Havre golf season making its return

The summer heat is raging on, but high school sports are now here to stay, and the 2023-2024 season kicks off with Havre High Golf Tuesday in Lewistown.

The Blue Ponies are under the direction of head coach Dennis Murphy, while former Class A All-State standout Dustin Haas also joins the coaching staff, And the coaching duo returns a pair of what should be outstanding teams.

On the boys side, Havre returns its entire divisional team, which finished fifth in the Eastern A a year ago. Havre is led by State A qualifiers Shane Patacsil and Reid Kato, both whom should be strong scorers for the Ponies this season. Matt Huse, Tanner DeLarosa and Noah Barrett are also back from last season's divisional squad, while Ethan Stortz, Carter Spangler, Quinn Elliot and Callin Stoner all saw significant varsity rounds last season. Add to that a very deep boys roster, and the Blue Ponies should have a very competitive team to compete not only amongst each other, but also against top Eastern A teams like Livingston, Laurel, Billings Central and Lewistown.

Overall, the entire program is deep this season, as Murphy has more than 40 players out for golf, and that includes what will be a very strong girls team.

The Ponies are led by returning Class A All-State performer Shea Reber, who had a huge finish to last year, including a pair of personal best rounds at the state A tournament in Hamilton.

Reber will have a group of strong teammates too, including sophomore Brenna Hanson, who reached the state tournament last year as well. Add to that the experience of Calista Pyrak, Tierra Parker, Callie Bebee, Sophie Drew and others, and the HHS girls ahould be a strong Eastern A contender this fall.

Havre's schedule will also help the Ponies grow as the season goes on. They open at the Lewistown Invitational Tuesday, before hosting the annual Havre Invitational at both Prairie Farms Golf Course and Beaver Creek Golf Course Thursday. The busy first week of play ends with the Browning Invitational Friday in Shelby.

The Ponies will also attend the annual Jawbone Match Play in Harlowton, the Browning Invitational at East Glacier, as well as tournaments at Glendive and Sidney, Billings Central and Laurel, and more. All of those tough courses will help Havre build for the postseason which will be completed at the Sidney Country Club, where the Eastern A Divisional will be held Sept. 21-22 and the Class A State Tournament will be held there Sept. 28-29.