Pony Extra: Stokes breaks out on homecoming

There were not a lot of positives to take away from the Belgrade Panthers 40-27 defeat of the Havre High football team at Blue Pony Stadium Friday night.

But one positive that can be taken away for HHS is the all-around emergence of sophomore Jase Stokes.

Stokes, who is the starting middle linebacker for Havre, began the season with a minimal role on offense. But now, he is on his way to being a two-way star for the Ponies, following a two touchdown performance against the Panthers on homecoming night.

The running back didn’t even get his name entered into the stat book on offense for Havre until the fourth game of the season at Glendive, but he's come on strong since.

In that game, Stokes was a revelation, rushing six times for 73 yards and catching five passes for 80 yards to go along with a touchdown in the win. Then, against Livingston Sept. 26, Stokes made his presence felt again with 92 yards and a touchdown against the Rangers.

But no game was like the one Stokes had Friday night when he rushed the ball for 32 yards, while also hauling in eight passes for 140 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half.

“Our offensive line was doing a good job,” Stokes said. “And I just try to run the ball hard. I try to find the openings and take them. “

Against Belgrade, Stokes took his production to a new level and shredded the Belgrade defense with short passes from Dane Warp over the middle and by getting yards after the catch, which is something that comes natural to Stokes as a running back.

“When I get the ball, I just try to get in the endzone every time I get the ball,” Stokes said.

Stokes is the classic example of a player being given an opportunity to make plays and taking advantage of it. There is no question that he is already one of the top defenders on the team with 62 tackles in six games, by far the most for Havre. But, now he is developing into one of the top playmakers on the offensive side of the ball as well.

“He’s doing it all,” HHS head coach Jason Christenson said. “He has turned out to be one of those surprises that the coaches like. We are comfortable with him running it, we are comfortable with him receiving it. He’s a good athlete and a smart player and that helps. He’s going to be a great one, one day.”

Since Stokes' insertion into the lineup on a part-time basis, the Havre offense has thrived due to his ability to run the football and be a threat out of the backfield. Against Belgrade, Stokes made big catch after big catch and all eight of his receptions went for Havre first downs.

The sophomore even had three receptions that went for more than 20 yards, racking up gains of 21, 21 and 22 yards, respectively. He also converted two fourth downs, one came on a fourth-and-11 when he caught a pass from Warp and fought for 14 yards and a first down.

Four plays later, Havre had and fourth-and-four at the Belgrade six and again the Ponies turned to Stokes, who burst through the defense for a rushing touchdown.

The Pony offense has a number of weapons including quarterback Warp, tailbacks Parker Filius and Kody Pribyl, and wide receiver Isaac Warp to name a few. But the fact remains that before Stokes became part of the offense, Havre averaged 15 points a game. In the three games since he has seen time in the backfield, Havre has averaged an impressive 39 points per game

From the outset of the season, Stokes was always a weapon, he just started out as one on the defensive side of the ball. Now, he is one of Havre’s top playmakers on both offense and defense, which is exactly what is needed to excel in the ironman environment of Class A football.

“Being a sophomore as young as he is, he is one of our best players,” Christenson said. “It’s great to have him and that’s about all I can say about him. He is just going to get better and better.”

Stokes and the Ponies hit the road this Friday for a huge showdown with Lewistown.