Ponies aim for first win with a trip to Glendive

A loss to start the season is rough, but after a game like that, the best course of action is to just keep working to get better. That is what the Havre High football team looks to have done throughout the week in preparation for a showdown against a familiar Eastern A rival. The Blue Ponies are looking for some fuel to start the fire.

Down in Dawson County, Havre will take on Glendive tonight at 7 p.m., with each teams looking for its first win of the season. The Ponies fell to the Class A runner-up in Laurel last week, while the Red Devils are aiming to shake off a big loss to the Class A defending state champs in Miles City. It will be a battle for both teams, but especially for Havre, as they will be on the road.

Glendive will be a fun Eastern A matchup for the Ponies, and Havre head coach Ryan Gatch is ready to battle against a team that is in a similar situation as them early in the season.

"There's some great things we'll be able to work on to get ready for Glendive this week," Gatch said earlier in the week. "They're in a similar boat that we are because we both opened up with top teams in the state. They had to open up against the defending state champs. We both had really tough games out there gate and coach Buckley over the in Glendive likes his crew. It'll be a good matchup as we go over there and play them. They're going to be excited to play the Blue Ponies."

Speaking of the Ponies, there was a lot of great product in the field last week against Laurel, despite the score. Seniors Kellen Detrick and Bradyn Winchell have both put forth excellent defensive prowess, as well as using their legs to push Havre down the field. The Blue Pony secondary has made good progress already, too.

Offensively, Havre had some tough stalls versus the runner-up, but with the right pieces, players like quarterback Trenton Maloughney, wide receivers Brock Nystrom and Orion Thivierge, who can also be a great rusher given the chance, and overall, the offense can shine real well under the right circumstances.

The Red Devils will be a great test for Havre for the second game of the season and Gatch knows the many strengths of Glendive.

"Glendive has a senior-laden offensive line and a great quarterback," Gatch said. "They got a number of new wide receivers and a tailback. They're like us; they graduated their tailback last season like us, who played a lot of reps for us. We're both breaking in new tailbacks. One of their strengths is their offensive line with four senior starters on it. They have a quarterback who's grown up around football his whole life, too. They run their dangerous RPO-style of offense."

Last time Glendive faced off against Havre, the Ponies put forth a big win in Blue Pony Stadium. But, the Red Devils pushed back and had some shining moments. The offensive line did great work protecting the quarterback and pushing forward the run game. Quarterback Parker Buckley will be back to battle again this season and, overall, the offensive side of the ball for Glendive can get going when given the chance.

It will be another tough game down in Glendive for the Blue Ponies (0-1), as the Red Devils (0-1) will look to defend their home turf and pick up their first win of the season, while Havre plans to take down Glendive on the road to get their first win of 2020. Tonight's game will kick off at 7 p.m. in Glendive and it will be a major battle for the Blue Ponies.

Tonight at 7 p.m.

in Glendive

Radio: 610 KOJM AM/Stream: NFHS