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Blue Ponies aiming for the Class A finish line

The Havre High cross country team's regular season has ended and the Blue Ponies are ready for the next challenge, the Montana State Cross Country Championships, which will be held Saturday in Great Falls.

The biggest meet of the year is now here, and after the Ponies performed well at the Fall Classic among the Eastern A, they are excited to compete against the rest of Class A.

Havre High head coach Josh Holt is ready to see his team put to the test and has big expectations.

"If we get some of our kids to pick up the pace, just a touch, we could sit really well at the end of the day," said Holt.

The Class A state meet sees the many varsity teams across Class A come together and race at an intense level. The Ponies have a lot to look forward to competition-wise and will test their best skills.

Havre has made big strides this season and boasts some great talent.

On the Pony boys team, junior Dylan Young has been the most consistent runner and one of the Blue Ponies' top harriers this year. Young is often seen in the higher spots on the board at the end of the race. When it comes to Young, Holt is looking for the junior to get into the 16:00 to 16:30 range when Young crosses the finish line. Young has big expectations that he will look to achieve.

Another standout harrier on the boys team is senior Cameron Pleninger. Pleninger has put forward a lot of work to place well at many meets. He is another member of the team who has proven to help Havre out on the course. Pleninger's drive and passion for cross country shows in his performance. After all, one has to put their best foot forward.

The upperclassmen have given the boys' varsity a lot to work from, but the team has another runner with a promising future for the Ponies, freshman Paul Bartlett. After the first few meets of the season, Holt saw a lot of potential and talent in the young man. Bartlett was moved up to the varsity squad soon after and has been a productive runner for Havre. For Bartlett, this is not just his first state meet, but a challenge to measure his future potential. Bartlett, as well as the other varsity members have a good look going into the invitational. Holt is ready to see his teams go to work.

"The potential is there, we just got to show up and run," Holt said.

Not only does the boys team have a lot of potential, but so does the HHS girls team. Despite the smaller numbers on varsity, the team has made the best of it and among the girls are some good harriers.

Junior Hannah Haslem is a talented runner and has had a strong year. Haslem is another Blue Pony harrier who is often seen in the higher numbers on the board. She has given it her all this year and will look to give even more in Great Falls.

Fellow junior Tamera O'Leary, is another Havre runner who has been consistent this season. O'Leary often places among the higher numbers, as well. Sophomore Emma Gillen has improved this year along with O'Leary, even to the point where the two finished quite close to one another at the Fall Classic and aim to do even better in Great Falls.

Holt's expectations are consistent, as well.

"I'm looking forward to really fast races and a quality performance," Holt said.

The Blue Ponies have been to Great Falls this year already. Havre was invited to run at the Great Falls Invite Sept. 20 among many Class AA teams at Eagle Falls Golf Course. The course is quite the endurance test and it definitely tested the Ponies last time they were there. The second time may be a little more familiar for Havre, but the challenge is still a tough one.

On top of that, the Class A field is a tough one. On the boys' side, Lewistown has boasted skilled and tough harriers. The Golden Eagles' top runner has been Sam Fulbright, who is often a top finisher at competitions and finished number one at the Fall Classic. On the girls' side, Hardin and Laurel have placed many runners in top spots, while Corvallis is once again a premier Class A powerhouse.

But, Holt is ready for his teams to go out and compete at a high level Saturday, especially since they have been to Great Falls before.

"I'm looking for our kids to improve on their performance from their last outing at Great Falls," said Holt. "Ultimately, I'm looking for them to produce very similar times, as they did this past weekend (at the Fall Classic)."

Havre competes in the Class A state meet Saturday. The day in Great Falls, includes championship races for Class AA, A, B and C. All races will be contested at Eagle Falls Golf Course.

 

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