Pony netters make a successful return to the court

The Havre High tennis teams always open a new season at the Cut Bank Invitational. And Havre head coach George Ferguson said, that trip is always special because a new journey begins.

But this past Saturday's Cut Bank had even more meaning, as the Ponies competed for the first time since the end of the 2019 season, and they were back in Cut Bank for the first time since April of 2020. Of course, all spring sports were canceled in 2020 due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic, so it's no wonder Ferguson was also more emotional about Saturday's season opener.

"From the beginning of the day to the bus trip home, it was an amazing feeling to be back," Ferguson, a 19-year tennis coaching veteran said. "It was an incredible day, and it made me so happy just to be watching our kids playing tennis again. It was so much fun to just be competing again, and from our returning kids to all of our newcomers who were playing for the first time, it's a day we're all going to remember. It was awesome."

Havre did awesome, too. In the main varsity brackets, the Ponies were in three of the four finals, with junior Josh Currie taking first in the No. 1 singles bracket after besting Conrad's Ethan Wittmier 10-3 in the final. In the same bracket, freshman Carter Spangler also placed third in what was his first-ever high school tournament.

Also on the boys side, Josh Warp and Trenton Maloughney finished second in doubles, while teammates Theron Peterson and Jared Rosgaard took third. In the No. 3-4 singles bracket, freshman Gavin Hall also took third after winning a pair of tight matches in the consolation side of the draw.

"It was a strong day for our boys team," Ferguson said. "I saw a lot of really good things from our kids. But again, the match experience was the most important thing, and we got a lot of court time, and those boys all did a great job."

Havre's girls fared well, also.

Talia Ralph and Grace Crantz reached the girls doubles championship match, before finishing second to a tough team from Choteau, while junior McKenzie Mangold won a pair of matches to finish fourth in the No. 1 singles bracket. Fellow junior Destiny Hernandez also won three times in the No. 3-4 bracket, ultimately finishing fourth.

"Our girls were awesome," Ferguson said. "We have a very young and inexperienced team, many of these girls just started tennis two weeks ago. So with everything I saw on Saturday, the progress they're making is just so fun to see. The girls did a great job."

And progress is what Ferguson was after. Since the Ponies missed all of 2020 and have only been on court since March 15, Ferguson said he expected ups and downs in Cut Bank, but overall, there were many more ups than downs.

"First off, I'm just so excited about all the great kids we have out for tennis," he said. "And I couldn't be more pleased with what they've done in two short weeks. Knowing how much tennis these kids have missed, and with how many newcomers we have, it was just incredible how well the kids played in the first tournament of the year. That speaks to how hard they're working and how dedicated they are, and I'm really proud of them for that.

"So Cut Bank was just an amazing day," he continued. "It was just so great to be back coaching the sport I love so much and coaching these awesome kids we have out for tennis. And we got what we needed out of it. We competed, we learned, we're going to get better from it. And most of all, the kids had a lot of fun doing all that, and I just can't wait till we hit the road again this weekend."

Havre will return to the courts Saturday when the Ponies face Lewistown, Cut Bank and Conrad in duals at the Conrad Invitational.