Blue Pony tennis teams pumped for the Havre Invite's return

By Havre Daily Staff

There are few things the Havre High tennis teams have cherished more over the years than the Havre Invitational. A big reason why is because, unlike sports like football, basketball and others, the Pony tennis teams have but one home meet per season.

That alone is reason to relish the opportunity. But, there's more to it than that according to longtime head coach George Ferguson, and when you add on the fact that last season was wiped out due to the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, this weekend's home meet has even more significance.

"We've always looked forward to it, because we don't get many opportunities to play at home," Ferguson said. "And with not having a Havre Invite last year, this weekend is something we've been waiting a long time for.

"Beyond that, though, the invite is special to us because we really take the traditions in our program to heart, and our invitational is an important tradition inside of Blue Pony tennis," Ferguson added. "It's senior day, it's a day when we actually get to play in front of a crowd, it's my mom's cookies, it's a team bonding day, there's just so many things that are special about the Havre Invite. So to say I've really missed it, that's putting it mildly."

The Havre Invite has also expanded over the years, and has become a two-day event. Friday, the Ponies will host Lewistown, Glendive and Hardin for important Northeast A and Class A duals. Then, Saturday, all three teams will join Havre, Conrad and Cut Bank for more tennis. Normally, Saturday is reserved for a tournament, but, because HHS is also holding its prom later than normal this year, Ferguson is modifying the second day of the tournament.

"It's a compromise," Ferguson said. "Our kids missed the Havre Invite last season but they also didn't get to have a prom either. So I'm happy to do my part and work it out so they can do both. Both are important to our kids, so instead of having bracketed tournaments that go until dark, we're going to play a round-robin format, and just get as many matches as we can in, and even after our kids who have to leave are gone, we'll just keep on playing. Because right now, that's the point, to just play as much tennis as we can possibly play."

And that's another big part of the Havre Invite. There isn't much in the way of JV tennis, so, Ferguson has always made sure, even with limited court space, that every player out for tennis gets a chance to play at least two matches in the Havre Invite, and this year will be no different.

"That's always been so important to me," Ferguson said. "First, whether they're a first year player or a senior, they all put in the hard work, so they all deserve to be a part of our invitational. Secondly, you want those young kids to experience it, to get a taste of it, because that helps them grow even more into our program and makes them want to continue to work hard to become better and better. So this year is big because we do have so many young players and newcomers, and I'm really excited for them all to play in their first Havre Invite."

While every Blue Pony will play Saturday, Friday's duals will be reserved for just the varsity boys and girls, though Ferguson said, even that's still a fluid situation. While veterans like Josh Warp, Mick Chagnon, Trenton Maloughney, Josh Currie and Theron Peterson are already varsity stalwarts on the boys side, as are Talia Ralph, Grace Crantz and Mackenzie Mangold on the girls side, the lineups are nowhere near set and will change many times before the postseason arrives.

"We're still experimenting, and we're just now getting into the challenge match portion of our season," Ferguson said. "And this year more than ever, our lineups are really wide open. We just have such young teams, that there's going to be a ton of changes throughout the season, and we're still seeing where everyone fits. So Friday's duals may even look different from dual to dual. It's just a really fluid situation right now, but that's also a good thing because it creates competition and there's no better way to get better than to compete."

The Blue Ponies will certainly get competition this weekend, too. While Havre has already squared off against Cut Bank, Conrad and Lewistown this season, Ferguson expects Glendive and Hardin to bring big challenges to town and, he said, his team needs exactly that.

"Those two teams are tough. They'll both have really good depth, and they'll help us find out a lot about ourselves," Ferguson said. "So it's going to be really exciting to see how we stack up against them, and I'm glad they're coming."

No matter who takes the court, though, Ferguson said he's just glad there's a Havre Invite, and he's looking for his teams to make the most out of the special experience this weekend will be.

"The weekend of the invite last year was tough," Ferguson said. "I literally sat down at the tennis courts both days for a while, and it was pretty sad. I really missed it. This is such a big part of my life and there was a big void not having tennis last year, but Havre Invite week was the worst of the entire experience. It was just gut-wrenching.

"So I'm just excited about being back," he continued. "I'm so happy our kids get to experience it, because this event means so much to me, and to our program. We take a lot of pride in Blue Pony tennis and the Havre Invite is our chance to showcase that pride. So it's going to be a big two days for us."

The Havre Invite duals begin Friday at 9 a.m. at both the Bill Vaughey Memorial Courts and the MSU-Northern Tennis Courts. Saturday, Havre will honor seniors Warp, Chagnon, Ralph and Kaylee Torgerson before the tournament begins at 8:30 a.m., at both locations.