This special Saturday Night edition of the ButteCast does not have a whole lot to do with the Mining City.

But it is a story you definitely want to hear.

Tonight’s guest is Peyton Meyer, a freshman on the East Helena High School golf team. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Payton after he sent me a letter thanking me for putting his name in a story about the Beaverhead Invitational golf tournament.

It is very rare for a sportswriter to get such a thank you note from a young athlete. It is rare enough to get one from a parent. So, Peyton’s note was touching. It made me think that Peyton must be one remarkable young man.

I had no idea just how remarkable.

On June 12, 2025, Payton was involved in a serious bicycle accident. The front tire fell of the electronic bike he was riding. Peyton went over the handlebars and hit his head. The force of the crash cracked his helmet from front to back, and Peyton was knocked unconscious.

He spent more than a week in the children’s intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Before the injury, Peyton was a football player. He played quarterback, and he had dreams of playing college football. Suffering a traumatic brain injury, however, did not end his dreams of competing in college sports. It just shifted his focus from football to golf.

Over the last year, the straight-A student poured all his extra time into golf. He played a lot of golf. More importantly, he practiced all the time. He went from shooting in the high 90s to playing with a single-digit handicap.

His family moved from Seattle to the Helena area in February, and Peyton tried out for the East Helena golf team. He was one of 19 golfers to try out, and he earned one of the five varsity spots.

This season saw him finish in the top five at a tournament three times. He posted five top-15 performances.

Unfortunately, he did not play well when the Eastern  A Divisional tournament was played at his home course, the Fox Ridge Golf Course. He missed qualifying for the Class A State tournament.

But his hopes are still high as he heads into an offseason in which he plans to continue his devotion to the game of golf.

Instead of watching football in the rain today, I drove to Helena to meet with Peyton at the Fox Ridge Golf Course for a fun conversation.

Listen in to hear him tell the story of his accident and his recovery. Listen how he simply shifted his focus to football to golf. Listen in to hear why you want to be cheering for Peyton as he moves forward with his high school career.

Today’s episode is presented by the Jewelry Design Center. Let Brian Toone and Co. be your jewelers for life.