Blue Pony tennis ready to claim Class A hardware

By Havre Daily Staff

For seven Havre Blue Ponies, the end of the tennis season is near. But, the end also marks the biggest two days of a high school tennis player's life, and that's what makes this weekend so special.

Five HHS boys and two girls will head to Billings for Thursday and Friday's Class A state tennis tournament, and while it's always special, with the cancellation of last tennis season due to the coronavirus pandemic, HHS head coach George Ferguson said this weekend may be the biggest state tournament yet.

"I think it goes without saying this is going to be a really special week," Ferguson, who has coached tennis for 19 years and led the Blue Ponies to multiple boys and girls state championships, said. "It's been two years. It's been a long time coming. State is such an amazing experience for these kids, but now, it might even be more so because of losing it last year. So we're certainly going to cherish these couple of days. There's really nothing like the state tournament."

And not only will the Ponies cherish and enjoy their time at state, they expect to do very well, too.

While teams from Whitefish, Dillon and Hardin are also top contenders, Ferguson expects his boys team to be in the trophy hunt. Led by the doubles tandem of Josh Warp and Trenton Maloughney, who are fresh off Havre's seventh straight boys doubles divisional title, as well as top singles player Josh Currie, who took second at the Northeast A last week, the Ponies, who also qualified the team of Caleb Spangler and Theron Peterson, could rack up plenty of points in Billings.

"Josh Warp is our only guy who made it to state two years ago, but I think we have a very strong team overall, despite the lack of experience at this level. Everybody is pretty much in that boat, so I don't think that's a big deal," Ferguson said. "What is a big deal is how well our guys are playing. Josh and Trenton have become a force in doubles, and what's impressive about that is, they were both singles players in 2019, and they're a new team. That's pretty rare for a new team to do as well as they've done, but it speaks to how good they are as individuals, and how hard they've worked to make a real run at this season. I'm just so impressed with what those two of have done this year.

"Josh Currie is also going to do big things this weekend," Ferguson added. "This is a kid who never stops working on his game. He hardly leaves the tennis courts. And it's paying off. He's definitely a guy who can make a deep run this weekend, and when you add in how well Caleb and Theron are playing, I think we have a great chance to do something very special at this tournament."

Ferguson said he's not a point counter, though, instead he takes the opposite approach and it's always worked, and he expects it to work for his boys team this weekend.

"I think, when you get to this level, you have the kids really just worry about their own matches, and not look at the team points situation. You just play it one match at a time, one bracket at a time. Don't look ahead. Don't worry about what the other teams are doing or try to predict how things will shake out. Just worry about one match. That's always worked for us, and that's the game plan this weekend."

While the Havre boys are chasing a trophy, the Blue Pony girls are in a different scenario, with only the doubles team of Grace Crantz and Talia Ralph qualifying for state.

"Our girls were so new this year, literally," Ferguson said. "We didn't have a single player out of 13 that played a full season of varsity tennis before. So it was a really big learning experience for our team, and even for Grace and Talia."

That however, is also what makes what Ralph and Crantz did - finishing second at last week's Northeast A - so impressive.

"What Grace and Talia have already accomplished this season is remarkable," Ferguson said. "First, they both didn't see a whole lot of varsity action two years ago, then they don't have a season at all last year, then they're a first-year doubles team. So to do what they've done already, I'm so happy for them. They're awesome. They've been a great team all season. Their chemistry on the court is exactly what you want in a doubles team. I'm just so impressed with how they've played this season, and I believe they're going to do really well in Billings."

And at the end of the day, that's all Ferguson wants - to see his players succeed, and enjoy their state tournament experience.

"This has been an incredible season," Ferguson said. "And now it comes down to these last two days of tennis. These kids have earned the right to already say they're among the best of the best in Class A tennis. They've put in the work, they're ready for this. They're all really good tennis players and they can all finds success at state.

"Now, they just have to go out there and leave it all on the court," Ferguson added. "As far as sports go, this is big for them, it's something they'll remember for the rest of their lives. So I want to make sure they go out and have a great experience, enjoy the moment and just do the best they can. I'm so proud of them all already and I'm honored to be their coach. And I can't wait to get to Billings and see what they can do."

The 2021 Class A state tournament runs Thursday and Friday in Billings.