Ponies send four golfers to Class A state tourney

By Havre Daily Staff

The Havre High golf teams laid it all on the line last Friday in Sidney as they played in the Eastern A Divisional held at Sidney Country Club.

And when the dust settled on a tough 18 holes, the Blue Pony boys and girls both finished in the fifth place, while each team had an All-Conference performer, while Havre qualified four players for this week's state tournament.

"I'm really proud of our kids," HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "It was a really challenging tournament. The fields were deep with really good players, the course was playing very hard, and the weather was pretty cold and windy. So it was a tough tournament and our kids gave it their all. They represented our program and our school exactly how we want them too. So I'm very proud of our teams."

The Havre boys just missed out on a second straight trophy at the Eastern A, as Havre finished just behind fourth-place Lewistown. Laurel took the boys team title, while Billings Central was second and Livingston was third. Individually, Havre's Caleb Spangler shot 85 to earn All-Conference honors for the second straight year. Fellow seniors Theron Peterson shot 91 and Kale Reno fired a 93, each qualifying for state as well. Newcomers Shane Patacsil and Matt Huse rounded out the Blue Pony boys scoring team.

"Our boys didn't quite reach the scores they were shooting for," Ferguson said. "They were grinding out there, and we were up against some really, really tough teams. So it just wasn't quite our day. But at the same time, I was very proud of all of them. They fought hard. They battled and we were really close to getting a trophy. So I couldn't ask anything more from those guys."

The HHS girls also missed out on qualifying for state by one spot, as Havre finished fifth behind defending champion Laurel, Livingston, Billings Central and Miles City. The Ponies did get a 101 from Shea Reber, qualifying her for state, and earning her All-Conference honors. Sylvie McKeon-Hanson finished with a 117 to miss state by one stroke, while Callie Bebee, Katharine Greenwood and Sophie Drew rounded out the HHS girls squad.

"Our girls have come so far," Ferguson said. "We had such an inexperienced team when we started, but those girls have done such a great job this season. They've all improved, they've all really taken some huge steps forward. And like our boys, it wasn't quite our day out there, and that's golf, but I'm really proud of our girls team."

And while some of Havre's players are done for the fall, there's still 36 holes left to play for Havre's four state qualifiers. The Class A state tournament will run Friday and Saturday at Mission Bay in Polson.

"The four kids who have made it to the state tournament, I couldn't be more exited for them," Ferguson said. "They fought through a really tough divisional tournament, and they earned their way to the state tournament. It's the pinnacle of our sport, and it's going to be an exciting week for those kids."