Wrestlers, swimmers find success

Call it the “City Championship” or the “Butte-Central Game.”

By whichever name, it is always the biggest game of the year when the Butte High Bulldogs and Butte Central Maroons square off on the hardwood. The Bulldogs bring out the best in the Maroons, and the Maroons push the Bulldogs to the limit.

You can count on it.

That rivalry will renew Tuesday on the brand-new court at the storied Butte Civic Center. The doubleheader will begin with the girls playing at 6 p.m. the boys will tip off around 7:30.

Butte High will meet the Butte Central boys for the 183rd time in the nightcap. The Bulldogs hold a 101-80-1 advantage in the rivalry that back dates to 1916.

Butte High won the last two games against BC, including a 62-51 win in January. The Bulldogs hold a 6-4 advantage over the last 10 meetings.

This time, the game will include a pair of undefeated teams. Butte High is 3-0 with a road win at Bozeman and home wins over Dillon and Billings West. The Maroons are 4-0, beating Browning, Columbia Falls, Sidney and Glendive. The last two games came at a tipoff tournament at the Maroon Activities Center.

This game will feature some big-time scores. Senior Hudson Luedtke leads the Bulldogs into action. Butte High’s all-time leading scorer is averaging 28.6 points per game to start off the 2025-26 campaign. That includes breaking the school record with 43 points in Bozeman.

Junior Joshua Sutton, who first impressed in this rivalry as an eighth grader, is averaging 23.8 points per game. He is shooting at a ridiculous 62 percent from 3-point range.

Sutton will likely be joined in the starting lineup by senior Ryan Peoples, juniors Cade Kelly and GG Fantini and sophomore Jaxon Hiatt.

Junior Burkley Lakkala and freshmen Henly Mansanti and Noah Sutton are the first players off the bench for coach Brodie Kelly’s Maroons. Juniors Gunnar O’Brien, Grady Button and Carsen Gillis have also seen varsity time so far.

The starting lineup for Butte High coach Matt Luedtke will likely include Hudson Luedtke, fellow seniors Cayde Stajcar, Mitch Verlanic and Josh Liston and 6-foot-9 sophomore Brady Hanson. Senior Rhett Arntson also started a game for Butte High, while seniors Kendel Noctor, James Pearston and Ryan Hanson, junior Brady Walsh and sophomore Raeder Grey have contributed off the bench.

Butte High’s girls lead the all-time series with the Maroons 40-18 in a rivalry that began in 1976. The Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings. BC’s last win came in 2017.

Coach Bryan Arntson’s 1-2 Bulldogs are trying to get back to winning ways. After junior Cadence Graham’s 38 points led the Bulldogs to a season-opening win in Bozeman, the Bulldogs dropped a home battle to Dillon and fell to Billings West on the road.

Graham is averaging 23.3 points per game. This will be her fourth appearance in this game, and she is 25 points shy of joining the 1,000-point club.

Other Bulldog starters will likely be seniors Franki Salusso and Emma Johnson and juniors Allie Becker and Autumn Clary. Freshmen Ellison Graham and Saege Grey, juniors Elli Yates, Reese Johnson, Kendallyn Schad and Avery Barsness have contributed off the bench along with sophomore Stella Callaghan.

Starters for BC coach Quinn Carter’s Maroons the last two games were senior Arika Stajcar, juniors Marly Mansanti and Rylee Forbes, sophomores Zayonna Otherbull and Braelynn Schelin. Sophomore Kenzie McQueary also started two games, but did not play this past weekend because of an injury.

The game will feature the debut of two sensational eight graders, Luci Fantini and Jordyn Samson. Both have already made an impact on the 1-3 Maroons.

Sophomores Natalie Osterman and Jaedyn Maldonado have also contributed in varsity games for BC this season.

Bulldogs go 7-1 in Gillette

Butte High’s varsity boys’ wrestling team closed out 2025 in style Friday and Saturday at the Pat Weede Memorial tournament at the Campbell County Recreation Center in Gillette, Wyoming.

The Bulldogs went 5-0 on Friday before winning their first two duals of the day Saturday. They then fell 67-9 in the No. 1 vs. No. 1 finale to Sturgis, South Dakota.

On Friday, the Bulldogs beat Scottsbluff, Nebraska 52-30, downed Capser, Wyoming 40-31, routed Gillette 65-9, topped Bismark, North Dakota 45-33 and beat Dickinson, North Dakota 52-24.

Butte then edged Thunder Basin of Gillette 36-35 on Saturday before topping Sheridan, Wyoming 56-18.

Bridger Garrison and Ryder McEwen led the Bulldogs, going undefeated in their eight matches on the weekend. Garrison wrestled at 157, while McEwen competed at 144.

Darryn Rossiter won seven matches at 132 pounds.

Bradey Doyle (138), Keegan Hunt (120) and Reveles McEwen (144) picked up six wins for the Bulldogs, while Bode Hazlett (150) and Renzy LeProwse (106) both win five matches. Caden Phillips (215), Cameron Fleege (165) and Crew O’Conner (113) won four.

Butte High is back in action Jan. 2-3 when they head to Bozeman to compete in the Tom LeProwse Invitational.

Butte High also sent some junior varsity wrestlers and its girls’ team to Great Falls for the CMR Holiday Classic. Five Butte High girls placed in their weight class.

Mattie Stepan led the way for the Bulldogs, placing fifth at 155 pounds. Adalie Hazlett (125 pounds) and Peyton Liva (105) took seventh, and Chyanne Robinson (235) and Jessic Blow (125) finished eighth.

Butte Central also sent teams to the meet. Complete results for the CMR Holiday Classic and Pat Weede Memorial can be found at trackwrestling.com.

Maroons swimmers impress

Butte High’s girls won the Bigfork Invitational Saturday in Polson. In the same meet, the Bulldog boys placed third.

Butte Central had some swimmers turning heads, too.

Tessa Ganzenmueller placed third in the 100-yard breast stroke and fourth in the 200 freestyle to lead the Maroons.

Morgan Hardy took sixth in the 50 freestyle and seventh in the 100 freestyle. Connor Hardy placed sixth in the 100 breast stroke and 10th in the 50 freestyle.

Central’s swimmers will be back in the pool Jan. 10 at a meet hosted by Butte High at the Butte Family YMCA.