Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Every high school athlete looks forward to his or her senior season. Often, it is the one real chance to shine at the varsity level. It is an opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime and it is also an chance to be remembered forever. And the varsity football players from the Havre High School Class of 2006 are doing all they can to seize those type of opportunities as they approach their final regular season game Friday night against Butte Central at 7 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium. Eighteen players make up this year’s senior class, and in all, 13 of them start for the Ponies. Seniors fill all but two of the Ponies’ starting positions. “This is a very deep class,” HHS head coach Kevin Sukut said. “They have worked extremely hard to get where they are at and they deserve the success they have had this season because they put in the extra time and they bought into what Blue Pony football is all about.” The class has its share of star players such as quarterback Tanner Donovan or fullback/linebacker Evan Hinebauch. But the thing that makes this class special is that at one time or another everyone has contributed directly to the Ponies’ success this season. “This class is not about one or two guys,” Sukut said. “That’s what makes them good is that everyone contributes.” The seniors have experienced just about everything during their four-year career’s at Havre High, including the schools’ first state championship in 32 years (2004) as well as a 3-5 season last year in which the Ponies missed the playoffs. And now, with the help of a seniorladen football team, Blue Pony football is back at the top with a 6-1 record, a No. 4 ranking in the Class A power poll and a chance to claim yet another Central A Conference crown on Friday night. “We got to see a perfect season and a state championship, when we were sophomores,” senior offensive tackle/defensive tackle Mike Sharp who is having a breakout season said. “It doesn’t get any better than that and now we want to try and win a state championship of our own. That is what high school sports are about, winning state championships.”
So much of building a consistently successful high school program is having seniors step up and fill the voids left by the previous class. This HHS team has had numerous players that, before this season, didn’t see significant time on the field, but have taken their one chance and made the most of it. Players such as wide receiver/free safety Chris Brandt, who has become one of Havre’s most reliable targets in the passing game and running back/strong safety Beau LaSalle, who is constantly making big plays on defense. Another is wide receiver/cornerback Nate Harada, a player whose career has been marred by injury, only to come back his senior season to score seven touchdowns in the first six games. “It has been worth the wait,” Brandt said. “You start out in middle school and you look forward to your senior season, when you finally get your chance to play.” The rest of the seniors include guard/linebacker Chris Buskirk, offensive tackle/defensive tackle Matt Schnittgen, offensive tackle/defensive tackle Michael Erickson, center/defensive lineman Ian Munson, guard/linebacker Kyle Rummel, tight end/defensive end Jeremiah Moog, linebacker Ryan Callahan, cornerback Billy Wagner, wide receiver/defensive back Josh Weigel, offensive tackle/defensive tackle T.J. Daulton, running back/defensive back Scott Geda and wide receiver/ defensive back Garrett Ohm. “It’s been a great year,” Buskirk said. “We have all worked hard and it would feel great to win a state championship in our senior year. It will be tough, but that is what we want to do.” Even though their legacy at Havre High won’t be complete until the Class A playoffs are over, one thing is for sure, this HHS team set out at the start of the season to prove the doubters wrong, and they have done that. The HHS seniors made the disappointment of last season a distant memory and ultimately win or lose, they will be remembered for the positive impact they will leave on the Blue Pony football program and the foundation they put down for future success. “Obviously their final chapter hasn’t be written yet,” Sukut said. “But their legacy will be a group of individuals that worked hard and did things the right way. They set a great example for the underclassmen. Whether it is making plays on the field or conducting themselves the right way off of it. They are all a great example of what Blue Pony football is all about.”
