Northstars' great season was a privilege to cover

I did not know what to expect from the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club heading into this summer.. After just moving to Havre in January, all I knew about the team I was going to cover all summer long was that they had qualified for last year's state tournament and were returning most of their players. I could not have expected that the Northstars would go on to have their best season in recent memory but it was a joy to be along for the ride and chronicle their success.

From the start of the season, I saw the promise in the team as they went 3-0 in their opening weekend back in April. The excellent pitching and strong bats that I witnessed those first three games were just a preview of their success this season. The only disappointment that weekend was the fourth game being snowed out, a sight this California kid would not be familiar with in April.

Over the next month and a half, the Northstars went through several highs and lows. I saw Havre explode at the plate to sweep outmatched teams but sometimes the Northstar bats went quiet in their losses. But I could tell that if the Northstars played consistently on offense, they would be a force to be reckoned with.

In the middle of June, the Northstars put it together on both sides of the plate for their best stretch of the season in a 15-game winning streak. Their pitching staff led by the likes of Carson Lunak and Brody Nanini often shut down their opponents while their offense got the bats going to take sizable leads. The only unfortunate aspect about this stretch is that most of it was on the road, so I was only able to see a couple of their games during this stretch in person.

With their regular season success, the Northstars won the regular season Class A North District championship. While they fell in the tournament championship game to the Great Falls Chargers, I was still impressed with how they played that weekend in Lewistown. After losing their second game of the tournament, the Northstars won two straight games to force a winner-take-all for the championship. Havre further demonstrated their resilience as they came back in several of those games during that run.

While the Northstars season ended in disappointment with two tough losses in the state tournament in Havre, they made sure to make it interesting. After falling behind early, they came back to make the final few innings of their season interesting. While they could not complete the comeback in either of those games, they demonstrated one last time their season-long resilience.

Throughout the entirety of their season, it was hard not to notice how much support the Northstars got from their fans. Regardless of the forecast, whether it be snow, rain or scorching heat, fans always showed up to support the team. Even in the scorching heats of July, they made sure to fill the stands in both the Northstars' state tournament games. As the Northstars fell behind early in both of those games, the fans stayed to support their comebacks. With the season the Northstars had, they more than deserved the support they got from their fans.

Even though the hometown Northstars had been eliminated from the state tournament, Havre still put on a great tournament. All the fans and teams finally got the chance to see Legion Field's new scoreboard. Fans also got the chance to get Northstar burgers from concessions as well as drinks and popsicles to cope with the summer heat.

After one season watching the Northstars, I am excited to cover this team for the next few years. The Northstars only had three seniors on their roster last year and two of them are eligible to come back if they chose to. With many players returning with more experience, they should have another strong year competing in the North District and should have another chance to compete for a state title next year. And I cannot wait to watch them do it.