Improving Blue Ponies head to East Helena's mats

The Havre Blue Ponies are on a roll. After winning four duals at home last weekend, it's safe to say the Ponies are starting to come on strong, just as the belated high school wrestling season finally heats up.

Now, though, Havre will take its show back on the road, and HHS will head to new territory as the Ponies visit East Helena to dual the Vigilantes and Lockwood Lions, among others this weekend. Both programs are relative newcomers to Class A, with each school opening in 2019. So, Havre has yet to go head-to-head with either school.

Still, the Ponies will also continue to focus on themselves right now, as head coach Beau LaSalle has said the process is to just keep growing.

"We're getting better every day, every week," LaSalle said. "You can see the confidence just keep going up in these guys."

Havre looked confident last week for sure.

Veterans Mick Chagnon and Orion Thivierge didn't have to wrestle beyond the first period in four wins each, as Havre beat Corvallis, Ronan, Libby and No. 2 Frenchtown. But the duo of past state champions wasn't alone. At 126 pounds, Dominic Perkins still hasn't lost a match this season, while Riley and Kendall Pleninger were both 4-0 last weekend as well. Riley Pleninger had two great matches in which he trailed on score, only to get wins by fall in both. Randy Tommerup, who wrestles at 182 and 205 was also perfect last weekend, with four wins by pin, while Wyatt Hanson had strong matches at 152, as did freshman Carson Harris at 113.

But, as good as the Ponies wrestled on their home mat last weekend, which was actually at the Havre Middle School, as winter sports are overlapping right now, LaSalle also knows his team will only get better, as long as they keep getting plenty of time on the mat.

"The biggest thing is just getting these guys matches," LaSalle said. "In a normal season, we'd have already wrestled 20-plus matches per guy, but right now, it's like eight to 10. So that's the biggest thing is, we just need to keep getting mat time. That's what's going to help this team continue to get better and better."

The Ponies should get plenty of mat time in East Helena. Friday, they'll wrestle Livingston and East Helena, followed by duals against Lockwood and Layrel Saturday. Havre is also on the road next weekend when they get a huge showdown with arch rival and top-ranked Sidney Feb. 6. The Ponies then wrap up the regular season Feb. 12-13 with home duals against Laurel, Lewistown and Billings Central.