Blue Ponies lose heartbreaker to Dillon

In its quarterfinal game against Dillon this past Saturday, the Havre High football team played tough. On the road, the Blue Ponies had battled it out to a 21-21 tie with the Beavers. But Dillon scored late to hand the Ponies a 28-21 loss to end their season.

On their opening drive of the game, the Beavers' Kale Konen ran the ball all the way down to the Havre one-yard line. Konen then ran it in for the score to give Dillon a 7-0 lead. After they got the ball back, the Beavers drove right down the field again. This time, quarterback Kee Christiansen kept it for a 10-yard score to make it a 14-0 game.

But the Ponies stiffened up on defense. On the next two Dillon possessions, the Beavers threw an interception and then failed to convert on fourth down in Havre territory. With the defense keeping the game close, the Havre offense finally came alive.

On third and 14, Griffin Terry connected with Colter Solomon deep down the field for an 86-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 14-7 heading into halftime. Then on their opening drive of the third, the Ponies stayed hot as they drove down to the Dillon five-yard line. Terry then connected with Tate Nelson for a touchdown to knot things up at 14-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Beavers woke up on offense. After a Havre interception, the Beavers started a drive at the Havre 48-yard line. They used the good field position to reach the Havre five-yard line. Christiansen then found Cooper Anderson for a touchdown to give Dillon a 21-14 lead with just over five minutes left in the contest.

After turning it over on their last drive and now trailing, the Ponies got going on offense on their next drive. Thanks to fourth-down conversion, the Ponies found themselves at the Dillon one-yard line. Terry kept the ball on a sneak to tie the game, 21-21, with 1:22 left in the game.

With time running out in regulation, the Beavers got to work on offense. Thanks to a couple of completions from Christiansen and a strong run from Konen, the Beavers reached the Havre ten-yard line. Konen then ran it in for the score to give Dillon a 28-21 lead with just 38 seconds left on the clock.

The Ponies were unable to pull off a miracle as they ran out of time on their final possession of the season. With the loss to Dillon in the quarterfinals, the Ponies finished the season with a record of 7-4. It was the second straight season that the Ponies qualified for the postseason, a streak they will look to extend in 2024. 

Dillon 28, Havre 21

HAV 0 7 7 7 - 21

DIL 14 0 0 14 - 28

DIL - Kale Konen 1 run (Konen kick)

DIL - Kee Christiansen 35 run (Konen kick)

HAV - Colter Solomon 86 pass from Griffin Terry (Ty Golie kick)

HAV - Tate Nelson 5 pass from Terry (Golie kick)

DIL - Cooper Anderson 5 pass from Christiansen (Konen kick)

HAV - Terry 1 run (Golie kick)

DIL - Konen 10 run (Konen kick)