By Bill Foley
As Butte sports fans packed the Butte Civic Center for the hardwood showdown between Butte High and Butte Central, the loudest ovation went to a Montana State football player.
During the boys’ portion of the City Championship series Saturday night, public address announcer Tom O’Neill interrupted action with some breaking news. Butte High graduate Tommy Mellott won the 2024 Walter Payton Award.
Mellott is the second Montana player to win the trophy, which is billed as the Heisman of the FCS. Great Falls native Dave Dickenson took home the Payton after leading the Montana Grizzlies to the NCAA I-AA national title in 1995.
Mellott received the award Saturday night at a banquet in Frisco, Texas, home of the NCAA FCS national championship game. Two nights later, Montana State saw its bid for its first national title in football in 40 years end with a 35-32 loss to North Dakota State.
The Mighty Bison won their 10th championship in 14 years, an incredible run that continued after NDSU held off a ferocious comeback by Mellott and the Bobcats.
Mellott lived up to his long-established nickname, “Touchdown Tommy,” by having a hand in three second half touchdowns for the Bobcats. That included a handful of his patented “did-you-see-that” plays.
The senior completed 13 of 24 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He ran 14 times for 135 yards. That includes a lightning-fast 44-yard touchdown run by the former Bulldog.
Mellott closed his remarkable MSU career with 55 touchdowns passing and 43 more rushing. That includes 31 passing scores and 15 rushing TDs this season
Shortly after the game, star MSU receiver Taco Dowler tweeted, “I already miss Tommy.” He’s hardly alone. Tommy will go down as one of the greatest Bobcats of all time, and he will likely have multiple opportunities to continue his football career at the professional level.
Bulldog boys hold off Maroons
Butte High knocked off Butte Central for the second straight season, but the game was better than many people might have suspected going in.
The undersized Maroons put up a fight before the Bulldogs escaped with a 62-51 victory. Butte High led most of the way, but BC was in striking distance until the very end.
Junior guard Hudson Luedtke scored 22 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to lead that Bulldog charge.
He passed a couple of Butte High legends on the school’s boys’ points leaderboard along the way. Luedtke moved into third place on the all-time list with 894 points. In the win over BC, he passed Gary Kane (883) and Doug Edwards (874).
That leaves just John Dawson (1,022) and Chris Rasmussen (969) in front of Luedtke, who has been a starter since his freshman season. By the way, Rasmussen was a junior when Butte High won its last Class AA State title in 1994. Luedtke’s grandpa, Mickey Tuttle, was a senior on that team, by the way.
Senior Dylan “Bobby” Bache was also a force in the second half for the Bulldogs. He scored 12 of his 18 points after the break. The Bulldogs got seven points apiece from Spencer Callaghan and Braylon Larson and five points from Torre Tempel.
Kyler Kjersten, Koda Schleeman, Brady Hansen and Raeder Grey also played for the Bulldogs, who improved to 4-1 on the season.
Senior Tocher Lee missed the game after hitting his head on the floor two nights earlier. That was his first game back after undergoing foot surgery during the football season.
Butte Central stayed in the game thanks in large part to the 3-point line. The Maroons connected on 10 shots from behind the arc.
Senior Owen McPartland drained five threes and scored 21 points to lead the Maroons, who fell to 2-3. He was one of seven Maroons to dent the score book.Sophomore Joshua Sutton hit three 3-pointers and scored 16 points. Of those, 15 came in the second half.
Jaxon Hiatt scored four points, Noah Sutton and Ryan Peoples each scored three, and Patrick Stimatz and Cade Kelly each tossed in two. GG Fantini also contributed for the Maroons.
Butte High and Central both picked up big wins in the nights leading up to Butte’s big game. The Bulldogs knocked off Bozeman 70-64 Thursday at the Civic Center, while the Maroons went to Livingston to trounce the Rangers 70-23 on Friday.
The Maroons, who didn’t get back in town until early Saturday morning, scored the game’s first 36 points. Peoples went 4 for 4 from 3-point land and scored 18 points to lead BC in the win. Joshua Sutton scored 12 points, while Noah Sutton, an eighth grader, poured in 10.
Central also got nine from McPartland, seven from Fantini and Hiatt, a freshman, four from Stimatz and three from Kelly.
Luedtke scored 31 in the win over Bozeman. He was followed by Bache with 20 and Larson with 10. Temple scored four points in that win, and Lee sank a three. Or, as Bulldogs fans say, “T for Three!”
The Bulldogs open Western AA play Thursday at Missoula Hellgate. They return home Saturday to take on Missoula Sentinel. (Butte High schedules)
Butte Central’s boys only have one game this week, but it is a big one. The Maroons take on Anaconda Friday night at the Maroon Activities Center. (Butte Central schedules)
Butte High girls run away from Central
A game that was tied at 6 early did not stay close for long.
Butte High (4-1) outscored Central 23-1 in the second quarter, and the Bulldogs coasted to their seventh straight win over the Maroons.
Sophomore Cadence Graham hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points to lead three Bulldogs in double figures. Classmate Autumn Clary scored 13 points, and senior Brityn Stewart scored all of her 10 points in the first half.
The Bulldogs also got nine points from Franki Salusso, six from Dylann Bartoletti, and two apiece from Addie Hiatt and Allie Becker. Ellison Graham, Sidney Whitaker, Saege Grey and Gracie Jonart also contributed in the Butte High win.
Sophomore Rylee Forbes scored eight points to lead Central (1-5). Kenzie McQueary and Zayonna Otherbull each scored three points, while Braelynn Schelin tossed in two.
Evyn Smith, Marly Mansanti, Jaedyn Maldonado, Arika Stajcar and Meika Boyer also contributed for the Maroons, who fell 56-36 the night before in Livingston.
Otherbull, a 5-foot-9 freshman, scored 17 points to lead BC that night. Central also got six from Forbes, three from Schelin, Stajcar and Smith, and two from McQueary.
Central will play Anaconda in the opener of Friday’s doubleheader with the Copperheads at the MAC.
Butte High, which plays host to Hellgate Thursday before traveling the Sentinel on Saturday, beat Bozeman 47-39 Thursday night at the Civic Center.
Graham’s 21 points led the Bulldogs on that night. Bartoletti and Salusso each scored nine, while Stewart tossed in five, Clary scored two and Hiatt netted one.
Hunt wins title at Tom LeProwse Invitational
Junior Keegan Hunt was the lone title winner as the Butte High wrestling teams went to Bozeman to compete at the Tom LeProwse Invitational Friday and Saturday at Gallatin High School.
The tournament is named after the late Butte High Bulldog and Butte Sports Hall of Famer who went on to become a coaching legend in Bozeman.
Senior Will Stepan and sophomore Bode Hazlett each finished third in their respective weight classes.
Hunt went 5-0 with four pins to claim the top spot at 103 pounds. He beat Jesse Grossman of Hardin in a 13-5 major decision in the championship match.
Hazlette advanced to the semifinals at 144 pounds before battling back to third. He topped Korbyn Barent of Billings West 5-2 in the third-place match. Stepan took third at 150 pounds. He beat Connor Lamping of Helena High 9-6 in his final match.
Butte High placed eighth in the field of 37 teams with 150 points. West took the team title with 269 points. Kalispell Flathead was second at 219.5, while Great Falls High took third at 181.5.
Other wrestlers who scored points for the Bulldogs were Ben Tierney (110 pounds), Reveles McEwen (118), Bradey Doyle (126), Joseph Ward (132), Bridger Garrison (138), Jake Bailey (157), Reece Cunneen (165), Garrett Henson (215) and Waylond Hicks (285).
Complete results are available at trackwrestling.com.
In the girls’ half of the LeProwse, Butte High placed 18th out of 34 teams with 60 points. Billings Senior won with 269.5. Flathead took second at 208, and Billings Skyview finished third at 172.
Four Bulldogs placed in the top six in their weight classes.
Junior Peyton Liva placed fifth at 100 pounds, while freshman Chyanne Robinson took fifth in the division with a 235-pound limit. Junior Mattie Stepan took sixth at 145 pounds, and sophomore Rylee Radcliffe placed sixth at 190.
Other Bulldogs who scored points were Morgan Merrick (120), Baely Norris (145) and Sage Queer (170).
Butte High will be home Friday to take on Helena High and Helena Capital. The Bulldogs will celebrate Senior Night when the battle the Bruins at the old Butte High gym.
Both teams will be in Missoula to compete in the Hellgate Mixer on Saturday.
Butte High hosts swim meet
The Butte Family YMCA will set the scene Saturday when the Bulldogs host the Butte Invitational swim meet.
The event will be Butte’s first home action since competing in Missoula on Dec. 21. After heading to Great Falls on Jan. 18, the Bulldogs will again host meets on Jan. 25 and Jan. 31.
Butte Central’s new swimming team will compete at all three Butte meets. The Maroons will compete in the Class A Divisional in Hardin on Jan. 18.
The State meet is Feb. 13-15 in Great Falls for both Butte teams.
Bears battle past Oredigger men, women
Rocky Mountain College swept a basketball doubleheader with Montana Tech’s men’s and women’s teams Saturday at the Fortin Center in Billings.
Rocky’s women beat Tech 56-36 before the men completed the sweep with a 63-55 victory. The games were the Frontier Conference openers for both teams.
Tech’s men fell to 12-2 overall, while the Oredigger women dipped to 9-5.
Both Tech teams will play a pair of home games this week. The Orediggers welcome MSU-Northern for a doubleheader Thursday at the HPER Complex. The women’s game begins at 5 p.m., and the men play at 7.
Carroll College comes to town for a matinée Saturday. The twin bill begins with the women’s game at 2.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 