Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
After a solid win to start the season, the Havre High football team won’t have to wait any longer for its chance to go head-to-head with Billings Central, the top-ranked team in Class A and the prohibitive preseason favo r i t e t o wi n t h e s t a t e championship. The Ponies will battle the Rams Saturday night at 7 p.m inside vaunted Daylis Stadium in Billings. It will be the first time the two teams have met on the football field s ince the 2 0 0 5 Clas s A s tat e championship game, when Havre downed the Rams to capture its last state title in Havre. “We are going into this game expecting it to be extremely physical,” HHS head coach Kevin Sukut said. “They are a very good football team and we know that we are going to have to play extremely well on both sides of the ball if we want to come out on top. “It’s going to be a very big challenge for us,” he added. “We have a lot of respect for them, but we feel good about our game plan going in and we aren’t going to be intimidated.” The Rams boast arguably the top rushing attack in all of Class A football and have a blend of talent and experience returning this season, with 22 seniors back from a team that won t h e Ea s t e r n A c o n f e r e n c e championship and made a trip to the state semifinals a year ago. Leading the way for the Rams' impressive ground game is senior running back Jake Pelczar. Pelczar was astounding last season for the Rams totaling 1,212 yards rushing along with 16 touchdowns. He was equally impressive last week in the Rams 35-0 win over Worland, Wyo., racking up 158 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Helping Pelczar carry the load will be fellow senior backs Joe Hickey and Ryan Huppert. At quarterback, Billings Central will start the game with 6-1 senior Jake Chilton, but backup quarterback Jordan Heringer, also a senior, may also see some snaps. Defensively, the Rams return the bulk of the starters from a unit that allowed just 128 yards per game a year ago and opened the 2007 season by pitching a shutout. “Defensively, we are just going to have to play good solid assignment football,” Sukut said. “We feel like we are prepared to handle what they will throw at us in the running game, as well as all of their play-action passes.” When the Ponies have the football, their offensive attack will once again center on the play of senior q u a r t e r b a c k Ky l e Fi n n ema n . Finneman was solid yet not spectacular last Saturday in the 21-7 win over Whitefish, completing 11-of-22 passes for 105 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also notched a team-high 34 yards rushing to go along with a rushing touchdown. In the passing game Finneman will look to spread the ball around to his strong group of receivers led by seniors Jay Darrah and Loren Mack. Senior Taylor Ita as well as juniors Mi c h a e l Hi c kma n a n d Na t e Christianson will also play key roles in the passing game for the Ponies. Finneman will also be helped by the return of senior receiver Todd Roe. Mack, who totaled 58 yards from scrimmage of just eight touches, including a rushing touchdown last week, will team with junior Jordan Van Voast as well as Darrah to churn out yards on the ground in the Ponies spread attack. “I think the best thing for us offensively is just to stay the course,” Sukut said. “They are very big up front, so we are going to rely on our passing game and try to keep things on the perimeter.” Havre and Billings Central will begin Saturday night at 7 p.m. in front of a raucous crowd at Daylis Stadium. “We are definitely using this game as a measuring stick to see where we are at and where we need to be,” Sukut said. “We know that we are the underdogs going into this game, but if we can take care of business and find a way to win that would be a huge boost for our football team, because if you can beat them, you know you can compete with any team in Class A football.”
