Blue Pony matmen meet the west this weekend

The Havre Blue Pony wrestling season is getting busy. And the Ponies are ready to grind.

Havre made its home debut against the Lewistown Golden Eagles last Saturday at the HHS gymnasium, but if all goes according to plan, the Ponies will have even more mat time at home this weekend.

On Friday, Havre will host Western A stalwarts Corvallis and Ronan, as well as Class B Glasgow at the Havre Middle School where a total of four duals are scheduled. The action will continue Saturday morning when the Blue Ponies welcome in Libby and Frenchtown for even more Class A wrestling action.

And while the action shifts from the HHS gymnasium to HMS, the matches should be no less exciting. The Blue Pony dual lineup features undefeated senior Mick Chagnon at 120 pounds and defending Class A state champion Orion Thivierge at 170. Dominic Perkins has also been coming on strong this season at 126 pounds, while Riley Pleninger is rated fifth at 132. Another emerging power for Havre is sophomore Kale VanCampen, who is ranked at 160, while Wyatt Hansen has also been solid this season, and heavyweight newcomer Sale Thomas scored a big win for the Ponies last weekend.

The Ponies are currently ranked fifth in Class A, and while they're set to have another strong season, they will have plenty of challengers this weekend.

On Friday, Havre will start things off with Corvallis. The Blue Devils have standouts in Ted Melott at 126, Jason Davis at 132, James Wissenbach at 145, Ben Holden at 182, and Bryce Widow at 205. The Ponies will close out the first day of action Friday night with a dual against Ronan. The Chiefs are currently ranked 8th in Class A and are led by Trapper McAlister, who is top-ranked at 152, as well as Daniel Bishop at 170, Thirsten Fisher at 182 and Jesse Littleboy at 285.

The two duals against Class A opponents will lead the Ponies into Saturday, where they'll first face off against Libby. The Loggers also have a strong wrestling tradition, and while they're on the young side this season, they'll still be a tough team.

The Ponies will then close out the big home weekend with a huge dual against rival Frenchtown. The Broncs have been one of the top programs in Class A in recent years, and they are currently ranked second in Class A.

The firepower Frenchtown has includes All-Staters like Eli Warner at 120 pounds and Landon Stewart at 103. Jett Campbell is also ranked No. 2 currently at 113 while John Warner is ranked first at 138, Smokey Stoker is No. 2 at 152, Gavin McLean is fourth at 160, and Philip Herald is ranked fifth at heavyweight.

Yes, the Broncs, who Havre wrestled last this weekend, will be a tough task for the Ponies, but Havre is building, and four Class A duals, as East meets West, is just what the Ponies need right now.

Havre starts its big weekend off with a dual against Corvallis Friday at 2 p.m., then the Ponies take on Ronan at 8 p.m. Havre meets Libby and Frenchtown starting at 11 a.m. Saturday with all of the duals taking place at the HMS Gym.

The Blue Ponies are then back out on the road next week, as the season enters its second month.