George Ferguson Column: Thanks Hi-Line teams for giving us a few more days of fall to enjoy

So, it actually has snowed a couple of times now. Well, kind of. Each little flake that comes down in the coming days and weeks is a stark reminder that winter is well on its way, and that fall is almost done.

But what a fall it has been. Mostly, it just felt like summer, but in terms of sports, it’s been a fun ride. And even though the weather is trying to tell us fall is over, on the playing fields and volleyball courts, it’s not over yet.

In football, three local teams are still playing in the state playoffs. That has become par for the course for the Hi-Line, because, make no mistake, the Hi-Line produces good football. And this season has been no different.

The Havre Blue Ponies, now headed to the Class A semifinals, have stolen plenty of headlines this fall. They’re on a seven-game winning streak, and now they have a chance to beat mighty Dillon and host the 2015 state championship game. I don’t think we could ask for anything more than that out of this great, and so fun to watch, Blue Pony squad.

Down the road in Chinook, the Sugarbeeters just keep doing what they do. Chinook wins a lot, and this season is no different. The Beeters haven’t lost since the 2014 state championship game, and with a win this Saturday in Fairview, the state title game in Class C will return to historic Hoon Field.

Box Elder has a chance to do the same, something I doubt many of us considered at the beginning of the season. The Bears knew they would be good, a senior-laden team of speed and toughness. But the run they’re on now is something extremely special, and a win Saturday over Hot Springs would get them into the Class C Six-Man state title game.

But no matter how Box Elder, or Havre, or Chinook does, all three teams have given us plenty of excitement this season, and for that, we should say thank you. Not to mention, Chester/J-I and North Star were pretty darn good too this season, so once again, it’s been a great season of high school football on the Hi-Line, no matter how things turn out in the next two weeks.

And it’s been just as exciting on the volleyball court, too.

What an incredible turnaround for the Havre Blue Ponies. They’re not only going to the state tournament for the first time since 2007, but at one point this season, the Ponies won nine matches in a row, they swept their huge nemesis, the Lewistown Golden Eagles, and they tied for first place in the Central A before finishing third at last weekend’s divisional tourney. Yes, the Ponies have given new life to high school volleyball in Havre, and it’s been so much fun to see those girls succeed on the court.

Meanwhile, in Chinook, the Beeter volleyball team is a lot like their football counterparts. They win — a lot. But, Chinook is in a position now to do something it couldn’t do last season, and that’s compete for a state championship. It was another very exciting year of volleyball, and thanks to the Blue Ponies and Beeters, that isn’t over yet.

Yes, this time of year is exciting. It’s the high school postseason in football and volleyball, and the Hi-Line is certainly well represented. In reality, the Hi-Line could win as many as five state championships.

But, this time of year can also be a bit of a downer. Winter is indeed coming, no matter how much it feels like it isn’t. And, there are two more weeks of the fall high school sports season left. And while it will certainly be an exciting two weeks thanks to so many great teams and great student-athletes in our area, the end is nearly in sight.

So, sit back and enjoy this last two weeks of football and volleyball, because it’s a long, long way to next August. But, it’s only a short amount of time until basketball and wrestling starts, too, so there’s always a bright side.