Some new twists on the Havre High football schedule

When it comes to its conference, the Havre High football team has experienced plenty of change over the years. But now, that change is starting to get reflected on the schedule in a couple of very big ways.

Maybe the biggest change to the Blue Ponies football schedule in 2019 is the fact that Havre will play only eight regular season games for the first time since 2010. The other notable difference for the Ponies is the absence of long-time rival Belgrade, which has moved up to Class AA.

The Panthers and the Ponies had been playing each other annually since the days of the old Central A conference which also featured the likes of Butte Central, Anaconda, Dillon, Lewistown, Livingston and Browning along with HHS. Slowly, the league started to break apart two decades ago and in just the last few years, Havre has stopped playing Browning, another traditional opponent that moved to the Northwest A, and now Belgrade.

While those are important changes, the rest of the schedule looks very similar to the past few seasons and in the first game of the year Aug. 30, Havre will make the long trip to Sidney to battle the Eagles on a Friday night. Havre will be looking for its first win over the Eagles since 2015.

After traveling to the Eastern border of Montana to open play in the Eastern A, Havre will return to their home field Sept. 6 for their home opener at Blue Pony Stadium. Glendive will be the opponent that night. Then, Havre will hit the road again with a trip to Hardin to take a Bulldog squad the Ponies defeated 24-0 in the 2018 season opener.

Even though the Eastern A conference will have just nine varsity teams this season, it will eventually have 11 once Lockwood in Billings and East Helena are able to field varsity rosters. That means that in 2019, nine teams will be vying for six playoff sports and for Havre, the final five-week stretch could be the deciding factor in whether or not it advances to the postseason.

The final five games include matchups with four of the top five finishers from last season, highlighted by the top two teams from a year ago in Billings Central and Laurel. Last season, the Ponies nearly pulled an upset on the road against Laurel, falling eight points short. This year, their shot at revenge will be at home with the Locomotives set to visit Blue Pony Stadium Sept. 20.

After hosting Laurel, Havre will renew another old rivalry with Miles City Sept. 27. The two teams have shared a conference for only a few years, however, the history between the two programs goes way back. Back in the 1990s, the two played for a state title in Miles City, before meeting in the semifinals in both 2002 and 2003. This time, when the two teams meet in Miles City, it could also have playoff implications.

Following a long trip to Miles City, Havre will get a week off before taking on Livingston at home Oct. 11. A second-straight win over the Rangers would give Havre momentum heading into the most daunting road game on the schedule against Billings Central, the defending Class A state champs. The Rams will host Havre Oct. 18 in the Ponies final road game of the regular season. HHS will then close out the schedule with arch-rival Lewistown, which will be the opponent on senior night Oct. 25.

The Class A state playoffs will begin Nov. 2. The state title game is set for Nov. 23.