Havre football survives against Sidney to open the season

Football has finally returned to the Hi-Line as the Havre High football team began its season this past Friday night. On the road, the Blue Ponies played in a defensive slugfest against the Sidney Eagles to open the year. Fortunately for the Ponies, their defense made more plays as they held on for a 13-7 win to start the year.

“Nice to come away with the win, especially in the first game of the season,” new HHS head coach Jake Eldridge said. “You take into account the long road trip and some of those things that you have to overcome as a team, I thought it was a great way to start the season.”

This year’s season opener was a near repeat of last year’s that Havre won, 12-7, against Sidney at Blue Pony Stadium. Just like in this game, the Ponies took advantage of their opportunities to score while their defense held strong when it mattered the most.

After scoring a touchdown to cut the score to 13-7 to start the fourth quarter, the Eagles got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. The Eagles drove down the field, but the HHS defense held strong as Jacob Herring intercepted a pass on fourth down. The Ponies then milked the clock to close out the game and secure the victory.

In his first start of the season at quarterback, Kale Van Campen completed seven of his 14 pass attempts for 140 yards. He also ran for 60 yards on 16 carries. Tate Nelson led the Ponies with 69 rushing yards while Tre Gary was the leading receiver with one catch for 66 yards.

The first quarter saw both teams struggle to move the ball down the field. Even after Sidney quarterback Zander Dean picked up a first down on a scramble on Sidney’s first drive, the Eagles had to punt to the Ponies. However, the punt pinned the Ponies at their own seven-yard line on their first drive of the season.

The Ponies’ first drive of the year was sloppy with a pair of false starts and a delay of game. After a pair of incompletions from Van Campen, the Ponies punted from their own two-yard line which allowed the Eagles to start their next drive in Havre territory.

But the Havre defense held strong with its back against the walls. The Eagles were unable to move the ball, resulting in a fourth and 12 at the Havre 34-yard line. The Eagles decided to go for it, but Dean’s scramble ended before the first-down marker, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Over the next three possessions, the Ponies and Eagles exchanged punts with neither team’s quarterback completing a pass yet. The Eagles eventually found some momentum with another drive starting in Havre territory. The Sidney ground game got the offense to the Havre 15-yard line. But an incompletion on third down and a false start backed up the Eagles to the 20-yard line. On another fourth-down attempt, Dean’s pass once again fell incomplete.

“The defense just stood tall and kept getting the ball back to our offense,” Eldridge said about the defense in the first half.

With the ball to start the second quarter, the Ponies finally got their offense going. After three straight runs to open the drive, the Ponies had a fourth and one at their own 29-yard line. Van Campen kept the ball and was able to squeeze through for an eight-yard gain and a first down. Then on his first completion of the night, he connected with Herring deep down the field for a 47-yard gain down to the Sidney 16-yard line.

Two plays later, Nelson ran the ball 14 yards for the touchdown. The Ponies then made the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 8:36 left in the half. After a scoreless first quarter, Eldridge was happy to see the Ponies move the ball.

“They just executed what they were supposed to do and we got into a little bit of a rhythm there,” Eldridge said. “We had an opportunity to make a few big plays which was huge for us so it kind of opened things for us and I think that just got us on a little bit of a roll.”

After this strong drive, the game again saw the Ponies and Eagles exchange punts. Late in the half, the Ponies got another drive going thanks to strong runs from Van Campen and Nelson. The Ponies eventually made their way to the Sidney 14-yard line. However on fourth and one with seconds left in the half, Nelson’s run fell short of converting for a first down. The Eagles then knelt on the ball for the final seconds of the half.

The Ponies’ offense did not start the second half strong. After an offsides penalty to start the opening drive of the half, the Ponies’ runs were stuffed to force a third and seven at their own 30-yard line.

But on third down, Van Campen found Gary wide open down the field. Gary then carried the ball for a big gain before going out of bounds at the Sidney five-yard line. His catch and run resulted in 66 yards for Havre.

Two plays later on second and goal, Van Campen kept the ball for a five-yard touchdown run to add onto the lead. However, the Ponies missed the extra point which left them with a 13-0 lead with 9:32 left in the third quarter.

After both teams exchanged punts, the Eagles got the ball in Havre territory once again. But on fourth down, the Ponies stuffed the Eagles’ run to once again turn it over on downs. The Ponies’ next drive did not go much better as a fumbled pitch resulted in a 10-yard loss. After failing to convert and a penalty on a punt, it was fourth and 22 deep in Havre territory.

On the next punt attempt, the Ponies fumbled the snap and the Eagles tackled the ball carrier to get Sidney’s next drive started at Havre’s 29-yard line. To start the fourth quarter, the Eagles drove down to the Havre five-yard line. On fourth and goal, Dean scrambled right and found Kaden Wise in the end zone for a touchdown to cut Havre’s lead to 13-7 with 9:34 left in the game.

After the Ponies punted on their next possession, momentum began to shift toward the Eagles. Several big runs from Ethan Erickson got the Eagles into the red zone. But the Havre defense stiffened up to force several incompletions and a false start. On fourth and 14, Dean’s pass down the middle was intercepted by Herring and returned to midfield. After giving up momentum, Eldridge liked how his players responded in crunch time.

“They just regrouped and said, ‘Alright, let’s go out there and let’s finish this ballgame,’” Eldridge said. “They just trusted in themselves and the things that they’ve been doing and they knew they could come away with it if they just continued to do their job and that’s what they did.”

On the interception return, a Sidney penalty further put Havre into Sidney territory with just a few minutes left in the game. Over the next few minutes, the Ponies ran the ball down the field into the red zone to tick away the rest of the game.

With the win, the Ponies start 1-0 in their first year under Eldridge. But things will not get any easier with teams such as Lewistown, Billings Central and Laurel still on the schedule this fall. After coming out with a win in his first game leading the Ponies, Eldridge at least knows he has tough players that are not afraid of anybody.

“Our kids don’t quit. They’re mentally tough kids, they keep coming back no matter what situation happens,” Eldridge said. “I love the effort that they played with, the resiliency they showed in some tough situations on the road versus a very good team so we love where we’re at right now and I just look forward to getting back to work and improving.”

The HHS football will next play in their home opener at Blue Pony Stadium against Lewistown this Friday at 7 p.m.

Havre 13, Sidney 7

HAV - 0 7 6 0 - 13

SID - 0 0 0 7 - 7

HAV - Nelson 14 run (Riley kick)

HAV - Van Campen 5 run (Kick failed)

SID - Wise 5 pass from Dean (Kick)

Individual Stats

Passing - Kale Van Campen 7-14-140-0-0

Rushing - Tate Nelson 22-69, Kale Van Campen 16-60, Trayden Riley 1(-12)

Receiving - Tre Gary 1-66, Jacob Herring 3-61, Hunter Sawdey 2-10, Carson Harris 1-3.