Pony netters aim to ace state tourney

By Havre Daily Staff

It all comes down to two long days in Bozeman. For five Havre High boys and a pair of HHS girls, the tennis season has reached the final matches.

Thursday and Friday, the Blue Pony boys will try to defend their 2021 state championship, while a pair of HHS girls will represent the Ponies at the Class A state tournament.

"The kids are just really excited," longtime HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "This is what we work so hard for. This is why we grind on the fundamentals, and everything we do all season long. It's for this opportunity. There's just nothing quite like state tennis. It's just really exciting and our kids are ready."

The Pony boys are ready to have another go at the state championship. After winning the team title last spring in Billings, the Ponies are bringing a very familiar, and similar team to state this weekend, with two doubles teams and a top singles player.

"We have a strong boys team again," Ferguson said. "And they have a goal. It's been a goal they've had all year. So now they have earned the chance to go after that goal, and I think we're one of the teams that can get there. It's going to be tough. Miles City, Whitefish, Dillon, Hamilton, Billings Central, Hardin, they can all do it. It's a wide-open tournament, just like it was last year."

Led by the senior tandem of Trenton Maloughney and Caleb Spangler, and the duo of Theron Peterson and Carter Spangler, the Ponies have depth in doubles, just like they did a year ago. Maloughney teamed up with Josh Warp to take third last year, while Caleb Spangler and Peterson were a team. Now, sophomore Carter Spangler is Peterson's partner, while Maloughney and Spangler come in as the Northeast A champions and one of the many top teams in boys doubles.

"I really like our doubles teams," Ferguson said. "Trenton and Caleb have had a great season. They've beaten about everybody at one point or another. They've gotten better and better as the season has gone on. When they're on, they're really tough to beat. Theron is really experienced too, and he and Carter are a team no-one should want to play this weekend; they're really dangerous."

And while Havre's depth in doubles gives them an advantage, there's also senior Josh Currie in singles. Runner-up to Dalton Polesky at state a year ago, and again in last weekend's Northeast A, Currie has breezed through the season with the exception of his tough matches with his Miles City rival. And while there are other really strong players in the field, including standouts from Corvallis, Libby, Hardin and Glendive, Currie has positioned himself to have another go at a coveted singles state championship this weekend.

"Josh made a great run last year," Ferguson said. "But he's way better now. He put in so much work in the offseason. He really dedicated himself to tennis. He's had a huge season. He's really demolished the competition for the most part, and he's coming into the state tournament playing well, and with a lot of confidence."

Confidence will be a key for the Ponies if they are to remain in the title hunt this weekend, too.

"At this point, it's all about playing your best at the right time," Ferguson said. "Boys doubles is loaded this year, there's really good singles players, too. At state, there's no easy matches, and this is a great boys field this year. So our mission is just to play one match at a time, not worry about team points or the brackets, just be laser-focused on the matches in front of us. If we play loose and confident, we'll play well, and that's how the team points add up. Our guys are really good, and if they're on top of their game, they're gonna be tough to beat."

On the girls side, the Ponies qualified a top doubles team to state in senior Grace Crantz and junior Courtney Burchard. Crantz played at state a year ago with Talia Ralph, now she and Burchard are in the field, and Ferguson says the duo represents an up-and-coming girls team at HHS.

"Grace and Courtney are a first-year team, and they really are peaking at the perfect time," Ferguson said. "They had a strong run at divisional, and I think they can really do some things this weekend. Grace Crantz has been an outstanding player for us. She's really versatile, could play doubles, singles, and can play with different partners. She's just a super-good tennis player, and she and Courtney are going to be a tough out this weekend."

The girls tournament will feature strong teams from Whitefish, Polson, Corvallis, Billings Central and Miles City, with Polson being the defending champions.

But again, the team races aren't what these seven Ponies will be focused on when things begin Thursday morning.

"We just want to take it one match at a time," Ferguson said. "It's cliche, but it's true. That's always been our approach and it's worked pretty well over the years. Our kids have put in all the work, they've met all the challenges. They're ready for this. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm already so proud of this group, and I can't wait to see them do special things this weekend."

The 2022 Class A State Tennis Tournament begins Thursday morning and runs through Friday afternoon at Bozeman and Gallatin High.