Pony runners in Cut Bank for invitational

The Havre High cross country team travels to familiar territory as they return to Cut Bank, today for the Cut Bank Invitational. It's their second trip to Cut Bank in three weeks.

The Ponies will once again be up against some stiff competition, as defending State A girls champion Big Fork will be at this meet along with Cut Bank, who is the defending Class B champion. Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Browning will be the other Class A schools in attendance. Shelby and Cascade along with several area Class C schools will also be in the race. The competition is the main concern for Havre head coach Kim Ray.

"We're excited to see some of the Western A schools," Ray said. "I'm really looking forward to seeing Big Fork because they won state last year and I think all the teams are going to be really tough."

Although the competition will be fierce, Ray thinks her team has several advantages going into the race.

"We have seen the course once already this year and several of the teams haven't, so I think that is a big advantage for us," Ray said. "I think knowing the course will help our runners immensely, because they know where to pick their spots to make key moves during the race."

While all of the Pony varsity and JV runners will be competing in the race, only the top five runners across the finish line will count for team scoring. Ray says her runners are anxious to run this race.

"I think the girls are ready to go and I'm fairly confident that they'll run a good race," Ray said. "If we run like we're capable of I think we'll be right there in the end."

All of the girls will start the race today at 4:50 p.m. at the Cut Bank Golf Club.