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TRACK IS BACK IN HAVRE

Blue Ponies host Havre Lions Invite Saturday as track and field returns to the Havre Middle School Track

The Havre High track and field team was set to compete at home for the first time this season with the Cal Wearley Invite Wednesday. While that invite was postponed, the Blue Ponies are fortunate as they still get the opportunity to host the Havre Lions Invite Saturday.

"We're excited about it," said HHS head coach Ryan Gatch. "It's a lot of fun to be able to have a home meet this weekend and for them to be able to go out and compete and to have fans there."

The Ponies are trying to continue their strong start to the season. In both of their first two meets this season, both the boys and girls teams finished second. This weekend, they will face competitors from 21 other schools.

Some schools the Ponies will face that have had success this season include Conrad and Hinsdale. In the Cut Bank Invitational at the beginning of the season, the Havre girls team finished second behind Conrad. In the Glasgow meet last week, Hinsdale finished first on both the boys and girls teams ahead of Havre.

Havre will also compete against schools from across the Hi-Line, as well. Some of the schools that Havre has already competed against this season include Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Chinook and Harlem. The Ponies will be competing with Fort Benton, North Star, Turner, Box Elder, Big Sandy and Hays-Lodge Pole for the first time this season.

Havre will also face off with other schools from across the state such as Browning, Choteau, Dodson, Lewistown, Great Falls Central Catholic, Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap, Malta, Saco, Shelby and Whitewater. While all the schools bring something to the table, a couple of schools stood out to Gatch.

"Conrad's got some kids that can straight zip. Fort Benton's got some kids that can play, too," Gatch said. "Should be a really good track meet."

Nolan Lotton will look to have another strong meet for the Ponies. So far this season, he has recorded first- and second-place finishes in his two 100-meter dashes and he has taken first in both of his 200 meters this season. Eli Cloninger looks to have another strong performance in the triple jump as he has taken first and second in the event in his first two meets.

The 4x400 relay will also look for a first-place finish for their second meet in a row. Returning from their first-place lineup in Glasgow are Lotton, Dylan Young and Awtrey. Brody Henry will compete on this relay team for the first time this season.

On the girls side, Sadie Filius is looking to finish first in the 300-meter hurdles for the third straight time to start the season. Kyanna Jarvis looks to continue her strong start, as well, as she has both a first and second-place finish in her two 100 hurdles this season and she finished first in the high jump at the Cut Bank Invitational.

The girls relay teams also look to have another strong meet. At the Cut Bank Invitational, the Havre 4x100 relay team of Filius, Jarvis, Kennedy Hampton and Emma Gillen took second. At Glasgow, both the 4x100 and 4x400 teams took first. This weekend, the Ponies will have two teams participating in the 4x100 relay. Filius, Hampton, Loy Waid and Tamara O'Leary will comprise the first team and Gillen, Jarvis, Emilee Chambliss and Carolyn Thomas will make up the second team.

The meet was originally meant to have limited numbers but it was changed to unlimited which will give every Pony the chance to compete this Saturday.

"That way we can showcase all of our athletes for our Havre community and all the hard work that they've done over the last four weeks," Gatch said.

Gatch also believes that having the meet at home will help his athletes continue their strong seasons.

"We got a handful of students who are doing great things," Gatch said. "It's going to be great having a home meet. It's going to be nice to sleep in our own beds the night before."

The Havre Lions Invite will begin Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Havre Middle School Track.

 

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