A sweep on the Prairie

The Havre Blue Ponies are four weeks into the 2020 high school golf season. And what Havre High head coach George Ferguson is looking for in his players is steady progress.

And Ferguson said he saw that during Thursday's dual meet between the Blue Ponies and Lewistown Golden Eagles at Prairie Farms Golf Course. The dual meet replaced the Jawbone Match Play in Harlowton, which was canceled due to the coronavirus this season.

And with progress at the forefront, Havre swept the varsity duals, and medalist honors, on what was also senior day for the Ponies.

"It was a great day," Ferguson said. "The weather was absolutely perfect. We got to honor seniors, which, during these times, we absolutely can't take for granted, and on top of everything else, we got to play golf, and our kids did a great job of taking advantage of that. So I was really pleased with the day."

The Havre boys beat the Eagles in a good match, with the Ponies shooting a 344, while Lewistown shot 358. Havre senior Josh Warp also took home medalist honors, shooting an 83, and beating out Lewistown's Fischer Brown via scorecard tiebreaker. Caleb Spangler finished third overall with an 83, while Caleb Chambliss was also in the Top 5 with a round of 87. Theron Peterson shot 90, while Kale Reno rounded out the varsity scoring for the Ponies with a 92. Havre had two JV teams in the field as well, with junior Tavish McLean leading the way with a 91.

"Our boys did a great job of battling," Ferguson said. "They all had ups and downs, and that's golf. But I thought they did a great job of showing patience and making sure the bounced back whenever they had a bad hole or two. All of those guys did that really well today, and that's progress, and that's what we're shooting for right now, to just progressively keep getting better.

"Josh (Warp) also had a great round, especially on the back nine," Ferguson added. "He played really solid golf, and what a way to end your senior day, by taking first place. And again, all our guys had some really good moments, and I like the way they are trending right now."

The Havre girls also won their second straight meet. The Ponies posted a team total of 446 to beat the Eagles by 10 shots. Like Warp, senior Jocelyn Staples took home girls medalist honors with a 99, her low round of the season thus far. Katharine Greenwood also shot a 114 to put her in fourth place overall. Sophie Kirkpatrick shot 116 and Carlee Kato and Sylvie McKeon-Hanson each carded rounds of 117.

"Our girls had kind of an up and down round," Ferguson said. "But they finished strong. Jocelyn had a great back nine and really played consistent golf, and Katharine Greenwood made some huge strides from our first tournament here two weeks ago. Again, we just want to make progress as a team, and as individuals, so that's what we'll keep working on."

Havre will have some time off before getting back to work, too. The Ponies won't play again until next Thursday's Glendive Invitational, followed by the Sidney Invite next Friday. The Ponies are on the final four-week stretch of the season already, but for now, Ferguson was focused on Thursday's tournament.

"I am happy for our kids, they got to play at home for a second time this year," Ferguson said. "I know it means a lot to them. And every one of our junior varsity players also got to play on Thursday, and that's huge for them, and for the future of our program. So it was a great day. As a coach, I couldn't ask for anything more."

HAVRE VS LEWISTOWN DUAL

At Prairie Farms

GIRLS

Havre (446)

Jocelyn Staples 99

Sophie Kirkpatrick 116

Carlee Kato 117

Katharine Greenwood 114

Sylvie McKeon-Hanson 117

Lewistown (456)

Mariah Fogle 103

Brooke Behl 115

Izzy Mecklenburg 112

Anna Gremaux 126

Lexi Breidenbach 128

Lewistown B

Kylie Moline 141

BOYS

Havre (344)

Josh Warp 83

Caleb Spangler 84

Caleb Chambliss 87

Theron Peterson 90

Kale Reno 92

Havre B

Tavish McLean 91

Hunter Velk 111

Clint Owens 108

Reid Kato 106

Lane Kinsella 109

Havre C

Conner McKay 103

Dylan Kuhn 106

Dylan Kimberling 111

Shane Patacsil Jr. 109

Joram Randolph 112

Lewistown (358)

Fischer Brown 83

Truman Pierce 88

Carter Wichman 92

Carson Barta 95

Bridger Bolton 102

Lewistown B

Dylan Stapelton 126

Riley McNary 150

Wyatt Church 131

Andrew Sura 116

Sean Zimmer 105

Lewistown C

Cutler Chromey 134

Ely McCollum 126

Jake Smith 160

Keaton Wold 112