Blue Pony golfers close out the regular season on tough courses

The Havre High golf teams are hoping to find success at the Eastern A Divisional Tournament. But, before the Ponies could get ready for the postseason, they played two tough courses to close out the 2020 regular season.

On Thursday, Havre was at Eagle Rock Golf Club for the Billings Central Invite, where the HHS boys shot a season-low 332 to place third behind stalwarts Billings Central and Laurel. The Havre girls also finished fourth in the tourney.

Individually, Blue Pony senior Josh Warp fired a career-best 74, just two-over par, which was tied for the third-best score of the tourney. Caleb Spangler (84) and Theron Peterson (85) were also in the Top 10, while Caleb Chambliss battled to an 89 and Kale Reno shot 92.

On the girls side, Jocelyn Staples led Havre with a 93, good enough for another Top-10 finish. Katharine Greenwood and Carlee Kato each shot 111, while Sylvie McKeon-Hanson added a 119 for the Ponies.

"I thought everybody did great in Billings," HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "We really played a lot of good golf. Our boys team was outstanding. As a team, we had a ton of birdies, and obviously, that was a super-great round by Josh (Warp). He had a day he won't soon forget. But it was an all-around great round for our boys team, and I think that really showed what we're capable of. I think our girls did the same. They played some excellent golf, and continue to trend in the right direction."

Havre moved on to the Laurel Invite on Friday at the famed Laurel Country Club. The Ponies again faced much of the Eastern A, but on an even tougher course. Havre wound up fourth on the boys side with Warp posting a 10th-place finish at 85, while Chambliss came back strong with a 90. Peterson and Spangler each shot 97, while Reno finished with a 101.

Staples again paced the Pony girls with a 100 for a ninth-place finish, as the Havre girls took fourth in the team competition. Greenwood added a 114, Kato finished at 115 and McKeon-Hanson scored a 120 for the Ponies.

"Laurel was tough," Ferguson said. "That course took it out on our kids some, especially the kids who hadn't seen it before. So, the scores maybe weren't what our kids wanted, but, it was a great test of golf, and really, playing a tough track like that right before divisionals is very good for our kids. So I'm proud of them for battling that course, because it really is a very tough golf course."

Havre will now head right back to Billings for the 2020 Eastern A Divisional Tournament, which will be played at Lake Hills Golf Club on Thursday. The top four boys and top four girls teams, and or the Top 30 boys and girls will advance to the Class A state tournament Oct. 1-2 in Butte.