Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Sometimes all it takes is one win to turn around a season. And after an impressive victory on Friday night, the Havre High football team hopes i t wi l l get enough momentum to make a run into the playoffs. Havre dominated from start to finish in a 52-14 win over the Browning Indians Friday night at Blue Pony Stadium. The Ponies offense had its most efficient performance of the season, racking up 307 yards, with 171 yards on the ground and 136 through the air. The Ponies did most of their damage in the first half, scoring 38 points in the first two quarters. “One down and three to go now,” HHS head coach Kevin Sukut said. “We have three more games left and as far as we are concerned they are all mustwin games. Winning the conference is going to be tough now unless we get some help, so we are just focused on what we can control and that is winning out this season. “I think that what really helped us was that we got off to such a good start,” he added. “First off, our defense did a great job by coming out and stopping them (Browning). Then we came out and ran a little no-huddle, drove right down the field and scored. That jus t gives you so much momentum and confidence. It just sets you up really well for the rest of the game.” Senior quarterback Kyle Finneman was particularly impressive for the Ponies, connecting on 8-of-14 passes for 121 yards and four touchdowns. “I have really seen a difference in (Finneman) the last couple of games,” Sukut said. “He looks a lot more comfortable back there in the pocket. He is doing a better job of going through his progressions. He is playing with a lot more confidence right now and I think he is just going to keep getting better and better.” After an early touchdown pass from Finneman to Jay Darrah gave the Ponies a 7-0 lead, they got a big play on special teams from Loren Mack, who returned a punt 40-yards for a score to give Havre a 14-0 lead. Senior receivers Darrah and Todd Roe stepped up in a big way for Finneman, as Darrah hauled in three passes for 68 yards and two scores. Roe al so caught a 21 -yard touchdown pass and kicked a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter to put the Ponies ahead 24-0. Then Finneman and Darrah hooked up for a 23-yard touchdown to push the lead to 31-0. Junior Jordan Van Voast was on the receiving end of 30-yard touchdown pass by Finneman. And in the second half, Van Voast filled in at quarterback for Finneman and hit junior Thomas Kline for a 15-yard touchdown to make the score 45-0. Kent Pattison reached paydirt on a 35-yard touchdown run for the Ponies’ final touchdown, making the lead 52-8. Browning scored twice on a Lyle St. Goodard kickoff return and a 35-yard touchdown pass from Murt Thomas to Dan Keller. Mack also had a solid game running the ball, gaining 51 yards on six carries. Junior Adam Briese added 59 yards on six carries and Pattison also pitched in with 57 yards on nine carries to go along with a touchdown. “The thing that I like about our offense right now is that we are really balanced,” Sukut said. “We have a lot of weapons across the board and a lot of kids that are stepping up and making plays for us. So if one team is going to come in and try to take something away from us offensively, we have a lot of other options we can go to.” Curtis Shandorf led the Ponies defensively, posting five tackles and two sacks in the win. David Klobofski and Michael Hickman added four tackles and a sack each, as the Ponies held Browning to just 163 yards of total offense. Havre (3-3 overall, 1-1 conference) will look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when the Ponies host Livingston Friday at 7 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.
