Blue Pony winter schedules announced

The Montana High School Association delayed the start of the 2020-21 winter sports season, as far as competition goes, until January. And, the start of practice until Dec. 7.

The MHSA did so for several reasons, all of course, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. And those reasons included giving Montana activities directors more time to piece together schedules for winter sports, since they had to be altered in so many ways due to guidelines for playing during the pandemic.

Now, with the start of competition a little more than a month away, Havre High has most of its scheduling done for the winter sports season. New AD Brian Kessler announced Havre High's updated basketball and wrestling schedules Tuesday, as well as speech and debate. He also sent out the first look at a swimming schedule, which he said is very tentative at this point.

Pony basketball will look somewhat different this season, with a reduced number of games, but much of the schedule also goes back to days past when boys and games were split and not stacked on the same night. In fact, Havre has just two stacked nights the entire year, when the Ponies play Lewistown in February.

As for the schedule, to date the Pony basketball teams will play a 14-game season beginning Jan. 2 with Lewistown in the HHS gymnasium. The next weekend, the HHS girls host Hardin and Miles City, while the boys are away. HHS also plays Browning home and away Jan. 14, then plays Sidney Jan. 15 with the girls at home and the boys away, while the weekend of Jan. 22-23 has the girls traveling to Glendive and Sidney and the boys at home. Jan. 26 will see the HHS boys at home to take on Fairfield while the girls are away, then Jan. 30 has the Havre girls at home against Billings Central and the boys in Billings. February has Miles City and Hardin in Havre for boys games, while the girls are away. Havre has a second bout of games with Browning set for Feb. 12, then both Pony teams travel to Lewistown Feb. 13. The Ponies wrap up the regular season with the girls home against Malta and the boys away Feb. 19.

And it will certainly be an interesting season. Most of Havre's schedule is either Northeast A Conference games, or non-conference games against Southeast A teams. Havre will only play Malta and Fairfield once instead of twice, as well, and, for this season, the Ponies do not play Class AA CMR and GFH.

Wrestling of course, will have a much different look as well, as the MHSA is only allowing duals for the new season, and, the season doesn't begin until January.

As for how that changes Havre's schedule, the Ponies will start the season with duals against Miles City and East Helena Jan. 2 in Miles City. Havre visits Glasgow Jan. 8 and then takes on Hardin and Livingston in Livingston Jan. 9. The Ponies first home dual is set for Jan. 16 when Lewistown and Hardin visit, before Havre goes to Lewistown for duals against the West Jan. 22-23. The Ponies close out the month with Lockwood and East Helena at East Helena Jan. 30, before beginning February against Miles City and Sidney in Sidney. Havre's final two meets will feature Glasgow and Cut Bank in Havre Feb. 9 and Lewistown and Billings Central in Havre Feb. 13. The Eastern A Divisional is scheduled for Feb. 25-26 in Sidney while the state tournament has yet to be determined, though it is highly unlikely there will be an all-class event in Billings this year. The state tourney has also been pushed all the way to March 5-6.

The Blue Pony swimming schedule so far has Havre opening the season with a Jan. double-dual against Hardin and Billings Central in Havre. The Ponies also have a virtual meet set for Feb. 6 with CMR, GFH and Hardin, and a dual with GFH and CMR Feb. 19 in Great Falls. Kessler said more dates are coming for the Pony swim team.

Of course, the entire winter sports season was delayed due to the coronavirus. Practices were set to begin originally Nov. 19, with the first date of competition for wrestling this coming weekend, and basketball the next. However, now, the wait is almost over. All winter sports programs can begin practicing Monday, with Jan. 2 being the first date of competition.