Veteran Blue Ponies aiming high this winter

Last season saw the Havre High boys take some big steps forward. Yet, they fell short of their ultimate goal, which was to reach the Class A state tournament.

Now in 2020-2021, HHS has been looking to not only get some good standing in ther Northeastern A, but to push past the divisional woes. That sort of thing is not easy in the Eastern A, but the Ponies are ready to step up and stand out, even if COVID-19 puts a bit of a question mark on the season.

That season will start with a home game against arch rival Lewistown Saturday afternoon.

At the end of the day, Havre head coach WaLynn Burgess is very excited to have a season and see his team compete.

"We're just really excited to have a season with all the stuff going on," Burgess said. "It's really good to have the kids back in the gym and looking forward to something. We've had good energy in the gym so far. Right now, it's year three and they're really taking to bringing energy every day and finding it inside them to bring it. Those little things matter and it's really amplifying their game right now."

The Ponies will be seeing plenty of returners back on the court this season. Seniors Josh Warp, Max Olson, Nolan Lotton, Kellen Detrick and Clint Owens and juniors Josh Currie and Caden Jenkins will be back in the fray once again, while newcomers to the varsity team like sophomore Crawford Terry, sophomore Isaac Pedraza and junior Trenton Maloughney will be looking to make some noise on the court, as well.

Schedule-wise, Havre has a lot on its plate once again. The Ponies open against the Lewistown Golden Eagles Jan. 2 at 2:30 p.m. in the Havre High Gymnasium, followed by a road game against the Miles City Cowboys at 4 p.m. Jan. 8, the Hardin Bulldogs at 4 p.m. in Hardin on Jan. 9, the Browning Indians at home at 7 p.m. Jan. 14, the Sidney Eagles in Sidney at 5 p.m. Jan. 15, the Glendive Red Devils at home at 6 p.m. Jan. 22, Sidney at home at 3 p.m. Jan. 23, the Fairfield Eagles at home at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26, the Red Devils in Glendive at 6 p.m. Jan. 29, the Billings Central Rams in Billings at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 30, the Cowboys at home at 6 p.m. Feb. 5, the Bulldogs at home at 4 p.m. Feb. 6, the Indians in Browning at 7 p.m. Feb. 12, the Golden Eagles in Lewistown at 4 p.m. Feb. 13 and the Malta Mustangs in Malta at 7 p.m. Feb. 19. 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.

As for the tougher games of the season, Burgess has some games that come to mind right away.

"All of them are crazy," Burgess said. "It's 2020 and we don't know what to really expect. Tougher games like the home opener against Lewistown, who beat us in the last game of last year, that's going to be a tough one. We got Browning at home, which we'll see another shootout and get another round. Another tough one will be Glendive. They return everybody. We have a stretch where we have five games in eight days. There's a lot of crazy in 2020, but we're not going to complain because we get to go out there and play a game of basketball."

COVID-19 will play a very interesting part in the 2020-2021 season, but with the fall sports season finding its way to the finish line, teams like the Ponies have a lot of optimism going forward. There will be a lot of guidelines to follow and expectations to keep, but with the tradition of excellence HHS carries, the task should not be too daunting for the Ponies. With road games and home games sending teams to and fro, there will be a lot of cation.

Even so, Havre will be giving its all against a slew of Eastern A and Northeastern A rivals, as well as the Western A showdowns with Browning and the Class B battles with Malta and Fairfield. The season will be full of intense barn-burners and a fiery game between teams, something that the Ponies are ready to bring on the court day in and day out.

Playing games means a lot for Burgess, but he values the health and safety of his players the most, especially with a virus that can rip away the season at any time.

"We're here for the safety of the kids, for sure," Burgess said. "We're glad to get out and play, but safety is always going to come first. With what the school and the health board put in place, it's really easy to follow. We have our standards and know we need to meet those expectations. Mr. Kessler has been awesome to work with and understands really well how to put those things into place. It'll be different, but it's the reason we get to play because we'll be a little safer and I'm all for it."

With the season finally here, the Ponies will have their season and home-opener against the Lewistown Golden Eagles Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Havre High Gymnasium.