HHS tennis teams finish in Lewistown

One weekend, four duals, and a few matches is all that stands between the Havre High tennis teams and the postseason.

Next Thursday, Havre will travel to Lewistown for the Central A Divisional, but before the Ponies get there, they'll head to Lewistown Saturday for the annual Lewistown Invitational. And the dual format tournament is the biggest on Havre's schedule according to veteran Blue Pony head coach George Ferguson.

Havre High junior Morgan Jappe hits a shot during a girls doubles match at the 2013 Havre Invitational last month. The Blue Pony tennis teams wrap up the regular season Saturday at the Lewistown Invitational.

"We play bigger events with Class AA schools and maybe a few tougher teams during the season," Ferguson said. "But for us, the Lewistown Invite is the start of the divisional tournament. That's how we look at it for two reasons. One being that it's the last real matches we'll play before next Thursday. And the second reason is, we dual all three teams in our division Saturday and those head-to-head records are used to seed the divisional tournament. So if our kids want the best draws they can get at divisional, they have to play well in Lewistown."

Saturday will see HHS face Livingston, Anaconda and Lewistown, as well as a non-conference dual against the Butte Central Maroons. The Blue Ponies have faced Lewistown a multitude of times this year, but haven't seen the Rangers or Copperheads. So those duals will be especially big.

"Those matches against Livingston and Anaconda will be huge because it's the only head-to-head record we'll get against them this season," Ferguson said. "A few of our kids ran into Livingston players last weekend in Helena, but for the most part, this will be the first time seeing each other this year. So again, the importance of those matches are huge. And it's also huge to just make sure we're playing our best at this point in the season anyway."

Havre's divisional lineup is almost set though a few more challenge matches will determine the girls roster.

On the boys side, the Ponies are led by freshman Jeff Miller at No. 1 singles. Miller is playing extremely well, and pending a good weekend in Lewistown, will go into the divisional tournament as a heavy favorite. Ned Malone is Havre's No. 2 singles player and is also coming on strong, while Zach Hellegaard is unbeaten at No. 3. Senior Jacob Holden plays No. 4 for the Ponies. Havre's doubles lineup remains unchanged with seniors Nick Rhines and J.J. Hovet at No. 1, Noah Landgraf and Brian Smith at No. 2 and newcomers Jerod Boles and Wyatt Lindbloom at No. 3.

"This is a big weekend for our boys team," Ferguson said. "Our division looks to be really even, so we're going to face a lot of close, tough matches this Saturday. It has taken our boys a little longer to grow, we were such a new team at the beginning of the season. But it's coming along, and hopefully, we'll peak right now. That's what needs to happen."

Junior Brandy Lambourne sits atop the HHS girls singles lineup, and she's coming off a strong showing at the Helena Invite. Junior Shannon Herring plays No. 2, while sophomore Tatiana Ralph is No. 3. Havre will go with one of three exciting freshmen at the No. 4 spot this week and next. In doubles, Lainey Chagnon and Jennifer Cichosz play No. 1, while Breck Don and Ellery Bresler are No. 2 and Haley Graham and Morgan Jappe are No. 3.

"Our girls team is right where we want them to be," Ferguson said. "Nine of the ten have been here before so they really understand what's at stake and what the next couple of weeks are all about. It's nice to have such a veteran team this time of year, and we expect them to go out and play very well this Saturday.

"This is the biggest tournament of our season," Ferguson added. "All year we've taken the approach that improvement is the only goal. For how many ever weeks now, all we've worried about is getting better, about what we control. And that philosophy will hopefully pay off now. Our kids have worked very hard, they've really pushed themselves this spring. They are ready to go out and win matches and play their best. And that starts with this Saturday in Lewistown. This is a really exciting time for them."

Saturday's Lewistown Invite will run all day. The Blue Ponies will return to Lewistown next Thursday for the start of the Central A Divisional.