Kevin Petritz is currently living a day-by-day success story.

On Oct. 17, Petritz is planning to celebrate one year of sobriety. He is doing very well, but he knows that you can never declare victory when it comes to battling depression and addiction.

Petritz is a 2001 graduate of Butte High School, where he stood out on the soccer team and was a key member of the boys’ basketball team.

The Bulldogs, under first-year Butte High coach John Thatcher, fell 55-53 in double overtime to Helena Capital. Scott Wunderlich scored on a tip in to end the second overtime.

That game included so many future college athletes. Butte High’s lineup included Zach Osborne, Noah Thatcher, Jake Larson, Jaison Carriter, Bryain Arntson, Mike Dotter, Cole Salo and Zach Ueland.

Capital’s team included a senior named Tyler Emmert. He went on to win four NAIA national championships as quarterback at Carroll College.

Petritz took his talents to MSU-Billings, where he played soccer. He also coached for both the men’s and women’s programs there before leading the Butte High girls’ soccer program for four years.

He also coached the girls at Great Falls High.

In 2014, Petritz wrote a letter to the editor of The Montana Standard responding to a rash of high school suicides. Then he wrote a column for Butte Sports that talked about his battle with depression.

Click here to read the column that still might be the most read column in the history of Butte Sports.

Listen in to this podcast as KP talks about his coaching and playing days. Listen to the great perspective he has on high school and college sports.

Listen in as he opens up about his addiction struggles, battling depression and why you should start your day off by making your bed.

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