Ponies ready to finally get some court time with Hardin Invite

The Havre High tennis teams are anxious to get back on the court. After last weekend's Class A Duals, and a dual with East Helena were wiped out by a winter storm, the Blue Ponies are hoping to catch up this weekend.

And they're doing it at a new venue. Havre is set to attend the Hardin Invitational, which has been moved to today and Friday due to more bad weather. And while the opponents Havre will play in Hardin will all be familiar, this trip will be the first time the Ponies have played in Hardin.

"We get to play Hardin a ton during the regular season," HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "But we have never had a chance to go to their invitational. They've been coming to ours for years now, and I'm so glad we get the chance to return the favor."

Ferguson is also just excited for the opportunity to play. With so much bad weather last week, and more forecast into next weekend, the clock is ticking on a season he says feels like it's barely begun.

"We're down to just four weeks in the regular season," Ferguson said. "Most varsity kids have only played four or five matches. We haven't been on a trip out of Havre since March 27. So it's been tough. We need matches. We need to play. You can only do so much practicing against your own teammates. Kids need that competition. So hopefully, the weather cooperates enough to get us some matches this weekend."

The Havre varsity tennis teams will also be short-handed this week because of District Music Festival. But Ferguson noted that it's also a great opportunity for some younger kids to get varsity experience.

"We're going to be taking a ton of newcomers to Hardin," Ferguson said. "That's great because we have so many younger kids out for the teams this season, and this will be great experience for them. I'm excited to see how those kids do, and no matter what, they'll learn a lot about varsity high school tennis, and that will be great for the future of our program."

All-in-all, Ferguson his hoping this trip to Hardin will be great for future of this season, too. If it stays dry, the ponies will play the likes of th host Bulldogs, as well as Billings Central, Livingston, Miles City, Glendive and Lewistown. But more than the competition itself, it's the court time Ferguson is most looking forward to.

"Our kids work hard," Ferguson said. "They've been working hard in horrible conditions. This is the roughest stretch of weather for this length of time I've seen in my 20 years. It's been pretty bad since the week of the Havre Invitational, and our kids have been pushing through it. So they deserve the reward of getting to play on the weekend. And we're excited about the chance to get on the courts in Hardin."

Havre will play at the Hardin Invite Thursday and Friday, and the Ponies will also dual Butte Central, CMR and GFH next Tuesday in Great Falls.