4 www.havredailynews.com H av r e D a i ly N e w s April 2010 Pony tennis teams chasing more history Daniel Horton Havre Daily News gferguson@havredailynews.com It would be hard to top what the Havre High boys and girls tennis teams did in 2009. But with all of the success HHS tennis has had over the years, nobody would be surprised if this year's Blue Pony teams did just that. Havre High has already begun a new season on the tennis courts after a remarkable 2009 campaign. Last year, the Blue Pony girls captured their second-ever Class A state team title, and the boys followed suit with a second-place trophy at the state meet. Individually, HHS finished 1-2 in girls doubles with Hayley Donovan and Courtney Kinholt beating teammates Morgan McCann and Jolee Landgraf for the first girls doubles championship in HHS history. Not to be outdone, the Pony boys lost just one match at state a year ago, with Kyle Miller and Mason Sheppard claiming the boys doubles state title, and Shane Kemmer finishing third in singles. In all, Havre wrapped up its sixth straight season in which both the Pony boys and girls brought home a trophy from the state meet at the same time. But with the arrival of spring comes a new season, and there will be some noticeable changes in Pony tennis. Sheppard and Kemmer, two fouryear varsity standouts are gone for the HHS boys, while the girls also lost a key player from the roster in senior Mikaela Lipp. But graduation never seems to effect the Ponies, as they just reload instead of rebuild. Still, seventh-year HHS head coach George Ferguson said this year is certainly going to take on a life of its own. "We will have a different look on both the boys and girls sides," Ferguson said. "We have a lot of really good tennis players back, but both teams have to go through some changes too. "On the girls side, we return almost our entire divisional team from last year, so the difference is, we'll be more experienced. But they will also feel like they have a target on their back because they won state a year ago, so that will be a new experience for them. On the boys side, we may have only graduated three seniors, but they were great players. We're used to graduating great players around here, but it's really going to change the complexion of our boys team." Indeed, the Pony boys will be young this season with Miller as the only senior. After a great two-year run in doubles where he reached the state championship match twice with two different partners, Miller will move back to singles for the first time since his freshman season. "Kyle has already had great success as a player," Ferguson said. "Now we're looking to him to be a leader as well. He's probably one of the best all-around players in the entire state, and that includes the Class AA kids. I believe he'll have another big year for us." After Miller, HHS returns six players with varsity experience, but no state qualifiers. "Right now, we're just working hard and trying to see where the boys fit together. We're looking at a lot of different lineups and combinations, and we'll try to come up with best lineup we can," Ferguson said. "We are young on the boys side, but we have guys who have played a lot of tennis, and we have talent too. We have kids who work really hard at it, so now it's about seeing what works best for us as a team." Returning for the Ponies are juniors Keenan Dolezal and Zach Cichosz. Both could be strong doubles players this season. Havre also gets back sophomores Justin Jensen, Simon McCann, Blaine Grisak and Brayden Grimson. Freshman Danny Roe should also have an immediate impact on the Pony roster. After that, the Ponies are young with the likes of Nick Rhines, Jacob Holden, Seth Allen Doney and a few be a pretty good team this year," he added. "But we still have our work cut out for us. We have to want to improve every day, and not get complacent. And with this group, I think they will work as hard as they can to be the best the can by the end of the season. That's the kind of great kids they are and as a coach, you can't ask for anything more than that." Senior Christina Plum, a four-year varsity standout and junior Christina Mack lead HHS's returning singles players. Juniors Danielle Faechner and Teresa Buerkle are also back this season to give HHS a solid varsity group while junior Monique Wilson also has experience. According to Ferguson, a strong group of freshmen out this season will likely round out the HHS lineup. The final varsity spots could go to any number of players like Jade McCormick, Jennifer Cichosz, Lainey Chagnon, Bri Warren, Ally Doll and Chante' Brown to name a few. "I'm really excited about all the girls we have out for tennis this season," Ferguson said. "Our numbers are up, and we have a great group of young kids who are here to learn the game and make the future of our girls program as bright as the present is. That's exciting and I'm really encouraged by what all of our girls, veterans and new players alike, have done so far this year." Despite winning the state championship last year, the HHS girls only finished third at the divisional meet. The Ponies are a strong favorite to capture the Central A title this season, but Livingston will give Havre a battle. Most people consider HHS a favorite at the state meet as well, but Polson, Billings Central and Glendive will also contend. Havre's schedule will, as always, prepare the Ponies for the postseason. HHS plays at tough AA tournaments in Helena and Great Falls, and the Class A Duals in Cut Bank will give the ponies five matches against quality teams. The Havre Invitational is also a tough stop on the schedule. "No matter what happens, I'm really excited about where our program is at right now," Ferguson said. "All of our boys and girls are showing not only a lot of promise, but a lot of enthusiasm for the game of tennis and that makes coaching them a lot of fun. "It's a new season and who knows how it will end up in May," he added. "But our kids will work hard in practice, play hard in their matches and they will be successful. This is a great group to coach and I'm really looking forward to these teams progressing as the year goes along." Havre's season will culminate with the Central A Meet May 21-22 in Livingston and the Class A state meet May 27-29 in Billings. Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton Photo above: Havre High senior Morgan McCann swings at a forehand during the 2009 Havre Invitational tennis tournament. McCann is part of a foursome of tremendous senior doubles players for the HHS girls, who start the 2010 season as the defending Class A state champions. Photo below: Pony senior Kyle Miller strikes a forehand during the 2009 Havre Invite. Miller is a returning state champion in doubles for the Pony boys, but will move to singles for his fourth and final season in what has already been a remarkable high school tennis career for the Blue Ponies. others vying for the final varsity spots. Despite all of their success in the past, and having Miller as a Class A favorite this season, the Pony boys will also have another mission — to get back the Central A title. Havre lost the Central A championship for the first time in 11 years last season, but the Ponies are strong favorites to reclaim that title this season. Livingston will be Havre's toughest competition at the divisional meet, while teams from Corvallis, Billings Central and Polson could be strong state title contenders on the boys side. "We have lofty goals for our boys this season, but we always do," Ferguson said. "This is a program which takes pride in competing and playing tennis the right way. The kids we have out for our boys team this year believe in that, and right now, we just want to work hard and continue to improve. The winning and all of that will take care of itself, but one thing I know is our boys team will continue to grow and learn and play the game the right way. We have really good kids out this year and they are a lot of fun to coach and I'm excited about what our boys team could be like by the end of the season." And the HHS girls could be even better by the end of the season. The Ponies return the top two doubles teams in the state from a year ago, and being a year older and with state title experience on their side, Havre's foursome of doubles players could be in for another great year. Add to that the fact that all four of HHS's singles players from the divisional roster are back this season, and the HHS girls could field one of the strongest teams in school history this season. "We have a lot of depth on our girls team," Ferguson said. "Obviously it starts with our four doubles players. They are all great players and they have played on varsity since the first day of their freshmen year. That's big for us to have leaders with that kind of resume. "And with four experienced singles players back, we have the makings to