Last Time on the Court

Just getting to the state tournament is a monumental task for a high school tennis player. It takes months of hard work and dedication. And for seven Havre High players, that hard work and dedication has paid off.

Now however, those same Blue Ponies want to see just how far they can extend their season, and they’ll try to do just that at the 2015 Class A state tournament, which runs Thursday and Friday at various locations around Missoula.

On the boys side, Havre is sending a deep and talented squad, led by 2014 Class A state singles champion Jeff Miller, as well as the tandem of Jerod Boles and Noah Landgraf in doubles. HHS also qualified the doubles team of Nate Korb and senior Wyatt Lindbloom, as well as sophomore singles standout Jake Sedahl. Havre will be represented on the girls side by senior singles player Tatiana Ralph.

“This is it for these kids,” HHS head tennis coach George Ferguson said. “This week is the culmination of all of their hard work and mental toughness, and the tough practices and everything they have put into this season and their tennis careers. This is a very special moment for these seven kids, and they have earned it. I’m very proud of all of them, and I can’t wait to watch them play in Missoula. It’s a very exciting time for them and for our program.”

It’s exciting, especially for the Pony boys, who finished third a year ago, and have their sights set on even bigger things this weekend. Along with two-time defending champion Billings Central, the Havre boys are one of the team title favorites this weekend. Corvallis should also be in the hunt, but heading into the tournament, Ferguson said team points are not his focus, and shouldn’t be his player’s focus either.

“We have a good team going into the tournament, and ultimately, you want to go after one of those trophies,” Ferguson said. “That’s always the goal in our program. But, that can’t be the focus of the players. At this point, these kids need to focus on themselves and how they play in each match. If they do that, if they relax and allow themselves to play their best, then the team points add up anyway. That’s always been our approach, and it will be again this weekend. We just have to take it one match at a time and see where we end up. Billings Central is strong, and there are a lot of other teams with really good individual players. But if we play our best one match at a time, we’re right there with any of them, and that’s all we can do is control what we can control.”

Miller (27-3) is one of two favorites in the boys singles draw, the other being the player he beat for the state title a year ago in Corvallis senior D.J. Pekoc. The two are on opposite sides of the draw and are on a collision course for a rematch. Both are coming off of relatively easy divisional championships, and together, they are two of the elite players in high school tennis in all of Montana. However, while everyone in Missoula is hoping for a rematch, Ferguson says that once again, Miller must take the tournament one step at a time.

“Jeff has had another great season,” Ferguson said. “And everyone knows what his goal has been from day one. That goes without saying. Being the defending state champion is nice, but this is a different year, a different tournament, and a different focus. Last year is last year, and Jeff has put that in his rearview mirror. He’s been concentrating on this season, and now he just needs to go out and focus on his first match of the tournament. Nothing else matters but that match right now. And in this draw, no one can afford to overlook anybody. There are a lot of strong players this year, and the state tournament demands that you be at your best in every single match.

“Jeff’s a phenomenal player and he has been getting better and better as the season has gone on,” Ferguson added. “I’m really proud of him and how he has handled everything that came with what happened at state last year. Now, he just needs to go out and believe in his game, believe in himself mentally and play it one match at a time, and if he does that, the sky is the limit for him.”

The sky could also be the limit for the Pony boys because of their depth, and because of the emergence of Boles and Landgraf (32-2). Together, the duo has been dominant for much of the season, and with Landgraf’s experience at last year’s state tournament, they come to Missoula as one of the doubles teams to beat. Add in a surging Sedahl in singles, and the duo of Lindbloom and Korb, who have just been getting better and better, and the Ponies certainly have a recipe for success this weekend.

“It has been so much fun to watch Jerod and Noah come together this season,” Ferguson said. “They have been a great team and have had a great season. Noah has been a leader all year, and he’s just so steady. And Jerod has really come into his own as a tennis player. He’s really become a very good, very dangerous player this season. And this weekend could be special for them as a team. And yes, we do have some great depth. Jake and Wyatt and Nate played great at divisionals and are peaking at the perfect time. They can all do very well in this tournament. But again, we can’t get ahead of ourselves. Doubles or singles, the draws are tough. Everybody is good at this point, all of those guys really just need to focus in on the match in front of them and nothing else.”

Boles and Landgraf will be a top seed this week, along with the two-time defending state champion team of Harrison Fagg and John Knisely of Billings Central, as well as top teams from Glendive and another Billings Central squad that placed fourth last year. So the race in doubles should be just as tight as it should be in singles.

Unlike the Pony boys, Ralph is not going to stress about trophies and team titles this weekend. Instead, she will carry the torch alone for a young HHS girls team. Ralph finished second at the Central A last weekend in Bozeman, and will play in her second straight state tournament.

Ralph’s (25-10) draw includes 2014 defending state champion Laramie McHugh of Corvallis and state runner-up Barclay Fagg of Billings Central. But Ferguson insists Ralph is a player who shouldn’t be overlooked this weekend.

“Tati is our lone senior. And she is a veteran player,” Ferguson said. “She has been on varsity for four years and she’s gotten better and better every season. She’s become a really strong player and one that is very tough to beat. When Tati is on top of her game, I think she’s as good as anybody out there, and she gets a chance to prove that in what will be her last high school tennis tournament this weekend. I’m really proud of Tati and I’m excited for her because this is a moment where she really has a chance to rise up and shine. It could be a very special weekend for her.”

And at the end of the day, this could be a special week for all of the Blue Ponies who made it this far. In fact, in many ways, it already is. And Ferguson said, he hopes his players won’t take one second of it for granted.

“This is a great time to be a high school tennis player,” Ferguson said. “For one thing, it’s the state tournament, and it takes so much just to get there. It should also be a really great atmosphere, too. Missoula has kind of become the tennis capital of Montana, and we (Class A) have not had a chance to have state there before. So the atmosphere should be really exciting.

“And I think we are taking seven players who have a chance to do special and great things this weekend,” he continued. “They have already done a lot of special things this season, and it has been an absolute blast to coach these kids. Now, all that’s left for them is to go out and relax and enjoy the moment and see how much further they can go. And I’m looking forward to watching all of them do just that.”

The Class A state tennis tournament begins Thursday at the Peak Racket Club and University of Montana tennis courts. The tournament will conclude at the UM tennis courts Friday.