Havre relishing another chance at state

2020 has brought about a crazy fall sports season, but with teams sticking together and making a great effort, the 2020 Class A State Tournament will be kicking off this week, where the Havre High volleyball team will be back in the battle for the state championship.

The Blue Ponies (10-6), the No. 4 seed from the Eastern A will be in for another tough bout to start off the tourney, as they will be going up against the No. 1 Columbia Falls Wildcats from the Western A Thursday at 10 a.m. at Sidney High School in Sidney. Once again, it is a David versus Goliath situation for HHS.

And Havre head coach Steph Huse is looking forward to a great challenge in the Wildcats come Thursday morning.

"Columbia Falls is coming into the tournament just having lost maybe a couple of sets in the entire season," Huse said. "They are very talented, big and strong girls that run a fast-pace offense, so that's what we've been getting ready for. They're going to present to us their high speed. It's going to be a tough competition, but I think the girls are up for it and ready to take the challenge."

The Ponies are bringing in a talented and together squad in 2020. Led by seniors Talia Ralph, Kaylee Torgerson, Sydney Wilting, Samantha Lovenguth, Kennedy Hampton, Quinn McDonald and Ellie Collins, Havre brings an experienced squad. Ralph is one of the Ponies' best offensive weapons and has racked up plenty of kills throughout the season. Wilting has been key in keeping the ball in play, Collins leads HHS in assists and the rest of the senior class brings a lot of energy and leadership to each game.

As for the rest of the varsity roster, sophomore Yelena Miller has definitely proved to be another key piece for the Blue Pony spikers. Miller has been another excellent offensive weapon when it comes to kills and is one of Havre's biggest blockers on the court. Juniors Maddie Columbus and Alyssa Oliver have some prowess on the court, as well, with Columbus being another strong blocker and Oliver having excellent consistency in serving. Sophomore Molly Huse wraps up the roster, being an all-around team-player for HHS this season.

There will be a lot of intense matchups throughout the week at the tournament, but Huse knows that the main focus will be taking every game one at a time.

"We don't look too deep in the bracket," Huse said. "We have to look at what's in front of us. Our task all season is to deal with what is right in front of us and take that match on, then once we see how that goes, we move on to the next thing. We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves."

Out of the Eastern A, the No. 1 Billings Central Rams (15-2), the No. 2 Hardin Bulldogs (10-4), the No. 3 Glendive Lady Devils (10-5) and the No. 4 Havre Blue Ponies (10-6) are back for another year in the state tournament. Last season, these same four teams punched their ticket to the big dance and will look to bring another dose of power from the Eastern A in 2020. Billings Central is one of the heavy favorites in the tournament, as well, and the Rams have been state contenders consistently in recent years, making them one of the tougher teams to overcome in the state tourney.

As for the Western A teams, the No. 1 Columbia Falls Wildcats (15-0), the No. 2 Polson Pirates (10-5), the No. 3 Corvallis Blue Devils (17-2) and the No. 4 Ronan Lady Chiefs (10-9) will be playing for the 2020 state crown. The Wildcats and Blue Devils are two returning teams with a lot of grit and postseason experience. Columbia Falls is another big favorite in 2020 coming out of the west with only a few sets lost, but no games fallen at all, which will be a tough test for the Blue Ponies come Thursday morning.

There are plenty of tough teams coming to play for a Class A state chipper, but Huse knows some teams that will be the most difficult to face on the court.

"Columbia Falls is coming in, in my mind, as one of the toughest teams we're going to face," Huse said. "Corvallis is also very talented, along with Billings Central. I believe those are teams playing at a very high-caliber, fast-paced level with good defenses. They are going to be tough going into this tournament."

With that, the 2020 Class A State tournament at Sidney High School in Sidney will be underway shortly, with the No. 4 Havre Blue Ponies (10-6) kicking off the tourney against the No. 1 Columbia Falls Wildcats (15-0) at 10 a.m. Thursday. The other opening games for the tournament are No. 2 Hardin versus No. 3 Corvallis, No. 2 Polson against No. 3 Glendive and No. 1 Billings Central versus No. 4 Ronan. Depending on the outcome of its match with the Wildcats, Havre will meet either the winner or the loser of the game between the Bulldogs and the Blue Devils.

The 2020 Class A state tournament is being played in Sidney because COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the All-Class State Volleyball Tournament, which is normamly held each year in Bozeman.