The big night in Havre High's season has arrived

There is no denying that the 2016 season has gotten off to a good start for the Havre Blue Ponies. But despite winning five of its first six games, for all intents and purposes, the season for Havre starts Friday night against Belgrade.

Of course, the goal of every high school football team in Montana is to play in November, because playing football in November means being in the playoffs and competing for state championships.

There is little doubt that the Ponies have those aspirations. The defending Central A champs got a taste of playoff success last season and they are hungry for more. And thus far in 2016, they have proven to be a contenders.

Havre has notched easy wins over Whitefish, Hardin, Browning and Livingston. The Ponies also earned a hard-fought win over Miles City, while their only loss is to a 5-1 Sidney squad that is playing as good as anyone right now.

But for all the positive things Havre has done so far this season, what really matters for the Ponies, and their chances of making a deep playoff run is the next two games against Belgrade and Lewistown.

For years, Belgrade dominated the Central A, winning the league championship three straight years before Havre took back the crown last season. The Panthers, who are 3-2 on the season, have had some tough losses. But they also beat Lewistown, which puts them in strong playoff position. A win against Havre would essentially give Belgrade the Central A title, assuming they can beat Browning and Livingston, two winless teams, to end the season.

In fact, if the Panthers beat Havre, they need to win just one of those games, so in truth, Friday's showdown between Havre and Belgrade might as well be the conference championship game.

Of course, neither team can clinch the title with a win. For their part, the Ponies probably wouldn't even clinch a playoff berth by beating Belgrade. Yet, a win over their arch rival would be a significant and a gigantic step toward a second straight conference crown. More importantly, another conference championship means another first-round bye in November.

Part of what makes Friday's contest so important is that the difference between first and second in the final league standings is so consequential. The No. 1 seed gets a bye and a home game against either the second-place team from the Southwestern A (Butte Central or Hamilton) or the wildcard team from the Western A (Whitefish, Frenchtown, Stevensville or Corvallis).

However, if the Ponies lose and finish second in the Central A, they would host an Eastern A opponent in the first round, which would probably be Laurel or Miles City. Losses to both Belgrade and Lewistown would mean Havre would need to qualify as a wildcard, which would mean a road game against the second-place team from the Eastern A.

What all these scenarios really mean is that even though the playoffs aren't scheduled to begin for a few weeks, when it comes to carving out the best path for a deep playoff run, they have already started.

Over the years, the rivalry between Havre and Belgrade has gotten more and more intense and in most seasons, it has decided the eventual league champion. It's a big game and it should make for some exciting football and an exciting atmosphere inside Blue Pony Stadium.

There are very few things we can count on each season in high school football, but one thing is this: When the leaves start falling and the temperatures start to change, the games get bigger.

For the Ponies, there is no question, that when they take the field against Belgrade, it will be their biggest game of the season to this point, and it will go a long way toward determining if Havre can extend its season into November.