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September 2020
FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
Talented Pony golf teams were the first to start By Havre Daily News Staff A lot of thought, planning and preparation has went into the start of the 2020 fall sports season at Havre High. After all, it had to given the coronavirus pandemic continues on. And the Havre High golf teams were the first to return to play. And once again, Havre will be led by longtime Blue Pony coach George Ferguson, who admits this season will be dynamically and dramatically different. "It's going to be a very interesting season," Ferguson said. "The sport of golf hasn't changed, and it's done really well during this pandemic. It's been deemed one of the safest sports you can play. But that's about the only thing that won't change. This season from practices, which have gone really well, to tournaments, and hopefully, the postseason, is going to be unlike any golf season in Havre High history. Ferguson has plenty of reasons to be excited. He has strong numbers once again, and both his boys and girls teams are led by a host of veteran and experienced golfers. "We've got almost 40 kids out again this season," he said. "That's a tremendous turnout for golf. We've also got a lot of returners back this season, a lot of experience on both teams, so I think we're going to see a ton of improvement team-wise throughout the fall." The Havre High boys should be especially strong. The Ponies return a pair of All-Conference seniors in Josh Warp and Caleb Chambliss, while Kale Reno and Tavish McLean were divisional qualifiers a year ago. Add to that experienced returners in Clint Owens, Caleb Spangler, Theron Peterson, Hunter Velk and up-and-comers like Lane Kinsella, Joram Randolph, Conner McKay, and more, and the Ponies have the makings of a very deep and talented squad. "The potential for our boys to have a really good season is there," Ferguson said. "We have really good seniors. Those guys have played a lot of golf, and I expect big things from all of them. We have depth, too. Our
qualifying rounds are already very competitive, and then we are adding a bunch of young kids that are going to make our boys team even more competitive." Ferguson said he has high hopes for his girls team, too. The Ponies return all four varsity players from last year, in seniors Carlee Kato, Jocelyn Staples and Sophie Kirkpatrick, as well as sophomore Sylvie McKeon-Hanson. Katherine Greenwood will round out the current varsity, while a new group of freshmen and sophomores has Ferguson extremely excited about the present and future of the program. "We have all our girls back from varsity last year," Ferguson said. "And I think you'll see them all improve dramatically as the season goes on. They gained so much experience last year, and it's going to play off this season. And I really am impressed with what Katherine (Greenwood) is bringing to the table, as well. So we have a great group of girls, and we have a really awesome group of newcomers who can certainly be the future of our program." Some of the safety measures for this golf season include masks being worn on the course, with exception of when players are playing a shot, no mixing of groups, meaning players play tournament rounds with their own teammates, and no pre-round or postround mingling between teams. As for Havre's schedule this season, it's fluid. The Ponies didn't attend the seasonopening Great Falls Invite, and Browning Invite at East Glacier has been canceled, as has the Jawbone Match play event in Harlowtown on Sept. 3. So, before Labor Day, Havre will compete in just three tournaments, including two tournaments in Havre and the Lewistown Invite. The second half of the Ponies' schedule includes the Glendive and Sidney Invitationals, the Billings Central and Laurel Invites, as well as the Eastern A in Billings and the Class A state tournament at the Butte Country Club. For now, though, Ferguson is just focused
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BLUE PONY GOLF SCHEDULE Sept. 3 Sept. 10 Sept. 11 Sept. 11 Sept. 17 Sept. 18 Sept. 24 Oct. 1-2
vs Lewistown at Havre at Glendive at Sidney Havre (Beaver Creek) at Billings Central (Eagle Rock) at Laurel Divisionals at Billings (Lake Hills) State at Butte (Country Club)
on the first tournament and not looking too far ahead, but, he's excited to be out there, too. "One thing we all know is, with this pandemic, things can change so fast, and things will change," he said. "But I do know this.
9:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. TBD
I love coaching these teams. We have great kids in our golf program at Havre High. And I want to help them have the best season they can possibly have. And I'm just excited to see them out on the course, doing what they love to do, and that's play golf for Havre High."
Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson The Havre High boys and girls golf teams pose for team photos while wearing their masks earlier this summer at Prairie Farms Golf Course. The Ponies started their season back on Aug. 20 with the Havre Invitational.