Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
The busiest part of the tennis season continues for the Havre High tennis teams, as the Blue Ponies head to the Great Falls Invitational this weekend. In the Electric City, HHS will play four duals, mostly against unfamiliar Class AA opponents. “This is a big week for us,” HHS head coach George Ferguson said. “We already played in Great Falls twice this week, and we go back to play three AA schools and Cut Bank this weekend. So this part of our schedule is really crucial in preparing us for the postseason. The HHS boys bring a perfect 8-0 dual record into today’s duals against Butte High and Billings Senior. On Saturday, the Ponies will take on Billings Skyview and Cut Bank. According to Ferguson, Senior and Skyview will be the biggest challenges for HHS. “Billings Senior has a great doubles team and a pair of good singles players,” Ferguson said. “And Skyview has two outstanding singles players. So we’re going to have our hands full. Cut Bank is always tough to play as well, so we should get a lot out of this weekend, win or lose.” The Ponies will go with the same lineup that they had in Great Falls, with Shane Kemmer, Kyle Miller, Mason Sheppard and Dan Pizzini manning the singles spots, and Todd Roe and Billy Wagner, Ryan Kinholt and David Zentmire and Tim McLean and Brad Hanson playing doubles. Wagner and Roe will get a second crack at Billings Senior’s top duo of Travis Lehman and Joe Pavlish. The Broncs’ No. 1 tandem bested Wagner and Roe in a close match last Saturday in Helena. “This is the time of year the kids really look forward to,” Ferguson said. “We relish playing the AA schools, especially a team like Senior, because they have a had a lot of success recently. I think the kids also get fired up to play the AA schools because no matter how much success we’ve had, they probably don’t look at us the same way they do other AA schools.” On the girls side, Billings Senior will also be the most dangerous team the Blue Ponies play this weekend. The Broncs are the defending Class AA state champions, and they have one of the most highly-touted singles players in the western United States in junior Missy Harris. Harris has not only never lost a match in her high school career, but she has never dropped a set. And to make matters more difficult, No. 2 singles player Cara Lehman is considered by many to be the second best player in AA, right behind her teammate. “Billings Senior is extremely good,” Ferguson said. “It’s hard to put into words just how good a player Missy Harris is. People just have to see her for themselves. “This is our third crack at her,” he added. “Amy McLain played her two years ago, and Haley McLain faced her last year. But what I like about our team is our kids want to play her. They know whatever happens, they will be better for it, and that’s the case for our whole team. Playing a great team like Billings Senior will only make us better.” Like the HHS boys, the Pony girls will dual Butte this morning and the Broncs in the afternoon. The Ponies will also face Skyview and Cut Bank on Saturday. HHS will be without its top singles player, Katie Mariani this weekend, so Ferguson will likely mix and match his lineup throughout the tournament. The Ponies will have McLain, Hope Hedges and Christen Kittelson as its veterans this weekend. HHS will also bring its talented youngsters like Haley Donovan, Melissa Kittelson, Courtney Kinholt, Morgan McCann, Jolee Landgraf, Christina Plum and Maggie Broesder. “Taking seven freshmen to a tournament of this caliber is interesting,” Ferguson said. “But there’s no better experience than this, so no matter what happens, this will be a great weekend for all of them. Our young kids are starting to hit their stride, so I expect them to play very well. “We’re also excited to get Melissa Kittelson back,” he added. “She’s been out the last couple of weeks because she hasn’t been feeling well, so getting her back is crucial for our team.”
