George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com
On the f i rs t chi l ly day of competition at the 2007 Class A state golf tournament in Anaconda, both the Havre High boys and girls golf teams got some good individual performances, but not much in the way of team results. The HHS girls have two players currently in the Top 15 after the first 18 holes of play at Old Works Golf Course, but as a team the Blue Ponies sit in a distant ninth place overall with a team score of 410. Senior Haley McLain paced the Ponies on Wednesday after she fired a round of 91, which puts her in a tie for ninth place individually. McLain is making her fourth straight state tourney appearance. Fellow senior Stacey Sheppard is also in the Top 15 after she shot a 95 to finish in a tie for 14th place. However, the Ponies are well behind Glendive’s first-day total of 361. The Red Devils are on their way to the state title, leading second-place Whitefish by 12 strokes. Polson is back in third place after a 386 heading into today’s final round. Havre is likely back in the pack because the Ponies’ other three golfers failed to break 100 on a tough day of play at Old Works. Junior Tabitha Beck finished with a 106, while Danika Patterson shot a 118 and freshman Taylor Haas brought in a 128. Things went similarly for the Pony boys on Wednesday. HHS got a strong first day from Myles Mazurkiewicz and Jeremy Jensen, but the Blue Ponies are in seventh place overall after a first-day score of 361. Hamilton and Whitefish lead the tournament with team scores of 318, and Billings Central is in striking distance, in third place with a 328. Individually, Mazurkiewicz put himself in position for All-State honors after he fired a round of 82. The junior’s opening-day score put him in 12th place overall. Jensen was also solid on Wednesday, shooting a round of 84, leaving him one stroke out of the Top 15 with 18 holes remaining in the tourney. Havre’s struggles on Wednesday came from its three other golfers. Only senior Dan Pizzini broke 100 after he shot a round of 93. Brett Normandy had a difficult state tournament debut, shooting a round of 102, while Greyson Vukasin came in with a 103. The Class A state tournament will conclude today in Anaconda.
