Volleyball, soccer, cross country, golf all on tap on busy week

It’s Homecoming week at Butte Central.

The Maroons are one of the first schools in the state to celebrate the annual tradition, and the week will culminate with Friday’s football game against Ronan. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field.

That will be one of the highlights of a busy week in Mining City sports. We will look forward to that action and take a look back at the week that was for the Butte High Bulldogs and Butte Central maroons.

Ronan will come to town at 1-1 on the season. The Chiefs bounced back from a 49-0 season-opening loss at Hamilton with a 28-6 home victory over Browning last Friday.

The Maroons are 0-2 after they quite literally had a victory stolen from them last Friday in Hardin. Not in the Western Michigan sense, though.

As Central was trying to ice the victory, Hardin defensive end/tight end Bruno Pallone ripped the ball out of a BC ball carrier’s hands and raced 70 yards for a touchdown. Pallone also punched in the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14 in the fourth quarter.

Hardin then won 22-14 in double overtime when Cale Nederns scored on a 2-yard run. Pallone added the 2-points conversion. (Stats)

BC also lost senior GG Fantini to an apparent concussion late in the game.

The loss on the scoreboard also overshadowed some big performances by the Maroons, who led the game for most of regulation.

BC took the lead in the first quarter as sophomore quarterback Noah Sutton connected with his brother, senior Joshua Sutton, for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Fantini caught a pass from sophomore Henly Mansanti for the 2-point conversion.

Hardin got on the board in the second quarter when Justus Stops At Pretty Places found Marek Gutierrez for a 27-yard touchdown pass. The PAT failed, leaving the Maroons with an 8-6 lead.

Mansanti answered for the Maroons in the third quarter, scoring on a 6-yard scamper. The point after touchdown, though, was no good, making it a 14-6 game.

Just when it looked like the Maroons would be heading home with their second win over the Bulldogs in as many years, Pallone had something else to say.

Noah Sutton passed for 133 yards, with Joshua Sutton hauling in five passes for 76 yards. Mansanti, Treigh Hollow, Fantini Jaxon Hiatt and Palmer Kellicut also caught passes for the Maroons.

Danny McCarthy ran the ball well for the Maroons. He also led a defensive effort from his position at defensive end. Senior Jack Nylund had another nice game on both sides of the line.

Friday’s game will mark the last home game for the Maroons in September. Central will have next week off. Then the Maroons travel to Corvallis on Sept. 25 before playing at Stevensville on Oct. 2.

BC’s next home game is Oct. 9 against Frenchtown.

Bulldogs ride momentum to Glacier

Butte High’s football team is coming off a decisive victory. On Friday, they will step up a level in competition when they travel to Kalispell to take on defending Class AA State champion Glacier.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Legends Stadium.

Senior running back Miner Lee had a major game to lead the Bulldogs to a 38-15 win over Billings Skyview Friday night at Naranche Stadium. (Stats) Lee carried the ball 26 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns.

He did that damage behind an offensive line made up of starters Max Pearston, Konnor Hanni, Sawyer Casey, Will Olds and Mayson Swanson. Pearston and Swanson are seniors. Hanni and Casey are juniors, and Olds is a sophomore.

Senior quarterback Raeder Grey was highly efficient in running the Bulldog offense. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He found senior Brady Walsh and sophomore Ryan Bache for scores.

Grey also scrambled nine times for 44 yards. Junior Zavier Jory ran for 51 yards on six carries, while sophomore Paxton Adnerson added 29 yards on four carries.

Bache led the way with four catches for 44 yards. Junior Kodye Kjersten hauled in two for 30 yards, and Lee made three grabs for 21 yards. Senior Koda Schleeman also caught a pass for the Bulldogs.

Lee finished with 180 all-purpose yards.

Senior linebacker Jaeger Hansen led the Bulldog defense with eight total tackles. Senior Bradey Doyle added five, while junior Sawyer Casey and seniors Reece Cunnenn and Fin Wortham each added five. Juniors Matt Marsenich and Hudson Steele joined Grey with three tackles.

Butte High’s defense registered four sacks. Doyle, Marsenich, Casey and Pearston each got in one. Kjersten picked off a pass.

Doyle also booted a 35-yard field goal, and he was 5 for 5 on PATs. Junior Tegan Duffy handled the punting and kickoff duties.

Like Butte High, Glacier enters the game at 1-1. The Wolfpack bounced back from a 6-3 overtime loss against Billings West with a 42-0 over the Hawks in Bozeman.

Junior Trey Ramey ran for 182 yards on 13 carries to lead the Wolfpack, who racked up 264 yards on the ground. That included Ramey’s 85-yard touchdown run. Cooper Pelc caught a touchdown pass from Cash Keim. He ran for one more.

Keim, a junior, completed 12 of 17 asses for 198 yards. He was picked off once.

The Bulldogs will be back at Naranche Stadium next Friday. They will celebrate Homecoming and Silver B’s Night as they play host to Missoula Big Sky.

BC spikers play at home

Butte Central’s volleyball team will make its first appearance at the Maroon Activities Center of the season Thursday.

The Maroons will be celebrating Homecoming as they welcome Stevensville for the 7 p.m. Southwestern A match.

The action will mark the first full match of the season for BC, which competed at the Western A Tipoff Tournament in Dillon and the Southwest/Southeast Tipoff Tournament in East Helena.

The Maroons went 0-7-4 in their two-set matches over those two tournaments. They earned ties with Ronan, Browning, Libby and Whitefish.

Junior Jaedyn Maldonado, a 5-foot-7 hitter, paced the Maroons with 31 kills over those two tournaments. Senior Rylee Forbes (6-1) racked up 19 kills, and junior Olivia Scott (5-9) spiked 14.

Maldonado also leads the teams with seven aces, which is one better than junior Kodee Badovinac, who is the team’s top digger with 67. Maldonado follows with 58. Freshman Jordyn Samson registered 36 digs, and she is followed closely by classmates Luci Fantini at 30 and Blake Smith at 27.

Samson has set 61 digs for BC.

Butte High, meanwhile, will see its first action since Aug. 29 when they head to Kalispell for a pair of matches. The Bulldogs will play at Glacier at 4 p.m. on Friday. They will battle Flathead at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The Bulldogs have not played since they split with Billings West and Billings Senior on Aug. 29.

Butte High will hit the road again next Thursday to take on Missoula Big Sky. The next home match for the Bulldogs is Sept. 17 against Missoula Sentinel.

Bulldog soccer back at it

Butte High’s soccer teams will be back at home Thursday when they take on Helena High at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.

The girls play at 3 p.m., and the boys will follow at 5:30. Butte High will head to Helena Capital on Saturday. Girls play at 11 a.m., and the boys battle at 1 p.m.

Both Butte High teams went 0-2 last weekend in Kalispell. Butte High’s girls fell 10-0 to Glacier Friday before dropping a 3-0 battle to Flathead Saturday.

Glacier’s boys topped Butte High 10-0. The Bulldogs then fell 2-0 to Flathead.

“Glacier has one heck of a program,” Butte High boys’ coach Adam Colvin said. “We lost, but we looked really good for about a third of it. Johan Thieszen rocketed a shot off the crossbar as our best scoring chance during that time. Glacier is a super-deep team with a lot of experience. They placed second in the conference last year and they look the part again this year.”

Butte High was shorthanded by the time Saturday rolled around.

“Flathead was better today, but they played us incredibly physical,” Colvin said. “That is a bad play style to face after already being beat up from the game that finished up just 20 hours beforehand. In my opinion, we had more talent and better athletes, but playing the day before was tough. We were out four players due to injury by the end of it. Two of them starters. We also had our senior keeper/captain gone for a college visit making a total of three starters out.

“Kudos to them for recognizing that would be our weakness today,” Colvin added of the Braves. “I think we played well, and every game is looking better. Just couldn’t overcome enough of the problems to earn the win today. I’m sure that will change when they come to town in a few weeks.’

Colvin pointed to the play of eighth grader Bridger Newgard, who played goalie for the weekend.
“I think everyone would agree he considerably outplayed his age and made a ton of incredible saves,” Colvin said. “He even managed to save a (penalty kick) vs. Flathead High — not something even senior level keepers are expected to regularly do.”

On the girls’ side, Bulldog coach Geno Liva signaled out the play of June Todorivich and Bella Salusso for their play in the middle of the field. He said Elsa Thieszen, Berkli Salusso and Madi McGee led the defensive effort on Saturday. McGee played goalie in a game that was scoreless at the half.

Golfers, runners ready to go

Butte High’s golf teams will be back in action Wednesday and Thursday at the Kalispell Invitational.

Wednesday’s play begins at 11 a.m. at the Village Greens Golf Course. The final round will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Buffalo Hill Golf Club.

Senior Kate DeShaw placed fourth for the Bulldog girls last Week at the Helena Invitational. Junior Jack Muhlstein finished seventh for Butte High’s boys.

Junior Teagan Yelenich and freshman Lane Lisac tied for 14th for the Butte High boys last week. Sophomores Beckam Kinsey and Miles Choquette also put up rounds in the 70s.

Junior Sage Leber had a nice tournament for the Bulldog girls, whose lineup includes sophomores Lilly Sandoval and Julia DeShaw and freshman Lilly Carden.

Butte Central’s golf team competed in East Helena Tuesday. They will play in Bigfork on Thursday.

Butte High’s cross country team will head back to Bozeman for a race at Bridger Creek Golf Course. Action begins at 4 p.m.

The race will come eight days after Bulldog senior Bridger Luebke placed ninth overall at the Run BXC Invitational at the Gallatin County Regional Park.

Bulldog Junior Isaac Zell placed 21st, and sophomore Jason Real took 37th for the Bulldogs in a race that saw 172 boys cross the finish line. Sophomore Kai Schuler, senior Colton Yoakum, junior Jack Taylor and sophomore Jere Moen also finished strong for the Bulldogs.

Junior Penelope Luebke placed 35th to lead the Bulldog girls in a race of 116. Junior Wakely Burleson placed 45th.

Butte Central’s runners hosted the Butte Central Invitational Tuesday evening. The Maroons will run again Thursday at the Harrison meet in Pony.

Flag team gets needed break

Butte High’s flag football team has the week off, and it could not have come at a better time.

The bruised-and-battered Bulldogs were so beat up last week that even their bus broke down in Kalispell.

The Bulldogs fell 26-0 at home Thursday to Missoula Hellgate. On Saturday, the Bulldogs went to Kalispell, where they fell 34-0 to Glacier and 20-8 to Flathead.

Butte High also lost three starters — junior Kenzie Rowe, junior Charliee Richter and sophomore Kaydee O’Connor — to injuries. The Bulldogs, though, showed some fight the whole time.

Sophomore Kynslee Wrampe picked off a pair of passes against Flathead. One pick led to a go-ahead score. Sophomore Rylee Erickson threw a pass to O’Connor, who was playing through a tough leg injury, for a score. Erickson then ran in the 2-point conversion.

Senior Brooke Johnson and junior Addisyn Lambrecht each got in on a pair of sacks, and junior Audrey Moore picked off a pass.

“We’re going to have to change some things because of the injuries,” Bulldog coach John Stenson said. “We had a little (meeting) today. We’re going to have to move some players around. We’ll figure it out.”

The Bulldogs are off until Tuesday, Sept. 15, when they travel to Helena Capital. The Bulldogs next home action is Sept. 19 against Helena High and Helena Capital.