On The Line: Pony netters return to Lewistown for Central A Divisional

The Havre High tennis teams wrapped up their regular season Saturday afternoon in Lewistown. But Tuesday morning, the Blue Ponies will be right back on the Fergus High School Tennis Courts for the biggest tournament of the year.

With plenty of bad weather on the horizon, the 2019 Central A Divisional Tournament has been moved from Thursday-Friday to Tuesday-Wednesday in Lewistown, which means, there's no rest for the Ponies.

"It's not the situation we're used to this week," longtime HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "But we have to do what we have to do to get the tournament done. You can have rainouts all year long, but you have to complete the divisional tournament, and Tuesday-Wednesday gives us our best chance to do that. So only the schedule changes for us. We used last Saturday to prep for divisionals anyway and our kids played really good tennis and did a great job. So when Tuesday morning gets here, our kids will be ready. This is what they've worked for all year."

The Havre boys are working for yet another Central A title, something the Ponies have claimed 10 years running, and in 23 of the last 24 seasons.

Led by the veteran doubles teams of Jake Huston and Reese Bulkley and senior Tommy Brown and junior Tyrel Kjersem, a younger, more inexperienced HHS roster will have to really fight it out with Lewistown, Belgrade, and a strong team from Livingston to keep its streak going.

"We do have a younger divisional team this year," Ferguson said. "One of the youngest I've ever had. But we have a lot of talent, good leadership and, even our young guys have been through a full season now, so they have the experience, too. This boys team has come a long way in a short amount of time and I'm really proud of them for that."

With Havre's top two doubles teams heavy favorites this week, the Ponies will also look to lean on sophomore singles standout Josh Warp, who is the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament, as well as a very young singles contingent made up of sophomore Mick Chagnon and freshmen Trenton Maloughney and Josh Currie. Seniors Jack Johnsrud and Josiah Harrison round out the Havre lineup at No. 3 doubles, and they, along with Chagnon, Maloughney and Currie, mean Havre is taking five first-timers to divisionals.

"Josh Warp has had a great season," Ferguson said. "He's been outstanding. He's ready to go to the next level. I think all three of our doubles teams are going to do a lot of damage at this tournament, too. But I would warn people not to sleep on any of our young singles players, either. They are peaking at exactly the right time. They are doing a great job, and they give us the depth at divisionals that we honestly weren't sure we had at the start of the season.

"This tournament will be a pressure-cooker," Ferguson added. "Everything is going to be a battle for our boys. But man, I tell you, our boys are tough. They are mentally tough and they have worked extremely hard this year, and I know they're going to fight for everything. I know they're ready and they're going to be a force in Lewistown."

While the Pony boys are young this season, the HHS girls are taking their most experienced team to divisionals since Havre last claimed the Central A crown in 2014. Led by the veteran doubles trio of Kadyn and Cassidy Acor, Marcee Murphy and Devyn Solomon, and Teagan Fee and Tiffany Ralph, as well as senior singles players McKenzie Tommerup and Kassidy Compton, Havre's lineup includes seven seniors and a junior, and, Ferguson said, with that much experienced firepower, his Ponies are ready to battle for the Central A title they've been chasing for the last five seasons.

"I've really challenged our girls this season," Ferguson said. "I've pushed them because this team has always had that potential to be really special come the postseason. And they've responded to it. They have worked very hard and have been playing the best tennis of their lives the last three or four weeks. So, I am fully confident they're ready to go to Lewistown and put forth a great shot at bringing that trophy home."

The Livingston girls are considered a favorite again this year, having won the last five Central A championships, while Belgrade will present strong challenges, too. But Havre's depth, especially with the emergence of sophomores Sylvia Wilting and Tamera O'Leary, could prove to be the difference-maker in Lewistown. Wilting and O'Leary have really come on strong the second half of this season, and that, Ferguson said, makes Havre deeper than its been in a long time.

"Top to bottom, one through 10, our girls lineup is really, really good," Ferguson. "Our older girls are playing the best tennis they've ever played, and the way Sylvia and Tamera are playing, I know we have the deepest team in the tournament. Now, we just have to go to Lewistown and execute. We just have to be ourselves and play our best, and if we do that, this team is going to do something very special I really believe that."

And just executing is the key for all of the 20 Blue Ponies headed to divisionals, where berths in next weekend's Class A state tournament will be on the line.

"These kids have all put in the work," Ferguson said. "They've done everything we've asked of them this season, and in our program, we ask a lot out of them. They've pushed themselves, they've been pushed and challenged, and they've been nothing but an amazing group to coach. Whatever happens at divisionals, it's already been an honor and nothing but fun to coach every single one of these kids.

"With that said, all there's left to do is for each and every one of them to just play and try their very best," Ferguson continued. "In my opinion, divisional tennis could be the most difficult and challenging 48 hours in high school sports. But it's also a lot of fun, and that's what I want our kids to do, just have fun, enjoy the moment, enjoy the challenges, and just try to play their best tennis of the year. If they do that, we're going to be successful, if they do that, no matter what happens, they're going to know they left it all on the court with no regrets, and that's all a coach can ask for. And I'm excited to see our kids do that this week. I'm excited to stand side-by-side with those 20 kids and watch them do special things. It's the last-ever Central A, and it's going to be a great divisional tournament."

The Central A tennis tournament runs Tuesday-Wednesday in Lewistown. The top four boys and girls singles players, and top four boys and girls doubles teams advance to next week's Class A state tournament in Kalispell.