Blue Ponies ready for homecoming battle

For the first time in three weeks, the Havre High football team will play at home at Blue Pony Stadium. And better yet, it will be the homecoming game for the Blue Ponies. As Havre gets set to play East Helena tonight, HHS head coach Jake Eldridge is expecting a battle.

"It's going to be a competitive ball game," Eldridge said. "East Helena is coming off a big win and they're going to be coming in here riding high. It's going to be a great challenge for us so we're excited."

The East Helena Vigilantes head into the game with a 2-3 record. However, they are coming off a 20-18 win over Glendive this past weekend. If the Ponies want to stop them from gaining further momentum tonight, they will have to limit the Vigilantes' best players.

Quarterback Jack Taylor will lead the East Helena offense with the help of wide receiver Deondray Ellis and several running backs. Along with a defense that can create pressure, Eldridge knows the Ponies will need to be ready.

"They're a formidable team in both the passing game and the running game," Eldridge said. "They're definitely a good team and a committed team that you can tell is very well coached and has some great ball players so it's going to be a good challenge for our guys this week."

Havre enters the game with a 3-2 record. If the Ponies want to stay above .500, their best playmakers will need to keep contributing. Quarterback Ciaran Courtnage has been reliable this year completing 56.8 percent of his throws for 702 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

Courtnage will look for playmakers such as wide receiver Tre Gary, who has 13 catches for 175 yards and a score this year. The Havre rushing attack will also be a factor in the game, as running back Tate Nelson is averaging 5.5 yards a carry for 527 yards and four touchdowns this fall.

The Ponies are coming off an 11-9 victory where the Ponies only recorded 192 total yards of offense. While Nelson had another solid game on the ground, the passing game struggled as Courtnage went 2-for-10 through the air for four yards and two interceptions. So tonight, the Ponies will be looking to get the passing game going.

"We want to get the ball to the playmakers outside and be able to stay balanced as an offense," Eldridge said. "We can't be one dimensional so I think that's going to be huge for us this week."

Along with tonight being their homecoming game, the Ponies will be returning home after a two-game road trip. As the Ponies deal with the emotions of returning home and the festivities of homecoming, Eldridge expects them to hold their composure to get down to business.

"We just have to go out there and understand that just like normal, we take it one play at a time, one drive at a time and one quarter at a time to put together a four-quarter ball game," Eldridge said. "The kids are really starting to understand that and they're really buying into it so I would expect them to go out there, compete hard for four quarters and put together their best ball game of the year so far."

The HHS football team will play East Helena at Blue Pony Stadium tonight at 7 p.m.