Ponies tee it up at East Glacier

Today may be the first official day of school in Havre, and this weekend may be the official start of the high school football season in Montana, but for the Havre High golf teams, the season is already nearing the halfway point.

And next up for the Blue Pony boys and girls varsity teams is the annual Browning Invitational. The tournament, which will be held Thursday at the East Glacier Golf Course, will be an 18-hole shotgun start, and both HHS teams should be favored.

For the Havre boys, Thursday’s tournament is the next step in a process which the Ponies hope will lead to a trophy at the state tournament come October. So far, HHS has shown it has the goods to do just that as the Ponies have already won two of the three tournaments they’ve competed in and have been consistently shooting outstanding scores.

Havre is fresh off of Monday’s win at the Belgrade Invitational in Bozeman, and the ponies, under head coach Brett Gilman, will look to keep the momentum rolling. Havre’s top three have been especially strong this season. Junior Dustin Haas tied for first at last week’s Havre High Golf Tournament at Prairie Farms Golf Course, while Jerod Boles has placed in the top 10 at all three of HHS' tournaments, including the season-opening, Class AA Great Falls Invitational. Fellow senior Jeff Miller also has a third-place finish at the Havre tournament and a fifth-place finish in Bozeman to his credit, and in each of those two events, Miller has shot at least one nine-hole score of even par.

And while Havre’s top three have been especially good, the Ponies’ depth is what makes them such a strong team. Both Kane Gabrielsen and Aden Passon are more than capable of shooting rounds in the low 80s or better at any tournament, and that makes the Ponies a formidable foe, especially on an East Glacier course they’re very familiar with.

The Pony girls are also seeing better and better scores as the season progresses. Seniors Randi Gabrielsen and Payton Howard each have a pair of top 10 finishes to their credit, while sophomores Regan Lammers and Grace Litzinger are improving with each round. Freshman Teagan Fee has also cracked HHS’ lineup, and her potential is through the roof, which gives the HHS girls a strong shot to do well Thursday, also.

As for Havre’s competition, the Ponies will see much the same field they saw in their own tournament, as Browning, Lewistown and junior varsity teams will be in attendance. But, the Browning Invite usually features some Western A teams too, including Polson, Whitefish and Columbia Falls. So, Thursday’s tourney should be another great opportunity for the Ponies to improve on what has already been a strong season.

Havre High will tee off Thursday morning at the nine-hole East Glacier course. The Blue Ponies’ next varsity tournament is Sept. 11 in Lewistown, while the HHS junior varsity team will return to East Glacier Sept. 4.