safe, keeping games and meets consistent whether at home or on the road, or making sure that all guidelines and restrictions are followed at all times, but there is one thing that the MHSA has not touched on much that Kessler feels will be the biggest obstacle to climb.

"The biggest challenge will be maintaining a sense of normality, while also keeping kids safe," Kessler said. "We want it to be as normal as possible. It comes down to how we place it and make it normal and engaging for a kid, while putting in their regulations and expectations of how we're going to stop the spread."

Kessler is aware how hard things will be this fall, but he knows how to help the coaches and student-athletes stay in good spirits.

"We now know, to an extent, that we will at least get a portion of a season," Kessler continued. "That's something that's very hopeful for these kids. I was talking with some of our coaches and their kids are pretty excited to at least get an opportunity to play, so I think that's at least encouraging the kids. I think that's part of our job as a coaching staff and coaching team. We have to figure out ways that if a game gets canceled, how can we still hold an event in our area that would give kids a chance to display their skills and be a part of that game atmosphere."

As for the fall sports schedules, Havre High put out the tentative schedules for every upcoming sport. For the cross country team, practice starts on Friday, with a nine-meet regular season, the Fall Classic and state. Blue Pony football's first day of practice is Friday, followed by the Blue-White scrimmage, a seven-game regular season and the playoffs starting in late October. Havre golf sees its first day of practice Thursday, with a 12-meet regular season, divisionals and state. Lastly, Blue Pony volleyball has its first day of practice Friday, followed by the Blue-White scrimmage, a 13-game regular season, divisionals and state. For all sports, schedules are restricted to both Eastern A and Northeastern A conference opponents for the regular season. The postseason is tentative in regard to location for all sports.

Compared to the spring sports season, last year, the fall is looking to start off on the right foot. COVID-19 can always put a kink in that, but as of right now, Havre sports are excited to have a shot at making the most of what season they may have. There is still some uncertainty, but the student-athletes will be ready to adapt to whatever change comes their way.

Having a good chance for a season is a major improvement to what had taken place in the spring sports season, which is why Kessler is happy that the fall season has a great chance to see the student-athletes give it their all.

"Last spring, the hard part was that they never got to see the field, track or courts at all," Kessler said. "I think the fact that they're at least going to get a real chance to get part of their season in is something that can keep them chomping at the bit and working hard to be in games."

At the end of the day, the fall sports season is making its way forward, with the first day of practice for Havre sports starting either Thursday or Friday. Kessler and the Havre High athletics program has plans to uphold the safety of its students, follow the guidelines and restrictions set by the MHSA and, overall, do its best to give the community of Havre a fall sports season if possible.