The Havre High football team continued its dominance on the road this weekend.
Friday night in Browning, the Blue Ponies defeated the Browning Indians 46-0 in a Central A contest. With the win the Ponies improved to 2-1 in the conference and 4-2 overall. And with the loss, the Indians remained winless, posting an 0-3 conference record and a 0-6 record overall.
The latest Blue Pony lopsided win came just after a tough 42-13 loss to Butte Central in Havre last weekend. The Ponies have struggled at Blue Pony Stadium all season long, while thriving on the road.
“All season long we have traveled really well,” Havre High head coach Jason Christenson said. “And it was nice to get back on track again after the way we lost to Butte Central. Just getting back into the win column and getting our swagger back, it was good for the kids.”
The HHS offense didn’t go in 100 percent on Friday, but with some key players stepping up, the Ponies played like it.
Workhorse running back Casey Schaub was injured last weekend and left a void in the Ponies' backfield. But with Ryan Brandt and Jonathan Austin both stepping up, they were both big reasons why the Ponies won on Friday.
Switching to a two-back set with Schaub out, Both Austin and Brandt were able to find success in the running game. And with Austin and Brandt establishing that running game, they kept the Browning defense from narrowing all focus on the Ponies' proven and dangerous passing threat.
“With both of those guys back there,” Christenson said. “They gave us some speed. They took the challenge on and stepped up. They both really ran the ball hard and that was good to see. They gave us a balance. It was nice to sustain some drives and take some time off the clock and keep that defense honest. It took some pressure off of Justin (Jensen) and it really did open up our passing game. It was nice to run the ball.”
In the second quarter Austin got a two-yard rushing touchdown that put the Ponies up 18-0. And in the third quarter Brandt found his way into the end zone on two different occasions. He scored on a one-yard run as well as a 52-yard run to put the Ponies up 33-0.
Brandt also had 10 carries for 94 yards, while Austin had nine carries for 64 yards.
With the success the Ponies found on the ground, they were also able to take advantage of Justin Jensen’s arm and a talented receiving corp.
Jensen was 12-of-22 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. And receiving, Corderro Strickland had seven catches for 104 yards and a 34-yard touchdown. And Logan Connor had four receptions for 89 yards and a 52-yard touchdown, while Brandt had three receptions for 81 yards. Austin also had a 45-yard touchdown reception to add to his rushing score.
The Blue Pony defense also stepped up their play on Friday, pitching a shutout in their big win.
Kameron Pribyl led the defense with 13 tackles, four of them for a loss. He also scored a fourth-quarter rushing TD. Danny Roe wasn’t too far behind as he finished with 10 tackles and three sacks. Eli Hinebauch also had 11 tackles with a sack, while Brandon Brostrom had seven tackles.
Connor also had another good defensive performance, grabbing another interception and forcing and recovering a fumble.
“That shutout was huge,” Christenson said. “Browning is a decent team, they have good running backs and a good quarterback. It was nice to go in there and win the way we did. We got some turnovers and that helped us.”
Next up for the Ponies is another road conference game. Friday the Ponies will face Livingston.
Ponies 46, Browning 0
Havre 6 12 14 14 — 46
Browning 0 0 0 0 — 0
HAV—Logan Connor 52 pass from Justin Jensen (pass failed)
HAV—Jonathan Austin 42 pass from Jensen (run failed)
HAV—Austin 2 run (pass failed)
HAV—Ryan Brandt 1 run (Austin run)
HAV—Brandt 52 run (run failed)
HAV—Corderro Strickland 34 pass from Kolby Sukut (pass failed)
HAV—Kameron Pribyl 7 run (Kade Barsotti pass from Sukut).
Havre Individual Stats
Rushing — Ryan Brandt 10-94, Jonathon Austin 9-64
Passing — Justin Jensen 12-22-277, Kolby Sukut 4-6-51
Receiving — Corderro Strickland 7-104, Logan Connor 4-89, Ryan Brandt 3-81, Jonathon Austin 1-45.
