Pony tennis teams poised for a big spring

By Havre Daily Staff

Spring has sprung, and that means the Havre High tennis teams are back on the courts for another season. And it's been a highly anticipated one for the Blue Ponies, of 19-year head coach George Ferguson.

With some of the best numbers the Ponies have had in years, and coming on the heels of the Havre boys winning the 2021 Class A state championship last May, the upcoming season is set to be a big one for the entire Blue Pony program.

"Everybody has been looking forward to this season, really since the last one ended," Ferguson said. "We've had a great offseason. Summer, fall and winter, kids put in a ton of work. We had a great turnout for this season with nearly 50 kids, which is a really big number for Class A. And, as we always do, we just have tremendous student-athletes in our program. So it's exciting and this year is going to be a lot of fun."

Fun is a big part of the Pony tennis program, but so is competition, and the Ponies will compete at the highest level.

The Havre boys won perhaps a surprise state championship last year, edging out Whitefish in a close team title race last May in Billings. Havre returns four of the five players who made up that state team, with standout Josh Warp the only player not back this spring. Still, Josh Currie, who finished second in singles, Trenton Maloughney, who teamed up with Warp to take third in doubles, and Caleb Spangler and Theron Peterson, who teamed up in doubles last year.

Currie, Maloughney, Spangler and Peterson are also part of a huge senior class for the Pony boys, a class that also includes Collin Miller, Jared Rosgaard and Kendall Pleninger, all of whom have a lot of playing experience.

"We have a deep group of seniors," Ferguson said. "Obviously, those guys that were part of the state team, those guys are bringing a ton of experience into this season. But that whole group has big goals for this season. They've put in the work, they're ready to have a big year. And they're all great leaders."

Last year's varsity team, which also captured the Ponies' 14th straight divisional championship, also returns junior Conner McKay and sophomore Carter Spangler, while sophomores Reid Kato and Gavin Hall are pushing for varsity spots as well. But, beyond all the returning experience, the Ponies also expect to have a very deep squad this year, with the roster including Zeke Antonich, Jackson Headress, Tre Gary, Matt Huse, Callen Stoner, Gauge Chapman, Mason Kinsella, Hiram Cammon, Koby Preputin, Daniel Tilleman, Hunter Rodrigues and Caleb Blair.

"Our boys team is strong," Ferguson said. "We've got talent, leadership and a lot of kids willing to put in the work. It's going to be a very competitive team, our practices are going to be really competitive, and that's going to be a really good thing, because iron sharpens iron.

"I do think our boys team is poised to have a big year," he added. "But it is a new season and a new team. Last year is in the past now. It was really exciting to win the state championship, but this is a different team, with new goals, so that's what we're focused on. We're focusing on improving each day, and seeing how far this team can go."

How far the Havre girls go this season will also be exciting. That's because, a very young Pony squad is on its way up for sure. With the exception of the doubles tandem off Talia Ralph and Grace Crantz, who went all the way to the state tournament a year ago, the 2021 Havre girls were young and very inexperienced.

But, after an outstanding offseason, and an influx of newcomers this spring, Ferguson believes the sky is the limit for the Ponies.

"I'm so excited for our girls," Ferguson said. "The returners we have, they have all improved so much because they put in so much work in the offseason. That group really dedicated themselves and it's already showing. And to see all our new kids out for the team, that's just awesome, and it's going to help us put together a very strong girls team, for this season, and in the future.

Crantz, a four-year standout, is the leader of the returning nucleus of returning Ponies, which also includes Rayna Johnson, Courtney Burchard, Chloe Bricker, Kat Kaftan, Mylee Shennum, Kate Hemmer and Kylie Greenwood, all of whom played in last year's divisional tournament.

"It's going to be a big season for that group," Ferguson said. "It was tough for a lot of them last year. They were essentially first-year players, playing high-level varsity tennis last year and they went through a lot of tough times. It wasn't easy. But now, they're on the other side of that. They've worked hard. They never missed an open tennis, they've put in a lot of time, and it's going to pay off for that group, and I'm really excited about it."

Ferguson is also excited about the program as a whole. With the addition of seniors Lacy Preeshl and Claudia Ucin, as well as newcomers Emerald Tinsley, Addison Golie, Alera Chandler, Megan Ogden, Heather Herring, Lindsey Leinwand, Tanya Ralph. Hannah Kinsella, Tyley Hemmer, Liddie Morse and Amaya Blinernmite, the Ponies now can add depth to the returning nucleus of players, and that's something Ferguson said the program really needed.

"So awesome to see all the new girls out for the team this year," Ferguson said. "And they're all going great. They're picking it up really quickly. That's going to make our girls team much more competitive this season, and that's always a good thing.

"I think this is going to be a huge year for our girls," he continued. "I believe they're going to have a great season."

Actually, with the entire program thriving, it should be a great season for the Ponies, from beginning to end. Havre opens the season at this weekend's Cut Bank Invite, and is just two weeks away from hosting the famed Havre Invitational. From there, the always tough Blue Pony schedule includes trips to the Class A Duals, the Hardin Invitational, The Glendive Invitational, the Mayfair Invite in Billings, the Fergus Invite and the Miles City Invite, among other matches. The season then culminates with the Northeast A Divisional in Glendive and the Class A state tournament in Bozeman.

But, Ferguson isn't looking too far ahead. He's had a formula that's always worked and he's sticking to it.

"Get better every day, and every week," Ferguson said. "That's the goal. Grind on the fundamentals of tennis during the week, and then go out and have fun executing that on the weekend. It's all about the buildup to the end of the year. I just want to see the kids improve every day and enjoy doing it. If they do that, they'll be ready to go when May comes around and it will all pay off.

"I'm just really pumped to get started," he continued. "This is a great group of kids. They've embraced our program, and what we're about. The buy-in is already there. They work hard and have fun, and both of those things are very important to me. So I'm just really excited to go on this journey with all these kids. It's what I do, I love it. Coaching this program means the world to me, and this season is no exception. It's going to be a blast."

The Havre High boys and girls tennis teams open their season at Saturday's Cut Bank Invitational. Havre travels to Conrad next Saturday.