Tears filled the eyes of Butte’s Mile High All-Star baseball players after they met with their coaches one final time on the left field grass of the Ron Godbout Memorial Field at Father Sheehan Park.

The dust was just starting to settle after they fell in a 6-5 thriller to the Boulder Arrowhead All-Stars from Billings in Game 2 of the Montana Little League State Championship Series Sunday afternoon. That came after the Butte boys dropped a 7-6 nail-biter to Boulder Arrowhead less than 24 hours earlier on the same field.

Mile High scored one run in the bottom of the sixth — and last — inning before Boulder Arrowhead star Dane Larson got the final out with the tying and go-ahead runs on base.

The boys from Butte led 3-0 and 4-3 in the game, and Mile High seemingly had more fresh arms for the winner-takes-all Game 3 that would have been played later Sunday night.

Butte also led 1-0, 4-2 and 7-6 in the first game of the series.

But some clutch Billing hits, some bad luck for the home team, and some Houdini acts by Boulder Arrowhead pitching ended Butte’s plans, leaving the Mile High boys only dreaming of a trip that would have been. Boulder Arrowhead advances to represent Montana in the Western Regional Tournament in San Bernardino, California.

The Butte players, though, most likely have no idea of how close they were to Butte baseball immortality. Their parents probably had no idea, either.

Some old-timers watching the games, though, knew full well that the Mile High boys were knocking on the door of joining some exclusive company.

In 1972, the Mile High All-Stars captured the state championship and advanced to San Bernardino. That was the only time a Butte team has ever won a Little League state title in the 12-and-under division. Until recent years, that was the only division for the boys.

That is the division of the Little League World Series that is played on ESPN every summer.

As far as baseball in the Mining City goes, those boys from the 1972 team are the 1985 Bears. They were legends then, and they are legends now.

On Aug. 5, 1972, Mile High beat the Lissa All-Stars from Billings 5-2 in Billings to capture the state championship. Barry Sullivan threw a three-hit gem, while Mark Bound and Mike Stajcar drove in runs with doubles to highlight the victory.

In winning the title, they became the initial team to represent Montana at the Regional Tournament.

The left-handed Bond threw a no-hitter and scored three runs as the Butte boys opened the Regional tournament with a 15-1 over the Idaho state champions on Monday, Aug. 14. Sullivan, Stajcar, Mike Maroney, Si Timberman and John Kovacich smacked extra-base hits to lead the Butte offense in the rout.

Butte’s chance of a World League World Series run, however, ended when the Mille High All-Stars fell 5-0 in the quarterfinals to Arizona two nights later.

The tournament run ended with a thrilling 15-13 consolation loss to Colorado on Aug. 17.

The great Mark Sullivan, who was later appointed District Court Judge for Silver Bow County by Gov. Tom Judge in 1980, was the manager of the 1972 Mile High All-Star team. He was assisted by Jay McCloskey. Ed Mengon was the Mile High president.

In addition to Sullivan, Stajcar, Bond, Mahoney, Timberman and Kovacich, the team was made up of Jack McCloskey, Bob Bush, Rick Lyons, Jim Anderson, Mike Carle, Dan Bosch, Dennis Secord, Mike Maroney and Joe Taras.

Most of those names should sound familiar to Butte sports fans. Many of them went on to be part of Butte High’s 1977 Class AA State championship football team. Sullivan, who was the quarterback of those Bulldogs, was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame along with Lyons and Anderson.

Carle turned out to be one of Butte High’s all-time great basketball players. His 37 points in one game in stood as the Bulldog boys’ record for 26 years.

Anderson and Timberman joined Sullivan as standouts for the Montana State Bobcat football team. Kovacich was a member of the Montana Grizzlies’ 1982 Big Sky Conference championship team.

Lyons will go down as one of the greatest golfers Butte has ever produced. He won the 1999 Montana State Men’s Amateur Championship and the 1991 and 1995 Mid-Amateur Championships. Thanks to Louie Bartoletti, Lyons was also a member of Butte Central’s 1978 State championship golf team.

Bush wrote a book, but it wasn’t about baseball.

Now, 53 years have passed, and no team has followed in the footsteps of that great team from 1972.

The Mile High All-Stars of 2025, though, made a pretty good run at history under manager Keli Renz-Coffing, who was a stellar shortstop for Butte High’s softball team in her day. She was assisted by former Triple-A first-baseman John Summers and former Butte High and Montana Western running back Jordan Clary.

Their team showed fight from the first pitch on Saturday night to the final out on Sunday afternoon.

In Game 1, Benny Donaldson and Jace Graham showed off their strong arms on the mound, while Hunter Summers tripled. Ridge Bauer hit two doubles, and Donaldson, Cole O’Connor and Kooper Conway each hit one.

Summers, Donaldson and Bauer each had a three-hit game. The trio combined to drive in six of Butte’s seven runs.

Colt Horsley pitched five strong innings in Game 2. Kale Alexander poked three hits. Cooper Coffing, Summers, Donaldson, Graham, Conway, Horsely and Cooper Phillips each added one. Mason Lowney worked a clutch walk with two out in the bottom of the sixth to keep the team’s hopes alive.

Cruz Clary was also a member of the team. He was not able to play, however, because he suffered a gruesome injury two weeks earlier. Clary was pitching during pool play in Dillon when a batter hit a line drive off his face.

That shot fracture two bones near Clary’s eyes, but that did not stop him from supporting his teammates the rest of the way.

A huge, boisterous crowd cheered on the Mile High All-Stars in both games. Even though the boys of Boulder Arrowhead ended up moving on, the Butte crowd was so incredibly proud of the Mile High boys.

Perhaps the coolest thing about their performance, though, is everyone believed that they were going to win right until the end. That meant that those boys from 1972 were the topic of conversation.

Many heard about that legendary team for the first time because of that run over the last three weeks. Because of the 2025 Mile High boys, so many asked the question: Has Butte ever won a state Little League title before?

Then, there was someone who remembered to tell them the story. Yes, a bunch of boys aged 10 to 12 brought that great memory from 1972 back to life.

Long after those tears dry up, those Mile High All-Stars of 2025 will realize what they accomplished.

Like with the 1972 team, this will not be the last we hear from the boys of the 2025 Mile High All-Star team.

 — Bill Foley, who was not born yet when the 1972 All-Stars made their run, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.