Football teams hit the road, and Copper Sprockets are ready to Clash
The Highland View Golf Course will be a no-golfing zone for much of Thursday.
That is because the course at Stodden Park will be overtaken by runners as Butte High hosts the Butte High Cross Country Carnival.
The meet will include 24 varsity teams from around the state. It will also see 19 middle school teams running and a bunch of grade school runners from around town.
After an 11 a.m. walk through, action begins with the girls’ JV race at noon. The JV boys run at 12:40. The varsity girls’ race will start at 1:15 before the 1:45 varsity boys’ race.
Middle school boys and girls will run together at 2:15 p.m., and that race will be 2.5 kilometers. The varsity and JV run 5 kilometers.
The day wraps up at 2:40 p.m. with the 1-mile grade school race. Boys and girls will run at the same time.
For the Butte High Bulldogs and Butte Central Maroons, the race will be the second major competition a handful of days. Both teams are coming off nice showings at Saturday’s Mountain West Classic in Missoula.
Senior Bridger Luebke led the Bulldogs, finishing the 5K course in 17 minutes, 56 seconds. Junior Isaac Zell and sophomore Jason Real also broke 19 minutes for the Butte High boys, who also saw seniors Kai Shuler and Colton Yoakum run along with juniors Jack Taylor and Lyric Haston.
Senior Joe Bradshaw led the Maroons, who also got nice runs from eighth grader Ryan Byrne and freshman Roman Terry. Sophomore Ashley White and freshman Linnora Howard ram for the BC girls.
Sophomore Sophia Houchin, who missed the first part of the season while recovering from a hip injury, led the Bulldog girls. Juniors Penelope Luebke and Wakely Burelson also ran for Butte High.
The meet will be the only action of the week for Butte High and Butte Central. The Maroons will run again Oct. 1 in Hamilton, while Butte High will compete Oct. 2 in Three Forks. Both teams will run at the Capital City 7 of 7 meet Oct. 8 in Helena.
The Butte High meet comes exactly one month before the MHSA State Cross Country Meet in Billings.
Bulldogs battle Spartans
It might not be officially “must-win” time for the Butte High football team.
This, though, is the one the Bulldogs really need to get. Butte High will hit the road to take on Missoula Sentinel in a pivotal Western AA game this Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Butte High (1-3 overall, 0-2 conference) learned the hard way that football really can be a game of inches when the Bulldogs fell 22-21 to undefeated Missoula Big Sky at Naranche Stadium. The loss, which came down to a last-second field goal attempt that sailed just wide right, put a bit of a damper on Butte High’s Homecoming and Silver B’s festivities.
However, fans will be talking about that exciting game for a long time to come.
Sentinel (2-2, 1-1) is coming off last week’s 38-21 win over Missoula Hellgate. The Spartans outscored the Knights 17-0 in the second half.
Sentinel racked up 339 yards on the ground in the victory. Senior Kaden Thennis put up an All-American performance to lead the way. He ran for 231 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.
Senior quarterback Tucker Laslovich, who completed 5 of 9 passes for 58 yards, added another 104 yards and a score with his legs.
On the season, Thennis is averaging 9.6 yards per carry. He has 535 yards and eight touchdowns. Laslovich has 348 yards and five scores on the ground. He is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Two weeks ago, the Spartans fell 35-26 at Helena High. In non-conference games, they won 35-0 at home against Belgrade before falling 28-25 at Great Falls Russell.
Senior quarterback Eli Kasberg, a future Montana Grizzly, accounted for all three of Big Sky’s touchdowns last week. He also scored on a 2-point conversion run.
Kasberg passed for 240 yards and ran for 164.
Senior quarterback Raeder Grey had one of his best games as the Bulldog signal caller. He passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns, completing 10 of 14 passes.
Grey also scrambled for 38 yards. Classmate Miner Lee added 24 yards on the ground behind an offensive line made up of senior Maxximus Pearston, junior Konner Hanni, junior Sawyer Casey, junior Karter Hall, senior Mason Swanson and sophomore Colton Nasheim.
Senior receiver Brady Walsh clearly had his best game as a Bulldog varsity player. The speedster returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. He also hauled in a 78-yard touchdown pass from Grey.
Sophomore Ryan Bache continued his breakout season, catching three passes for 73 yards. Lee grabbed three passes for 44 yards. Senior Koda Schleeman and junior Troy Samson also caught passes.
After a review of the film, senior linebacker Finn Wortham was credited 14 total tackles to lead the Bulldog defense. Seven of those takedowns were solo.
Classmate Jaeger Hansen, joined him in double figures with 10 tackles, seven of the solo variety.
Senior Reece Cunneen had another big game, registering eight tackles, while Pearston, junior Colt Stenson and senior Evan McWewen each got in on six. Senior Bradey Doyle joined Grey with five tackles, Lee had four, and junior Kodye Kjersten and Bache each had three.
Grey and Bache intercepted passes. Bache returned his pick nearly the length of the field for a touchdown, but his return was called back by a penalty.
Junior Tegan Duffy averaged 33 yards on four punts. He also performed well on kickoff duty for the Bulldogs.
Butte High will be on the road again next week to take on Helena High. The Bulldogs will return home Oct. 9 to take on Flathead.
Maroons back in action
Fresh off a week off, Butte Central’s football team will jump into Southwestern A play Friday in Corvallis.
Kickoff against the Blue Devils is set for 7 p.m.
The last time out, the Maroons rolled to a 54-0 win over Ronan Sept. 11 on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field. The win capped a Homecoming week that saw BC unveil its new mascot, a wolf named Shamrock.
Central is 1-2, but just an inch or two from 2-1 after their Sept. 4 double-overtime loss at Hardin.
Corvallis is also 1-2 and coming off an off week. The Blue Devils opened with a 29-14 loss at Polson. After a 36-21 home win over Bigfork, Corvallis fell 31-0 Sept. 11 at Whitefish.
Senior Ayden Spencer leads the Corvallis offense. He is averaging 6.4 yards per carry racking up 216 yards and four touchdowns through three games.
The Blue Devils are averaging just 92 passing yards per game. Junior quarterback Branson Bucholz is completing 54 percent of his passes. He’s tossed two TDs and was picked off once.
Junior Aidan Emerson leads Corvallis with three sacks through three games.
Sophomore quarterback Noah Sutton is coming off a record-breaking performance for the Maroons. He tossed six touchdown passes in the win over Ronan. He threw three touchdowns to senior GG Fantini, one to sophomore Henly Mansanti and one to his brother, senior Joshua Sutton.
Fantini also busted loose for a 60-yard touchdown run, and freshman Braydon Armstrong added 5-yard TD scamper.
The big offensive performance came behind offensive linemen Jack Nylund, Bobby McCarthy, Grady Boyer, Hayden Salmonsen and Gunnar “Goo” O’Brien. They got some help from tight ends Palmer Kellicut and Burkley Lakkala.
Nylund, McCarthy, O’Brien and Lakkala are seniors. Kellicut, who handles kicking duties, is a junior, and Salmonsen and Boyer are sophomores.
Most of the BC players play both ways, and many of those same names led BC’s shutout performance.
The Maroons will be back on the road next week, taking on Stevensville in a Southwestern A game. BC’s next home game is Oct. 9 against Frenchtown.
Butte High volleyball hosts Bruins
The Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium will set the scene Thursday as Butte High’s volleyball team plays host to Helena Capital in a 7 p.m. Western AA match.
Butte High will head to Helena on Saturday to take on Helena High.
The Bulldogs are 2-5 overall and 1-3 in Western AA play after Saturday’s four-set home loss to Missoula Sentinel. Butte won the opener 25-22, but Sentinel battled back to win the next three sets 25-23, 25-17, 25-17. (Stats)
Senior Cadence Graham paced the Bulldog attack with 11 kills in that loss. Classmate Allie Becker added eight kills, while junior Stella Callaghan and sophomore Elli Graham each spiked four, and senior Brityn Klima hit three.
Callaghan also served four aces in that match. Becker and Elli Graham served two.
Senior Ellie Yates (24), Cadence Graham (20), Elli Graham (16) and Becker (12) also reached double figures in digs. Callaghan dug nine.
The Bulldogs will be back at home next Tuesday to take on Missoula Hellgate. They will play host to Great Falls Russell two nights later.
Butte Central, meanwhile, will head to Hamilton for a 3 p.m. match on Saturday. That comes after BC dropped a 3-1 decision to Corvallis Thursday at the Maroon Activities Center. Two days later, Central fell 3-0 at Corvallis.
Against Corvallis, the Maroons took the opening set in exciting fashion, winning 25-23. Corvallis, though, closed out the victory with wins of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-17. Stats for the Maroons are not available for that match.
Frenchtown beat the Maroons 25-16, 25-17 and 25-19. (Stats)
Junior Cambri Campbell’s four kills led the BC attack in Frenchtown. Freshman Blake Smith, junior Jaedyn Maldonado and sophomore Evyn Tippett each spiked three.
Junior Ayanna Weang got in on nine blocks, including four solo, while Junior Kodee Badovinac and freshmen Jordyn Samson and Luci Fantini each served a pair of aces.
Badovinac led the backcourt defense with 26 digs. Fantini followed with 16, and Maldonado dug 16.
The Maroons will play at Dillon on Oct. 1. Their next home action is during the Oct. 9-10 Blocktober Classic.
Soccer teams head back to Missoula
For the second time in three days, Butte High’s soccer teams will travel to Missoula for Western AA matches.
This time, the Bulldogs will take on Missoula Sentinel. The boys’ varsity match will be played at 3:30 p.m., with the girls following at 5:30. The junior varsity matches will run at the opposite times, with the girls playing at 3:30 and the boys playing at 5:30.
Butte High’s teams fell to Missoula Big Sky Tuesday. The Eagles won the girls’ game 10-0, and the Big Sky boys won 7-0.
The matches kicked off the second half of the season for the Bulldogs, who are still looking for their first win in a brutally-tough Western AA.
Bulldog girls’ coach Geno Liva pointed out that his squad was playing a little shorthanded.
“We are missing few due to concussions, including a couple major contributors,” the coach said. “Elly Rumler stepped up huge and played a different position really well. She was a bright spot on the team.”
Liva also pointed to the play of a newcomer who is a foreign exchange student from Slovakia.
“Klara Andrejcakova had her first start and played really well from the striker position,” Liva said.
Butte boys’ coach Adam Colvin said it was “just one of those days” for his Bulldogs. He added that the wheels fell of early, and the Bulldogs held the Eagles to one goal in the second half.
“We all know we are much better than 0-7,” Colvin said.
The coach pointed out that his junior varsity squad played a great game.
“They did great and deserve a bit of recognition from what they did yesterday,” Colvin said. “They scored their first two goals of the season.”
Wyatt Lance knocked in an unassisted putback goal from his own free kick in the first half. In the second half, Braydin Nash scored off an assist from Max Colvin.
The final score ended up 8-2 in favor of Big Sky, but Colvin said his young players picked up a huge confidence boost.
Butte High will play at home Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 against Glacier and Flathead.
Flag teams go to Belgrade
In a late addition to the schedule, Butte High’s flag football teams will be on the road Thursday to take on Belgrade.
The varsity plays at 3:30 p.m., with the junior varsity playing at 5.
Butte High lost to Helena High and Helena Capital Saturday at Naranche Stadium.
Helena High blanked the Bulldogs 27-0. Senior Kolbie Erickson and junior Addisyn Lambrecht each pulled five flags to lead Butte High in that tough loss.
The injury-riddled Bulldogs fell 36-8 to capital.
Eighth grader Jerzi Nichols stepped up and led Butte High with eight receptions.
Sophomore Kadee O’Connor caught a touchdown pass from sophomore Rylee Erickson, who ran in the 2-point conversion.
Rylee Erickson also picked off a pass to help lead the Bulldog defense.
“Many girls had to step up in these games and play new positions because we are so beat up,” Bulldog coach John Stenson said.
The day included a standout performance on both sides of the ball by senior Brooke Johnson, who caught four passes. Junior Lilyi Malone also hauled in four passes.
“Brooklyn Hettick and Molly McGillan had big games on defense for the JV squad,” Stenson said. “Sisters Kayoni Kinard and Kaliya Kindard also had big days for the JV offense. Kaliya scored on the touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Rebekkah Hanke.”
The Bulldogs will be back at Naranche Saturday to take on Bozeman and Gallatin. Butte High plays Bozeman and noon and Gallatin at 2. The JV games will follow each varsity bout.
Butte High will be celebrating Senior Day against Bozeman. The school will honor seniors Kolbie Erickslon, Jayda Gustafson, Johnson, Alexis King and Mackenzie Read and their parents.
Crunch time for golfers
Butte High’s boys’ golf team and a pair of girls booked their trips to the Class AA State tournament, which is Oct. 1-2 in Great Falls.
On Saturday, it will be Butte Central’s time to try to do the same. The Western A Divisional tournament will be played Saturday at Polson Bay Golf Course.
Siblings Beau and Mya McGree will look to qualify for the Class A State tournament, which is Oct. 2-3 in Shelby, for the second straight year. Beau McGree, a junior, earned All-State honors last year. Mya McGree qualified for State as an eighth grader.
Both McGrees have posted tournament victories and have been in the hunt nearly every time out this season.
Also competing for the Maroon are Cohen Stajcar, Connor Kachmarik and Ganon Button. All three have shown potential and improvement during the season. Mya McGree is BC’s lone girl golfer.
Copper Sprockets host race
The Big Butte Open Space Park will be filled with young mountain bikers Saturday as the Butte Copper Sprockets host the Copper Kings Clash.
The race is the fourth of the season for the Sprockets.
Racers for the Copper Sprockets include Michael Anderson, Berlynn Bjorgum, Daegan Branam, Ryan Byrne, Ryan Draper, Camden Franklin, Casen Franklin, Lucas Henderson, Cade Irons, Paisley Jaksha, Renzy LeProwse, Conrad Luebke, Nolan Luebke, Kaspain Lutke, Rinnley Martin, Ryker Martin, Hank Mattson, Hadley McGree, Harlow McGree, Samson Myers, Luke Renouard, Grace Richardson, David Schulte, Nico Schulte, John Sizemore, Holden Smith, Charlotte Stevens, Milee Stillwagon, Christopher Stodden, Torsten Thieszen, Preston Tippett, Andrew Troutman, Cora Turner, Elise Walsh and Luke Walsh.
Racers will get to ride the course on Friday, and racing begins at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday. Racing is expected to run until 2:30 p.m.
