Ponies host Malta, Lewistown

The Havre High track and field team will compete in its home finale on Saturday.

It has been a long season with a lot of improvement thus far, but things are rapidly coming to an end for the Central A Blue Ponies. With the divisional and state meets just weeks away, the Ponies will exit the regular season, and will enter the postseason with the completion of a triangular on Saturday at the Havre Middle School track.

Havre's Ryne Antley lets go of the discus during the 2013 Cal Wearley Track Meet last month in Havre. The Blue Pony track teams host Lewistown and Malta in a triangular meet Saturday at the Havre Middle School Track.

Joining the Blue Ponies will be the Class B Malta Mustangs and M-Ettes and the Central A conference rival Lewistown Golden Eagles. Action will begin at 10 a.m.

This season the Ponies have struggled to earn team points because of their lack of depth. It is easier to hide a teams' lack of depth in larger meets, but not so easy in a triangular format.

The Ponies should still compete at a very high level on Saturday. But if athletes don't step up and fill in, on both the girls and boys teams, their lack of numbers could result in less than satisfying team scores. The Eagles and Mustangs will already gain an advantage in the point totals, as HHS has no hurdlers, and very few sprinters. For both Pony teams to come away with a team win, they will need to fill every event with as many athletes as possible. If the Pony athletes compete in the five events allowed to each individual, they do have the athleticism to push for team titles this weekend.

Thurman Holdsclaw, Zach Plum, Thomas Gruber and Lacey Waid have dominated the Pole Vaulting scene this season, and should earn the Ponies a lot of points. But Holdsclaw and Plum will also add points in the long jump and triple jump, while Waid lends her speed to the relay teams.

Marc Klimas, Peyton Filius, and Katie Christainson will also carry the load for the middledestance/distance runners, while Martha Stocker and Neya Bischoff have steadily improved in the throwing events. Skylar Vukasin will also pitch in with points in the 100-meter and high jump, while Jen Nordgulen will look to continue her solid efforts in the 100-meter as well. Ryne Antley could also produce in the javelin, while Megan Erickson and Heyley Ohm also add to the mix of middle distance runners.

But even with just three teams in attendance, the Ponies will be up against a lot of talent.

Malta brings to the table top tier athletes like Kendall Denham (300 hurdles, long jump, and triple jump), Tucker Schye (100-meter, 200-meter, discus, and shot put), and Dalton Brookie (100-meter and 400-meter) to the boys' field. And for the girls, they are led by the likes of Courtney Henry (100-meter and javelin), Kaitlyn Smith (triple jump and long jump), and Hailey Nicholson (800-meter 1,600-meter, and high jump).

Lewistown also brings the likes of B. Burcher (100-meter, 400-meter, and long jump), R. McKinney (800 and 1,600-meter), and J. Derheim (110-hurdles and 300 hurdles) to the boys' field, and athletes like N. Kahri (100-meter, 200-meter, 100 hurdles, and long jump), T. Jensen (300 hurdles and 100 hurdles), J. Mane (200-meter and long jump), and G. Moore (discus and shot put) to the girls' field.

Action will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Havre Middle School track and field, as the Ponies look to finish the regular season in a strong fashion.