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Havre looks to turn a corner with a victory in Glendive

Week Five: Long trip for the Ponies

When it comes to the Havre High football team, the best medicine to cure what ails it right now, would be a win. Unfortunately, for the Blue Ponies, they will have to travel across the state to Glendive to try and get it.

The Ponies (0-4) and the Red Devils (2-2), who are each hoping to snap a losing skid, will meet tonight in Glendive in an Eastern A conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 7.

"It's going to be another long bus trip," HHS head coach Ryan Gatch said. "So that is always a challenge, but we are trying to mix some things up with our schedule and do things a little bit different, to see if we can come out a little sharper and a little more focused when the game starts."

So far this season, the Ponies have already made long trips to Hardin and Belgrade (both losses), so with that in mind, Gatch decided to change up his itinerary.

"We met with all the kids this week and talked about going on a business trip," Gatch said. "Not that all of them know what that means, but we have tried to change that mindset a little bit. We are actually going to stop on the way to Glendive and get out of the bus and practice and hopefully, that will help us be in the right mindset as we get there for the game."

The long trip to Glendive will make beating the Red Devils hard enough, but the fact that Glendive has one of its best football teams in years, will also make the task more challenging. The Red Devils opened the season with impressive wins over Livingston (20-0) and Hardin (28-0), before coming back to earth with consecutive losses to Billings Central (49-18) and Sidney last week (21-2).

Yet, even with two losses, the Red Devils find themselves tied for fourth place in the Eastern A standings, along with Lewistown, Miles City and Belgrade, which means Glendive is right in the thick of the playoff race.

"Glendive is another good football team," Gatch said. "They played pretty well last week against Sidney, it was 21-2, but Glendive had the ball backed up at their own one-yard line three different times, so that made things tough on them. But they are a good, senior-laden football team and we are going to have our hands full.'

Despite allowing 60 points to Sidney and Billings Central, two of the top teams in Class A football, the Red Devils are still giving up just 15 points a game on defense. On the other hand, the Havre offense is scoring just 11.5 points per game, which could mean HHS may struggle to find the scoreboard.

However, the biggest issue for the Pony offense isn't so much a lack of talent or playmakers, instead, turnovers have been its biggest downfall. Through four games, Havre has 17 turnovers, which is one less than it had all of last season (18).

"At some point, I think we just need to catch a break," Gatch said. "The turnovers have just been crazy. A lot of it has been our fault, but we have got some bad bounces too. Last year, we only turned it over 18 times and already in four games this year, we have 17. The good thing is though, if we can get that number down, we are going to give ourselves a much better chance at winning some football games."

While the Glendive defense has certainly been impressive this season, the offense, which is averaging just 17 points per game, is much better than it seems. For starters, the Red Devils have one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the Eastern A in senior Cade Dockter, who averages 166.7 yards through the air, as well as 66.5 on the ground. He also has accounted for eight total touchdowns.

When Dockter throws the ball, he normally targets fellow senior Robby Keiser (6-4, 195), who has hauled in 25 receptions for 316 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dockter and Keiser, along with running back Karsen Kelly, who has gained 226 yards on the ground for an average of 56.5 per game, are a formidable group of skill players, one that should challenge a Havre defense that is giving up more than 32 points per game.

"They are another team that has a really good, athletic quarterback," Gatch said. "They also have a nice receiver on the outside and some good running backs too. They are going to try and establish the run and take some shots down the field."

When Havre has the football, Trey Murphy will quarterback the Ponies. So far this season, the senior is averaging 148 yards passing to go along with four touchdowns. His top targets are Ivar Aageson, who has 23 receptions for 287 yards and two touchdowns, as well as Ethan Roberts, who has 16 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Aageson also has a rushing touchdown to his credit, while Mason Dionne has been the top back with an average of 68.5 yards per game a two rushing touchdowns to his credit.

"Trey is still our guy," Gatch said. "I think the biggest thing for us is that we need to make him comfortable back there. We are getting some of our guys back on the offensive line, so that should help. We just need to go out and execute and try to cut back on some of those mistakes. If we can do that, we will be fine."

The Ponies and Red Devils will meet tonight in Glendive. Kickoff between the Eastern A rivals is set for 7.

Havre Blue Ponies

(0-4) Lost at Belgrade last week

at

Glendive Red Devils

(2-2) lost at Sidney last week

Tonight at 7 p.m.

in Glendive

Radio: 610 KOJM AM

 

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