By George Ferguson/Havre Daily News Sports/gferguson@havredailynews.com
The Havre High golf team did exactly what it was supposed to do on Saturday at Beaver Creek Golf Course. Both the Blue Pony boys and girls teams captured first-place honors and produced medalists at the Havre Invitational.
"It was a really good day for all of our players," said Havre High first-year head coach Carla Bolken. "The kids all played well. They were excited to play on their own course and the whole day went really well."
The HHS boys team captured top honors by 12 strokes over conference rival Lewistown. They also beat junior varsity squads from CMR and Great
Falls High by 17 and 34 strokes, respectively.
Senior Ben Erickson also continued his fine play this season by firing a 3-over par 75 on his home course to earn medalist honors. Sophomore Brandon Job finished in second place with a solid 81 and fellow sophomore Matt Hedstrom finished fourth with an 84.
Havre's entire top five finished in the top 10, with Marshall Cartwright finishing in a tie for fifth place and Anthony Wirtzberger coming in eighth. The Ponies also got a solid outing from JV player Chris Owens. Owens fired an 88, which would have tied him for seventh overall.
"Ben is playing really well this season," Bolken said. "He did exactly what I thought he would do on this course on Saturday. He is the leader on our team and it is really nice to see him playing so well."
Meanwhile, the Havre girls team also captured top team honors Saturday afternoon, easily beating Lewistown by a whopping 62 strokes. Senior Brittany Job fired a 96 to beat Browning's Jessie Scott by one stroke for medalist honors. Havre also got another solid outing from sophomore Ali Ward, who shot 98, which was good enough for third place. Senior Cathy Beecher also finished in the top 10. She shot a 114, which tied her for fourth place overall.
"Brittany and Ali are both playing good golf," Bolken said. "They are trading places each week and it is good for us to have both of them playing well right now.
"I think this was a really nice weekend for our kids," Bolken added. "Even when the kids weren't hitting the ball as well as they could have, they still found a way to score, and that comes with being comfortable on our own course. They knew what was around the corner and that made a big difference on Saturday."
The Ponies will be back in action next Monday and Tuesday when they travel to Kalispell and Whitefish for the Flatfish Invitational.
Havre Invitational
at Beaver Creek Golf Course
Boys
Team Standings
Havre 352, Lewistown 364, CMR JV 369, GFH JV 386, Browning 397
Top 10
1. Ben Erickson, HAV, 76; 2. Brandon Job, HAV, 81; 3. Ryan Meyers, CMR, 83; 4. Matt Hedstrom, HAV, 84; 5. (tie) Matt Gruener, LEW, 85; Marshall Cartwright, HAV, 85; 7. Tyson Lund, GFH, 88; 8. Anthony Wirtzberger, HAV, 89; 9. Kyle Red Crow, BRO, 91.
Girls
Team Standings
Havre 430, Lewistown 492, Browning 513
Top 10
1. Brittany Job, HAV, 96; 2. Jessie Scott, BRO, 97; 3. Ali Ward, HAV, 98; 4. (tie) Cathy Beecher, HAV, 114; Katy Postlethwait, GFH, 114; Ashley Mahoney, CMR, 114; 7. Irene Harrison, BRO, 118; 8. Kelsey Johnson, CMR, 119; 9. Elyse Moriton, LEW, 121.
Team Results
Boys
Havre 325 - Ben Erickson 75, Matt Hedstrom 84, Anthony Wirtzberger 89, Brandon Job 81, Marshall Cartwright 85.
Lewistown 364 - Matt Gruener 85, Mitch Braine 91, Kyle Whitcraft 95, Steve Gruener 93, Jamie Jackson 98.
CMR JV 369 - Ryan Meyers 83, Jordan Hustad 104, Matt Kakalecik 93, Matt Beard 93, Zach Dockter 100.
GFH JV 386 - Tyson Lund 88, Chris Skiba 93, Kirk Meyer 101, Ryan Marsik 110, Travis Feller 104.
Browning 397 - Kyle Red Crow 91, TC Tall Bull 117, Mike Goss 94, DJ Fish 95, Clayton Juneau 127.
Havre JV - Chris Owens 88, Chase Castloo 99, Travis Meyers 115, Dan Pizzini 113, Grayson Vukasin 104.
Girls
Havre 430 - Brittany Job 96, Ali Ward 98, Cathy Beecher 114, Stacey Sheppard 122, Hailey McLain 134.
Lewistown 492 - Shea Downey 115, Kim Reid 124, Elyse Morton 121, Justice Kimmel 132.
Browning 513 - Jessie Scott 97, Irene Harrison 118, Robin Mad Plume 132, Corrina Gervais 166.
GFH JV - Kathy Postlethwait 114, Elizabeth Hale 148.
CMR JV - Ashley Mahoney 114, Kelsey Johnson 119, Sara Palagi 126.
