Havre tennis teams take second at divisional meet

A roller coaster of a season didn't change when the Havre High boys and girls tennis teams got to last week's Northeast A Divisional Tournament in Lewistown.

Instead, the Blue Ponies had more highs and lows at divisionals.

Both Havre High teams took second at the divisional tournament, with the Miles City boys and girls dominating the event.

On the girls side, the senior duo of Courtney Burchard and Cat Kaftan reached the doubles championship match, where they lost a tough battle to the top tandem from Miles City. Still, Burchard and Kaftan, who went 2-1 and beat the No. 2 Miles City squad in the semifinals, had a great tournament, and are on to state, with Burchard making her second straight state tourney appearance.

Havre senior Rayna Johnson came ever so close to reaching the state tournament. Johnson lost a heartbreaking match in the consolation semifinals to a competitor from Miles City, in a three-set thriller. She ended up tying for fifth overall. Havre also got strong support on the girls side from the doubles team of Emerald Tinsley and Mylee Shennum, as well as singles players Kate Hemmer and Chloe Bricker, as the Pony girls had one of their strongest divisional finishes in years.

Meanwhile, the young Havre boys gave the favored Cowboys a battle, but the inexperienced Ponies suffered some crushing defeats on day two. While junior Carter Spangler finished third in singles, and made it to state for the second straight year, the tandems of Reid Kato and Conner McKay, and Jackson Headdress and Max Spangler, as well as Callen Stoner, all lost some gut-wrenching matches late in the tournament that prevented them from reaching the state tourney.

Havre also got big points in singles from senior Gavin Hall and freshman Ronan Olson.

Now, all the Ponies who made it to state will prepare for the 2023 Class A State Tournament, which runs Thursday-Friday in Missoula.