By Tiffany L. Rehbein
The Havre Blue Pony football team held its first full-contact scrimmage Saturday with a strong overall effort put out by all the kids, said second-year head coach Dan Olson.
It was a good scrimmage for the first time out, Olson said. The Blue Ponies finished 7-1 in the Central A Conference last season.
The Blue Ponies have been practicing in full pads since Thursday but practiced with a quick whistle to decrease the chance of injury, Olson said.
Blue Pony coaches also had the opportunity to see some young kids play in a live situation.
Tyler Shepperd at corner back, Kevin Harada at running back and linebacker and Joey Roma at running back all played tough at their positions.
Those guys proved that they can step up to varsity-level play, Olson said. We had some kids that really stepped up to play.
Defensive coaches John Larsen and Doug Schoonover were commended for their work in preparing team defense.
They had their kids well-prepared, Olson said. I was pleased offensively, too. It will be mainly a running game offensively.
But not every aspect of play was 100 percent. Olson said the passing game on Saturday was the biggest weakness.
Senior Ricky Brown will start at quarterback with Danny Wirtzberger and David Knight battling for the No. 2 spot.
We need to be a little crisper, a little more refined, before our first game, Olson said. But well be ready to go at all positions.
Havre will have one more opportunity to hone its skills when they hold the annual Blue and White Scrimmage, Friday at 6 p.m., at Blue Pony Stadium.
The Blue Ponies open the 1999 season Friday, Sept. 3, when they host the Glasgow Scotties at 7:30 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium.
