Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Nate Korb, Havre High Football

Now that the month of August has arrived, high school football season is right around the corner and before the month is out, the Havre Blue Ponies will be back on the football field.

No two high school football seasons are ever the same, but the 2016 season will be another of change for the Ponies, as they get set to open the season with a new head coach for the second straight year.

Last season was Mark Samson’s first and only one at the helm for HHS, as the former Montana State University-Northern head man accepted the top football position at Great Falls High. He led Havre to an 8-3 mark and a Central A conference title.

That meant that seniors like Nate Korb, a two-way starter a season ago, would have to play for a third coach in as many seasons.

“Having our third coach in three years makes it kind of difficult,” Korb said. “It’s hard having to change everything, but you just have to be able to deal with it. And I think that experience of having gone through it before will help us overcome that challenge and make the most of it.”

Korb, who also plays varsity basketball and tennis for Havre, earned Central A All-Conference Honorable Mention last season at safety, following a campaign that saw him register 42 tackles, which ranked sixth on the team. Korb was certainly assignment-sure and a solid tackler for the Ponies last season, but he also showed a nose for the ball, too.

Not only did Korb intercept a pass, he also recovered two fumbles and broke up three passes. He showed a knack for coming up with the big play, too, as he returned his lone interception all the way for a touchdown.

While he excelled in his first season starting at safety in 2015, Korb has seen consistent time at wide receiver dating back to his sophomore season and last year he managed to haul in nine receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. And, in a further display of his versatility, he returned eight punts for 36 yards.

Korb joins a number of other returners from a talent-laden senior class who are looking to follow new head coach Ryan Gatch’s leadership to another outstanding season.

“Our goals haven’t changed at all,” Korb said. “We still want to go out and win the conference championship again and get back to the playoffs.”

One thing that will help with that endeavor is the offseason program that has been put together by Gatch. Throughout the summer 20 players or so, including Korb, have been showing up to lift weights and run through workouts. Gatch also took the Ponies to a team camp at Montana Tech University, which has given the players a chance to adapt more to their new coach.

The first week of practice will be critically important for Havre as Gatch and the rest of his staff, install as much as it can before the season-opener on the road against Whitefish Aug. 27.

“We are going to have two-a-days that first full week of camp,” Gatch said. “That’s when we are going to get a lot of our installations done.”

Yet, even though the interaction with Gatch has been limited, Korb said everything the team has done this summer, will be a big help when preparing to take on Whitefish for the BNSF Trophy.

Korb, who took part in Blue Pony football camp last week, caught up with the Havre Daily News for five questions.

HDN: How was football camp?

Korb: “It was good. It gave us a chance to get everyone on the field together and to be there with our new coaches and getting to know the new system and the new plays.”

HDN: What has the summer been like for the football team?

Korb: “We have been doing workouts and lifting weights. We also went to the team camp at Montana Tech and that was a good experience for us. We didn’t have everyone, but we had probably close to 20 guys.”

HDN: “How do you think workouts and going to the team camps can help you guys adjust to a new coaching staff?

Korb: “I think that it helped a lot. We had to learn some of the basics when we were at the team camp. We still don’t have everything in, we are still doing basic things, but I think that will make it easier for us.”

HDN: Are there big changes from what you guys were doing last season?

Korb: “I don’t think that there is a huge difference. There are some differences, but a lot of the lifting and stuff is similar. I still think we will pass the ball quite a bit, but we will be running the ball, too.”

HDN: Can you believe fall camp is almost here? What will you do with the rest of the summer?

Korb: “I can’t believe that summer is over. I don’t have any special plans or anything. I am just going to try and enjoy the rest of it as much as I can.”