Pony girls have the talent to stampede yet again

After the 2019-2020 season ended abruptly, the Havre High girls basketball team was left with a tough situation, as they were stripped of a shot at placing in the 2020 Class A State Tournament due to COVID-19 cutting it short.

The Blue Ponies once again made a strong run to and through the postseason, but this year, they aim to get back to the top of Class A once more. And that quest starts this weekend in the Blue Pony Corral.

With a full head of steam and a lot of new faces to the team, HHS may look a bit different this year in terms of players, but there is still sure to be that strive for excellence and hard work that the Ponies have displayed year after year. Even with COVID-19 lurking around the corner, Havre has plenty to look forward to this season.

And HHS head coach Dustin Kraske is glad to be back on the court and gearing up to compete come January.

"We're looking forward to it," Kraske said. "The kids are working hard and we have a few kids back that have some varsity minutes. We're incorporating a new cast of kids and they're doing a wonderful job."

Indeed, the Ponies have some immense talent, and while they did lose great talent in the likes of Kyndall Keller and Kadia Miller to name a few, the cupboard at HHS is far from bare.

Two-time Class A All-Stater Sadie Filius, and seniors Loy Waid and Kylie Walker are back for the Ponies, while seniors Sydney Wilting and Quinn McDonald will also step into bigger roles. There is plenty more talent that is moving up, too, including Avery Carlson, Akyssa Oliver, Danni Wirtzberger, Lacy Preeshl, Lizzi Haney, Molly Huse and Yelena Miller.

Schedule-wise, the Ponies will have some tough competition to go up against once again. Havre opens the season Saturday against Northeast A rival Lewistown. After the season and home-opener, HHS goes up against the Miles City Cowgirls Jan. 8 at home, followed by the Hardin Bulldogs Jan. 9 at home. Jan. 14 sees the Browning Lady Indians host the Ponies in Browning, the Sidney Eagles head to Havre to compete Jan. 15, the Glendive Lady Devils host Havre Jan. 22, Sidney hosts HHS Jan. 23 and the Fairfield Eagles host Havre Jan. 26.

From there, Glendive comes up to Havre Jan. 29, the Billings Central Rams play the Ponies at home Jan. 30, the Cowgirls host HHS Feb. 5, Hardin hosts the Ponies Feb. 6, Browning comes up to Blue Pony country Feb. 12, Lewistown hosts HHS Feb. 13 and the Malta M-Ettes head to Havre Feb. 19 to close the regular season for the Ponies. The Eastern A Divisional Tournament will be Feb. 24-27 at a to-be-determined location and the Class A State Tournament will be Mar. 11-13 at a to-be-determined location.

The season will be full of tough opponents scattered across the Eastern A and along the Class B schools that make up the Hi-Line, which is something that Kraske is very excited about when it comes to this season.

"We got Hardin on our schedule," Kraske said. "That'll be kind of fun. We normally play them at the tournament, but we have a home-road with them, so that'll be a fun trip. We play Billings Central here this year. We've been kind of odd-balling back and forth with them every other year. They return everybody but Moten-Schell, so they'll be a really good team. I'm sure they're a Class A favorite. Our conference games will be fun, and I look forward to that. We got a game against Malta this year, as well, and they're up and coming this year, so that'll be fun. Any game we have will be one to remember because of the uniqueness of this year."

The Bulldogs and Rams were the co-champions of the 2020 Class A State Tournament this past season, as the Montana High School Association deemed the championships that way since the playoffs were cut short. The two programs will likely be considered Top Five teams in Class A this season, too. Billings Central and Hardin have always had tough programs, and the Ponies know that it will be a dogfight come each game against the two powerhouses within the Eastern A.

COVID-19 will play a major factor in the season, as well. The virus has led to strict protocols and guidelines that have been set for schools across Montana. The health and safety of student-athletes, officials and coaches is a very important thing in the 2020-2021 year, so it is natural that teams like the Ponies will not only be on their guard but also be mindful of what could happen to the season if COVID-19 manages to get its way.

Even with all that pressure and uncertainty, Kraske knows what has to be done and is confident in his team and program to make sure all goes the best that it possibly can this season.

"We're wearing masks all the time until it's strenuous activity," Kraske said. "When we're doing downtime, we're staying six feet apart and not sharing water bottles. The kids wear a jersey at practice and keep it the whole practice, then we take them and clean them at night. Our managers clean the basketballs usually two or three times a practice. When a kid uses a ball they use that ball all practice long unless it's been cleaned. In a nutshell, that's what we're doing. We're just trying to do our best to work hard, keep clean and keep those masks on."

The Havre High girls basketball team opens the season at home Saturday against Lewistown. The game is set for a 4 p.m. tip inside the HHS gymnasium.