Blue Ponies ready to battle Glendive

Coming off a dominant win last weekend, the Havre High football team is hoping to carry that momentum into tonight's matchup with Glendive. The Blue Ponies will host the Red Devils at Blue Pony Stadium in a rematch of a shootout last year that the Devils won, so HHS head coach Jake Eldridge expects another battle tonight.

"It's going to be another really competitive game," Eldridge said. "It's going to be very competitive. They got some big receivers and their quarterback is a big athletic kid so he can do things with his feet and create plays so we've definitely got our work cut out for us."

The Devils enter the game with a 2-3 record. They have lost to similar teams that the Ponies have lost to this year such as Billings Central and Lewistown. They have also lost to Miles City but the Devils are coming off a 33-3 victory over Lockwood this past weekend.

The Glendive offense has been hot and cold this season. In their wins, the Devils have averaged 34.5 points a game. But in their three losses, the Devils only average six points a contest.

The Devils do have some playmakers that could give Havre trouble. Tight end Chase Crockett should be a problem after having an honorable mention all-conference season last fall. But the Ponies' main focus will be pushing through the Glendive offensive line led by former second-team all-conference guard Michael Marley.

"We have to make sure we leverage the football the right way," Eldridge said. "Leveraging the football the right way in the alleys and then fitting it the right way inside the box. And tackling is going to be the name of the game for us this week."

The Devils also have some solid players on their defense. Marley could be a problem at defensive end after earning second-team all-conference honors last year. In the secondary, former second-team all-conference cornerback Austin Berry will look to make plays for the Devils.

The Ponies will look to make their own plays on offense. Quarterback Kale Van Campen has been reliable so far this year completing 51.4 percent of his passes for 561 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He also leads the team with 233 rushing yards this season.

Of course, Van Campen will need help on offense. In the backfield, Tate Nelson and Brisbin Reiter are tied for second on the team with 128 rushing yards this season. In the passing game, Van Campen will look for Tre Gary who has 13 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns this season. As they head into tonight's game, Eldridge expects the offense to play well against the Devils.

"Our offense has been doing a really good job this week with understanding their assignments and executing the plays so I like how we match up," Eldridge said. "Our receivers and backs are going to have to be able to work really hard on the edges and break tackles and hopefully open up some lanes for us to get some big plays on the outside."

The Ponies enter the game with a 3-2 record. After getting shut out by Billings Central the previous week, the Ponies responded with a 26-0 win over Miles City on the road this past weekend. While the win was a step in the right direction for the Ponies this season, Eldridge does not want his players to linger on it heading into tonight's game.

"It's a whole new week. Nothing that we did last week is going to help us in this game," Eldridge said. "It's just going back and understanding what got us to the point that we're at right now. That little bit of success so we've got to continue to do those things that give us that opportunity."

The HHS football team will kick off against Glendive tonight at 7 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.