While runners from Butte High and Butte Central are gearing up for Saturday’s MHSA State Cross Country Meet in Billings, Butte High’s football team will be looking to lock up a home playoff game as the Bulldogs close the regular season at Helena Capital.

Butte Central’s football team looks to wrap up its season with a win at Dillon, and the volleyball teams from both schools are riding high.

We will look at all of that was we take a lap around this week in Mining City Sports.

Dogs battle Bruins at Vigilante

When Butte High plays Helena Capital in any sport, it is a big game.

Friday night at Vigilante Stadium, though, will be next level as the Bulldogs battle the Bruins in a Western AA football game. The winner of the game will lock up fourth place in the conference, which means a home playoff game next Friday night.

Butte High locked up a playoff spot with its third straight win last week. That was a 45-8 beating of Missoula Hellgate at Naranche Stadium.

Capital and Butte enter Friday’s showdown tied for fourth in Western AA standings at 3-3. The Bruins are 5-3 overall, while the Bulldogs are 4-4.

The top six teams advance to the playoffs, with the top two seeds earning a first-round bye. Helena High will be the No. 6 seed, and Missoula Sentinel will be the No. 3. Missoula Big Sky and Glacier are tied for first, and those two teams play Friday in Missoula. Flathead and Hellgate have been eliminated.

The Bruins saw their three-game winning streak end last week with a 28-19 loss at Missoula Sentinel.

Capital senior quarterback Carson Toivonen, whose parents were both standout athletes at Butte High, passed for 131 yards and two touchdowns last week. He threw scoring strikes to classmate Drew Almquist and junior Keanen Green.

The Bruins ran for 242 yards, and that includes a pir of 100-yard rushers. Senior Gavin Starcevich ran for 141 yards and a score on 14 rushes, while junior Justin Derby added 109 yards on 15 carries.

On the season, Starcevich is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and he reached the end zone nine times. Toivonen is completing 66 percent of his passes. He’s tossed 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also run for four scores.

Green leads the team with 31 receptions for 479 yards and seven touchdowns. Sophomore Isaiah Geisser caught 16 passes for 308 yards. Six of those 16 receptions went for scores.

On the other side of the ball, junior Keanen Green is tied for fourth in the Class AA with four interceptions. Senior Davin Lyth has is tied for sixth in the Class AA with four sacks.

Butte High was able to call off the dogs, so to speak, early last week as six different Bulldogs scored touchdowns in the rout of the winless Knights.

Senior dual-threat quarterback Raeder Grey has completed 59 percent of his passes for 750 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He has also chalked up 433 yards on the ground.

Recent weeks have seen junior Troy Samson get into the mix at quarterback. He’s tossed three touchdown passes.

Grey and fellow senior Miner Lee lead the Bulldog rushing attack behind a starting offensive line of seniors Maxximus Pearston and Mason Swanson, junior Sawyer Casey and sophomores Colton Nasheim and Cooper Carter.

Lee ranks eighth in the Western AA with 622 yards on the ground. He is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has scored eight touchdowns. Grey has scrambled for 433 yards.

Lee has also been a threat in the passing game with 11 receptions for 124 yards

Senior Brady Walsh leads the team with 18 receptions. He’s racked up 267 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Ryan Bache has 17 catches for a team-best 282 yards and three scores.

Senior Koda Schleeman and junior Kodye Kjersten are also weapons in the passing game, and senior Kasen Snyder, Samson, senior Blake Wadas, senior Evan McEwen, junior Hudson Steele and sophomore Colbey Doyle have also caught passes.

Senior linebacker Finn Wortham ranks eighth in the Class AA with 69 total tackles.

Classmate Jaeger Hanson is next at 41, while Grey has 42 take downs and three interceptions. Senior Bradey Doyle, whose night last week included a blocked punt that he scooped and scored on, has 34 tackles. McEwen follows with 32, while senior Reece Cunneen has 29, Steele has 27, junior Colt Stenson has 22, Pearston has 21, and Kjersten has 20.

Kjersten, Bache and Schleeman each have two picks on the season, and Hansen has one.

Brady Doyle, who also usually handles PATs and field goals, has three sacs on the season. Pearston has two, and Steele, Casey, junior Matt Marsenich, Hansen, Cunneen and sophomore Sam Cunneen each have one.

Junior Tegan Duffy ranks second the Class AA with a punts average of 37.2 punts per game.

Depending on how the last Friday of the regular season shakes out, Butte High’s possible first-round opponent could be Gallatin, Bozeman, Great Falls High or Billings Skyview.

The only thing Butte High can control now is where that game is played.

Maroons face Beavers in Dillon

Butte Central will be playing for pride as the Maroons close the 2026 football season against rival Dillon at Vigilante Field.

The Beavers can punch their ticket to the Class A playoffs with a victory. BC’s postseason hopes ended with last week with a 42-7 Senior Night loss to first-place Hamilton on the Bob Green Field.

The loss dropped BC to 1-3 in conference and 2-5 overall. Dillon is 2-2 and 3-4.

Sophomore quarterback Noah Sutton’s 23-yard touchdown pass to his senior brother Joshua accounted for the Maroons lone score in the loss. (Stats)

The younger Sutton completed three passes apiece to his brother and junior Jaxon Hiatt. He completed two each to senior GG Fantini and freshman Blake Connors. Sophomore Henly Mansanti and junior Treigh Hollow also caught a pass.

Mansanti, senior Danny McCarthy and Noah Sutton led the BC ground attack behind a blocking contingent led by Jack Nylund, Bobby McCarthy, Grady Boyer, Hayden Salmonsen, Gunnar “Goo” O’Brien, Palmer Kellicut and Burkley Lakkala.

The game was the last home action in a BC football uniform for seniors Joshua Sutton, Fantini, Grady Button, Cade Kelly, Teghan Sparks, Danny McCarthy, Boby McCarthy, Burkley Lakkala, O’Brien and Nylund.

The Beavers are coming off last week’s 47-7 home win over Stevensville. Dillon led 35-0 after one quarter. That came a week after Dillon fell 41-21 at Hamilton.

Slowing down senior quarterback Canin Christiansen will be key for the Maroons. Last week, he had a hand in five touchdowns to lead the Beavers to the lopsided victory. He passed for 206 yards and three scores while completing 11 of 12 passes. He ran four times for 85 yards and two scores.

Juniors Noah Feenstra, Gunner Geyer and Gage Curnow caught TD strikes.

On the season, Christiansen is completing 66 percent of his passes. He’s thrown for 1,316 yards, 14 touchdowns and five picks. He is averaging 6.8 yards per clip while rushing for 354 yards and seven scores.

Curnow leads the team with 24 receptions for 330 yards and five scores.

While the Maroons cannot make the playoff, a win over their archrival would go a long way toward building toward the 2027 campaign.

BC spikers snap streak

Sometimes a win is so much more than a win.

That was certainly the case Saturday as Butte Central’s volleyball team picked up a 3-2 win at Corvallis. According to results on maxpreps.com, the victory was the first in the Southwestern A since the Maroons beat East Helena in a home playoff match on Oct. 27, 2022.

The victory snapped a Southwestern A conference losing streak of 38 matches.

In the streak-stopper, the Maroons beat the Blue Devils in a 14-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-26, 15-13 thriller. (Stats)

Rylee Forbes, a 6-foot-1 senior, dominated at the net to lead the BC win. She accounted for 18 total blocks, six of which were solo.

Junior Cambri Campbell spiked a team best 10 kills for the Maroons. Classmate Olivia Scott added seven kills, while Forbes and sophomore Evan Tippett each tallied six. Campbell added 11 total blocks.

Freshmen Brooklyn Bliss and Luci Fantini each served three aces in the win. Senior Presli Smith and sophomore Sofia Doto each served two.

As a team, the Maroons collected 53 digs, with junior Kodee Badovinac leading the way with 17. Fantini joined her in double figures with 12.

Freshmen Jordyn Samson and Smith accounted for BC’s 32 assists. Sampson dished out 18, and Smith set 14.

The victory came less than 48 hours after the Maroons fell 25-11, 25-14, 25-12 on the road to a powerful Frenchtown team. BC stats from that match are not available.

The Maroons will look for another win Thursday when they head to Stevensville for a Southwestern A match. The team will be back at home to take on Hamilton in a 3 p.m. match Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.

Central will close the regular season next Tuesday at home against Dillon. BC will celebrate Senior Night in honor of its two seniors, Smith and Forbes.

Red-hot Dogs win two more

Don’t look now, but Butte High’s volleyball team is simply on fire.

Butte High won two home matches since last report, and that makes five wins in six matches for the Bulldogs. That includes Tuesday’s 3-1 Senior Night win over Missoula Big Sky.

After honoring seniors Avery Barsness, Allie Becker, Cadence Graham, Ellie Yates and Brityn Klima, the Bulldogs beat the Eagles 25-10, 19-25, 25-23, 25-21 at the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium. (Stats)

Becker and Graham both had a huge night at the net, with each tallying 16 kills. Junior Stella Callaghan added seven kills, while Klima and Barness followed with five and four.

Butte High picked up 84 digs in the win. Yates led the way with 20, which was two more than sophomore Elli Graham. Becker dug 16, Callaghan collected 14, and Cadence Graham dug 12.

Elli Graham dished up 38 assists and served two aces.

Junior Gia Field was also a force at the net, leading the team with four total blocks, including two that were solo.

In last Thursday’s matinee performance at the Richardson Gym, the Bulldogs knocked off Helena High in a 25-15, 22-25, 25-14, 18-25, 15-9 battle. (Stats)

Three Bulldogs reached double figures in kills, with Becker and Cadence Graham leading the way with 21. Callaghan spiked 15.

Yates chalked up 35 digs, which was five more than Cadence Graham. In all, Five Bulldogs reached double digits in kills. That includes Elli Graham’s 21, Becker’s 17 and Callaghan’s 12.

Elli Graham served up 48 assists, and Field registered three blocks.

At 8-9 overall and 6-6 in the Western AA, the Bulldogs now have a postseason berth locked up. Butte High is sitting in fifth place, and can host a playoff match if they move into fourth.

The Bulldogs have two matches left in the regular season, and both are on the road. Butte High plays at Missoula Sentinel on Thursday. They head back to Missoula Oct. 29 to take on Hellgate.

Then it is on to the playoffs. No matter the opponent or location, the Bulldogs will be heading to the postseason on a roll.

Runners head to MHSA State meet

Amend Park in Billings will set the scene as the prep cross country season comes to an end Saturday with the MHSA State Cross Country Meet.

The Class A boys will open the meet with a race at 11 a.m. The Class A girls run at noon, and the Class AA boys compete at 1:30 p.m. The Class AA girls will close out the event at 2:30.

Butte High will send full teams of boys and girls after a season full of injury and illness kept the Bulldogs from full strength.

Senior Bridger Luebke, who has been battling injuries, has the top seed time for the Bulldog boys with a time of 17 minutes, 17 seconds. He will be joined by junior Isaac Zell, who posted a seed time of 17:46.

Senior Colton Yoakum (18:18), sophomore Jason Real (1819) and sophomore Kai Schuler (18:27) posted seed times of under 19 minutes. A seed time is the fastest race time of the season for the runner.

Juniors Jack Taylor (19:20) and Jere Moen (20:08) will also run for the Bulldogs. Junior Lyric Haston (19:42) and freshman Kaylor Smith (20:28) will the trip as alternates.

Sophomore Sophia Houchin (20:28) leads the Bulldog girls into action. She has been coming on strong after missing the first part of the season — and all the summer — with a hip injury suffered in the spring.

Juniors Penelope Luebke (21:04), junior Wakely Burleson (22:50), junior Adelaide Thomson (25:15), senior Valerie Trabert (25:46), junior Cambree O’Neill (27:04) and senior Sofia Tarabella (28:35) will also run for the Bulldogs.

Juniors Lynn Wiltsie (29:55) and Lainee Walsh-Hil (30:00) posted qualifying times and will serve as alternates for the Bulldog girls.

Butte Central will not have a team score at the meet. The Maroons will send four boys and two girls to compete.

Senior Joe Bradshaw (20:37), junior Connor Kachmarik (21:54), freshman Roman Terry (21:55) and eight grader Ryan Byrne (19:55) will run for the boys. Kachmarik joined the team after the golf season, and Terry ran his best time at last week’s Western A Fall Classic in Bigfork.

Sophomore Ashley White (23:45) and freshman Linnora Howard (29:58) will run for the Central girls.