Maroons, Broncs go down to wire; Peoples, Choquette are newest Digs

Butte High’s boys’ basketball team has earned some national attention this season, but it has been for the wrong reason.

People around the country are talking about Shawn Wetzel, the Bulldog volunteer assistant who was told he was not approved by the school district to coach shortly after he was attacked by a parent while refereeing at a youth basketball tournament in Anaconda.

Whether or not that decision and attack are related is not known, and the school district has stayed silent.

So, the fact that the Bulldogs are off to their best start in 36 years has kind of flown under the radar. The Bulldogs are 7-0 for the first time since the 1989-90 season. That was the season the Bulldogs fell in the Class AA State championship game for the second straight year.

The No. 1 reason for that is that Bulldog senior guard Hudson Luedtke is once again making a strong case that he is the best player in the state.

The 6-foot-2 Luedtke led the Class AA in scoring (19.2 points per game) and assists (6.1) last season. He is leading the way in both categories again this year, but his points average is considerably higher.

After scoring 29 points on back-to-back nights in wins over Flathead and Glacier Friday and Saturday, Luedtke, who became the all-time leading scorer in the Butte High boys’ program last season, is averaging 28.3 points per game. Luedtke has led the Bulldogs in scoring in all seven games, and he is well on his way to being named All-State for the fourth straight year.

Luedtke is also a four-time All-State player in football for the Bulldogs. So, not only is he making a case to be the best Butte High basketball player of all time, he is making a pretty good case that he is the greatest Bulldog of all time.

He has been getting a lot of help from his teammates, too. Much of that help comes from two players who did not even go out for the basketball team the last couple of seasons.

Seniors Cayde Stajcar, Montana’s first Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball, and Mitch Verlanic, an All-State football player, joined the Bulldogs team this season. They have been key defensive performers all season. In Kalispell, both broke out on the offensive side.

Verlanic, who scored 24 points through Butte High’s first five games, scored a total of 25 in Butte’s two wins in Kalispell. That includes sinking seven 3-pointers on the weekend.

Stajcar poured in 12 points in Saturday’s win over Glacier.

Senior Rhett Arntson has played much bigger than his 5-8 frame, too. He scored 13 points Saturday and has been money for the Dogs from behind the 3-point line.

Of course, 6-9 sophomore Brady Hanson has made a thunderous impact for the Bulldogs. He must lead the state in backboard-shaking dunks.

Butte High is hoping to get a boost this week. Senior Josh Liston, who has missed the last three games with a toe injury, is expected to return as Butte High takes on Helena Capital and Helena High.

Butte High is the lone undefeated team in the Class AA. The Bulldogs are 2-0 in Western AA play. The Bulldogs travel to Capital on Thursday before hosting Helena Saturday at the Richardson Gym.

On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs are also 2-0 after a sweep in Kalispell. The Graham sisters — junior Cadence and freshman Ellison — each scored 16 points as the Bulldogs got past Glacier on Saturday.

Butte High also got a career-high 16 points from Autumn Clary, a junior guard who could best described as a defensive pest. Before going to Kalispell, Clary totaled 16 points through five games. She scored four in Friday’s win over Flathead.

Seniors Frani Salusso and Emma Johnson, juniors Allie Becker and Kendallyn Schad, and freshman Saege Grey also scored big buckets for the Bulldogs in Kalispell.

The Bulldog girls will host Capital on Thursday at the Richardson Gym. They head to Helena High on Saturday.

Another BC-Frenchtown classic

There are few certainties in life. One thing you can usually count on, however, is that the game will go down to the wire when the Butte Central boys play Frenchtown in basketball.

That was definitely the case Tuesday night at the Maroon Activities Center. BC junior GG Fantini drove for a three-point play with .9 seconds on the clock as the Maroons pulled off a 74-71 victory. That came after Frenchtown star Hank Smith hit a 3-poitner to tie the game.

If you were surprised by that, you should be. Almost all their games are decided in the final minute or in overtime.

Both games between the Maroons and Broncs last season were nailbiters. Frenchtown won 62-57 in Frenchtown, and BC won 78-75 in Butte.

Smith, a 6-6 junior joined Butte Central junior Joshua Sutton with 30 points in the game that was back and forth throughout. Smith, who is a threat to score from anywhere on the court, entered the game averaging 26.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Sutton is now averaging 22.3 points per game.

Jaxon Hiatt, Ryan Peoples, Cade Kelly, Noah Sutton, Henley Mansanti and Burkley Lakkala also contributed for the Maroons.

The Maroons will face another tough test Saturday when they head to Hamilton to take on the other Broncs of the Southwestern A.

Central’s girls will be in Hamilton, too, for the doubleheader. BC will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss Tuesday at Frenchtown.

Eighth-grader Jorydn Samson led the Maroons in scoring with seven points. That marks three games in a row in which she led the team or tied for the team lead in scoring.

Zayonna Otherbull, Rylee Forbes, Braelyn Schelin, Arika Stajcar and Mila Carriger also scored for the Maroons, who are hoping to get back injured junior guard Kenzie McQueary. She has missed the last six games and is working to return to the team.

Bulldogs head to Jug Beck

One of the biggest and best wrestling tournaments of the season is on tap for Friday and Saturday as Missoula Sentinel hosts the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic.

Action begins at 11 a.m. on Friday and resumes at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs will send junior varsity wrestlers to the John Fisher Invitational, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Missoula Big Sky.

The Bulldog boys head to Missoula after going 1-1 against the Kalispell schools Saturday at the Butte High old gym.

Butte High beat Glacier 51-30 and fell to a power Flathead squad, 55-22.

Against Glacier, Crew O’Connor, Reveles McEwen, Ryder McEwen, and Cameron Fleege won by way of the pin for the Bulldogs. Caden Phillips won by decision, and Renzy LeProwse, Austen Belisario, Bradey Doyle and Bode Hazlett won by forfeit.

Against Flathead, Keegan Hunt, Ryder McEwen and LeProwse won by pin. Doyle won by major decision.

Butte High’s girls beat Glacier 54-18 and fell 48-36 to Flathead.

Jessica Blow, Loretta Matteson pinned their opponents in both matches. Peyton Liva and Mattie Stepan also grabbed pins against Flathead. Lilyi Malone, Adalie Hazlett, Brooke Johnson, Sage Queer, Ryle Radcliffe, Allie Ballenski and Stepan won by forfeit against Glacier.

Butte High’s girls will compete at the Hellgate Invitational Friday and Saturday in Missoula. Wrestling begins at 11 am. Friday and Saturday.

Butte Central will compete at the John Fisher Invite. The Maroons sent four wrestlers — two boys and two girls — to the Madison Invite last Friday and Saturday in Rexburg, Idaho.

Amira Gonzales and Felicity Stevens competed for the BC girls. Gonzales placed sixth at 125 pounds. She had to forfeit the fifth-place match because of injury.

Jace Rauch and Kelsen Brackett competed for Central’s boys. Both won a match but did not place.

For more on Butte High’s duals with the Kalispell schools, check out Bruce Sayler’s story on ButteSports.com.

Bulldogs sixth at Splash

Butte High’s boys’ and girls’ swimming teams placed sixth at the Butte January Splash Saturday at the Butte Family YMCA.

In all, 13 teams competed.

On the girls’ side, freshman Adalie Gronchowski placed second in the 50-yard freestyle and fifth in the 100 backstroke. Senior Tatum Trefts placed third in the 100 breaststroke and eighth in the 200 individual medley.

Junior Alaina Grochowski finished sixth in the 200 IM and seventh in the 100 freestyle. Sophomore Elly Rumlper took ninth in the 100 breaststroke.

Olivia Thurmond, Trefts, Alaina Grochowski and Adalie Grochowski swam to third place in the 400 freestyle relay. The same girls placed fourth in the 200 free relay.

Junior Gage Plum took fifth in the 500 freestyle for the Butte High boys.  Senior Nathan Stone placed seventh in the 100 freestyle, and freshman Alex Sonnemann placed eight in the 100 backstroke.

Sophomore Tucker Kissell took 2 seconds off his best time to place ninth in the 100 freestyle, and sophomore Elgin Hoar took 10th in the 100 butterfly.

Sonnemann, Ayvahn Mann, Gunar Benson and Stone placed fifth in the 200 freestyle relay. Grayson Lynch, Hoar, Kissell and Plum placed sixth in the 400 free relay.

“I am very proud of how everyone swam,” Bulldog coach Lynn Shrader said. “They were competing and trying to get a personal-best time in every event.”

Butte Central also competed at the event. Tia Thompson led the BC girls, placing seventh in the 100 breaststroke. Morgan Hardy took 11th in the 200 freestyle and 12th in the 100 breaststroke, and Arwen Regester placed 15th in the 100 breaststroke.

On the boys’ side, Connor Hardy took ninth in the 100 backstroke and 15th in the 100 breaststroke. Shamus Peck finished 10th in the 100 butterfly and 15th in the 50 freestyle.

The Maroons and Bulldogs will compete in Great Falls on Saturday. They will be back in Butte for the Mining City Invite on Jan. 24.

Peoples, Choquette sign with Tech

Butte Central senior Ryan Peoples and Butte High senior Chase Choquette are the newest Orediggers.

Peoples signed to play football at Montana Tech during a ceremony Wednesday morning at Butte Central. Choquette signed to play golf with the Orediggers Friday in a ceremony at Butte High.

Peoples is a standout in football and basketball for the Maroons. He passed for 1,705 yards and 19 touchdowns while leading the Maroons to their first playoff appearance since 2019 last season. He was selected to play in the Montana East-West Shrine Game, which will be played in Butte in June.

Choquette tied for 18th place at the Class AA State tournament at the Butte Country Club in October. In June, he tied for third place at the Montana State Men’s Amateur Championship at the Missoula Country Club.