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Ponies open league play at Browning

After four grueling non-conference games, the Havre High football team finally enters Central A conference play tonight, and after they defeated highly-touted Sidney, the Blue Ponies finally have some momentum and now are looking to keep it.

If they are going to achieve that the Ponies will need to make sure they don’t overlook the Browning Indians, who are 0-4 on the season. Havre and Browning will kick off the conference opener for each team at 7 tonight in Browning.

“We won a big game, OK, but two weeks ago we were not a very good football team,” HHS head coach Mark Samson said. “Last week we found a way to beat a really good team that could end up winning that league (Eastern A) over there and now we are getting ready for conference play. I know that’s what everyone says is that you play to get ready for these conference games, but we still have to get better. We need to do a better job of executing. And I am trying to get the kids to understand that. They came off that game thinking they have the world licked, but they don’t have the world licked. We still have a ways to go to be where I want us to be.”

One key factor in the Ponies’ (2-2) 26-21 win over Sidney last Friday was the turnover margin. Havre forced a pair of turnovers defensively and on offense, for the first time this season, HHS made it through the game without turning it over.

Quarterback Dane Warp was a big reason for that as he was highly efficient in the win over the Eagles, completing 23-of-29 passes for 229 yards as well as two touchdowns. Warp also used his legs to run for a number of key first downs.

“I thought my quarterback played well against Sidney,” Samson said. “I thought that he made some great decisions with the football, especially in some big spots.”

One area that has continued to be a challenge for Havre is the offensive line. And while the protection for Warp was better last week, the Ponies are down two regulars on the offensive line and are having to move some pieces around, including Chris Gabrielsen, who will play guard this week after playing tight end and fullback previously.

“We have some kids that are injured, so we have some moving pieces,” Samson said. “We are trying to teach some kids new positions and get them coached up, but sometimes it feels like we just don’t have enough time. But I know our kids will show up on Friday night and they will play hard.”

Another thing that Samson would like to address this week is the running game—or rather the Ponies lack of one. In four games, the Ponies barely have more than 250 yards on the ground, which is just over 60 yards per game. But, as bad as the number is, when it comes to yards per carry, it’s even worse as HHS is managing just 2.5 yards per attempt.

“We are barely averaging 2.5 yards per carry,” Samson said. “We are having difficulty picking up stunts and difficulty blocking people one-on-one. It’s a combination of things, sometimes the running backs don’t go where we want them to or the line misses a block. But, we have got to start running the ball. We have to learn that we can run the ball, otherwise, when we get to crunch time we are going to have issues. And you saw that a little bit (last) Friday, we were still throwing the ball instead of running it and trying to take more time off the clock.”

Since running the football has been such a struggle, Havre has gotten most of its offense from the passing game and that starts with Nate Rismon and Parker Filius. Rismon had a huge game against Sidney with eight receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown, in addition to a 94-yard kickoff return for a score. Filius also scored a touchdown against the Eagles and still leads the team in total receptions.

Filius may be a terror in the slot for opposing defenses, but he could also see more time at running back along with Jazz Schroeder, the current starter and Jase Stokes, who starts at fullback but goes back and forth between the two positions.

On defense, the Ponies are led by a solid secondary that includes Rismon at corner and Nate Korb at safety. Havre also has a stout linebacking core that features Fillius and Stokes and, up front, HHS will lean on Travis Adams, Gabrielsen and Tyler Schuab.

“We made strides last week,” Samson said. “We had a huge crowd and a lot of excitement with a big team coming in and this week we have to change gears a little bit. We have to go into a place that is not the easiest place to play and be prepared for anything.”

Havre and Browning will kick things off tonight in Browning at 7.

Tonight at 7 p.m.

in Browning

Radio: 610 KOJM AM

 

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