HHS boys golf team captures Anaconda Invitational

As the fall sports season continues to roll into September, so does the Havre High boys golf team. For the second time in as many weeks, the Blue Pony boys captured first-place honors at a Central A tournament.

Friday afternoon, the Ponies finished in first place at the Anaconda Invitational at the Anaconda Country Club with a total score of 311. Butte High finished second with a 317 and Anaconda, Dillon and Butte Central finished tied for third with 325.

"I was real pleased with the boys performance this weekend," said Havre High head coach Keith Evenson. "This was the first tournament that our team showed some consistency and we lowered our team score significantly, so that was nice to see."

Senior Trent Normandy led the way for Havre, finishing in second place after firing a 76. Senior Chazz Hurlburt and Ben Erickson also placed for Havre. Hurlburt came in with a 77, which was good enough for a tie for third place. Erickson shot 78, which put him in a three-way tie for sixth place. Freshman Brandon Job and senior Tony Jensen also scored well for the Ponies, shooting 80 and 81, respectively.

"The good thing about this tournament was that most of the Central A teams were there," Evenson said. "And we beat all of them quite handily, so that says a lot about where our boys team is at right now."

The HHS girls team did not fare as well Friday. The Ponies finished with a team total of 454, which put them in last place out of the four teams that attended the meet. Anaconda captured first-place honors with a 427, while Livingston was second with a 442. Butte High was third at 444.

The bright spot for the Ponies was the steadily improving play of Brittany Job. Job fired a solid 93, which was good enough for third place, and Evenson was excited about how well Job has been playing.

"Brittany Job was very consistent on Friday," Evenson said. "She is getting better and better each time out and she is working hard to continue to improve. I couldn't be more pleased with how she is playing right now."

Senior Amanda Brock finished the day with a 113 total. It was Brock's first tournament of the season and Evenson says that her return to the Havre lineup will help the girl's team overall.

"Amanda is a very solid player," Evenson said. "Once she gets back into the swing of things, her scores will get better and having her back will help the girls team out a lot."

Freshman Alli Ward finished with a 122, and Morgan Zimmer added a 124. Kim Bryson rounded out the scoring for the Ponies with a 153.

For the first time this season the Ponies will not travel as they are set to host the Havre Invitational on Saturday at Beaver Creek Golf Course. Havre High will also host a junior varsity tournament on Thursday morning.