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Episode No. 336: Paul Miranda
Paul Miranda is kind of a big deal. Just don’t tell him that.
The 1986 graduate of Butte Central has a Ph. D in chemistry from the University of Montana. He also has a master’s degree in metallurgical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Montana Tech.
Not bad for a kid who grew up on La Platte Street on the Butte hill.
But don’t call him “doctor.” Just call him Paul. Those boys from La Platte Street have no pretenses.
Paul works for Northwestern Energy, and he owns his own business, Eagle Engineering, which he calls a hobby.
As of this spring, Paul is also the new coach of the Butte High tennis program. He is using a bit of a Ted Lasso approach as he looks to build something special for the Bulldogs.
And Paul knows what it is like to be something special on the tennis court. He helped start the Butte Central tennis program when he was in school, and played at the state tournament for the Maroons. After high school, Paul won more tennis titles than he can even remember.
Thanks to some health issues, Paul no longer plays tennis, but he can still coach it. Likewise, he no longer referees basketball. But after his 20-plus years working high school and Frontier Conference games, he is as good of coach for new officials as you will find.
Earlie today, I met with Paul inside the vault at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill for a fun conversation. Listen in as he talks about his plans for the Bulldog team that played its first matches last Friday.
Listen as he talks about growing up on the hill and his years at Butte Central, where he was the very tiny manager of the 1984 Class A State champion boys’ basketball team. Listen as he talks about the burning feeling he gets when he puts on his Butte High Bulldogs hat.
Today’s episode of the ButteCast is presented by the Jewelry Design Center. Let Brian Toone and Co. be your jewelers for life.
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Central softball opens with victory as weather dominates spring opening
The cure to any long drought is apparently to schedule a high school track meet. Or softball game.
Mother Nature is the MVP so far as the spring high school sports season gets off to a slow start in 2026.
Butte High’s first track meet was wiped out by snow on Tuesday. The Bulldogs were supposed to compete with Missoula Sentinel, Missoula Hellgate and Butte Central.
The storm also washed out Butte High’s season-opening softball game at Gallatin, and wet weather on Monday prompted the early postponement of Tuesday’s Butte High vs. Butte Central baseball game.
In the spring, no schedule is written in stone. Luckily, you can keep track of all the changes with updated schedules that are always in the menu at ButteCast.com.
Butte High’s softball team will now open the season Friday with a home game against Kalispell Flathead. The Bulldogs’ game set for Thursday against Glacier was moved to next Tuesday at Stodden Park.
While Butte Central will now open the baseball season next Tuesday at home against East Helena, the Bulldog baseball teams are set to head to Kalispell play Flathead and Glacier Friday and Saturday. Those games, of course, are weather permitting, and the forecast does not look great.
In the limited action we did see, we saw some good things. Butte High dropped a pair of hard-fought baseball games as the Bozeman schools entered the fray on the diamond.
The Bulldog tennis teams opened the season at home against Billings West and Butte Central saw some good performances in a track meet in Corvallis.
Then on Tuesday, the Maroon softball team opened the season with a convincing win at Three Forks.
That is what we will be looking at as we take a lap around the Mining City sports scene for the first week of the spring season.
Maroons topple Wolves
THREE FORKS — Braelynn Schelin had herself a day Tuesday.
The Butte Central sophomore delivered in the pitcher’s circle and the batter’s box as the Maroons opened the softball season with a 12-2 victory. (Boxscore)
Schelin went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk and three RBIs to lead BC’s nine-hit attack in the game called by the 10-run rule after five innings.
She also pitched the distance, scattering three hits. She struck out four and walked three.
The Maroons opened with four runs in the top of the first inning. When Three Forks answered with two in the bottom of the Frame, BC shot back with three in the second, four I the third and one in the fourth.
Eighth grader Luci Fantini and sophomore Zayonna Otherbull joined Schelin with a pair of hits. Fanti blasted a home run and drove in two runs.
Sophomore Kenzie McQueary and eighth graders Blake Smith and Mila Carriger added hits. Smith, the leadoff hitter, also drove in a run and joined McQueary, who walked twice, with three runs scored.
Sophomore Kodee Badovinac and freshman Natalie Osterman each drove in a run in the win. Junior Marly Mansanti walked and scored a run, and eighth grader Jordyn Samson scored twice as a courtesy runner.
Senior Arika Stajcar and eighth grader Ryan Olson also played in the field for BC but did not make a plate appearance.
The Maroons, who saw Saturday’s game with Livingston rescheduled because of a conflict for the Rangers, now have a couple weeks off. Their next game is April 14 at home against Stevensville.
That is the Southwestern A Conference opener.
Bulldogs drop two
Butte High started the baseball season by making a little history for the two Bozeman schools.
Gallatin High and Bozeman High both beat Butte High in their inaugural Montana high school games.
Galltin beat Butte High 11-4 Friday at 3 Legends Stadium. (Boxscore) Less than 24 hours later, the Bulldogs fell in a 5-4 thriller at Bozeman. (Boxscore)
Against the Raptors, Butte High tied the game at 4 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Teagan Duffy singled in Cayde Stajcar. Then Duffy scored on an error.
The Bulldogs thought they were out of the top of the sixth unscathed. But a close pitch did not go their way, and Louis Musial made the Bulldogs pay. The Gallatin short stop doubled in Grayson Herz and Graysen Trenka to break the tie.
The Raptors tacked on a run before breaking the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh.
Musial went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and the two RBIs. His day included a triple and two doubles.
Rolen Quezada joined Herz with a pair of singles, and Braeden Matthews and Cody Smith each hit a double.
Duffy went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored to lead the Bulldogs. Logan Carden, Cole Solomon, Calvin Cunningham, Gunner Bushman and Evan McEwen added singles for the Dogs.
Chase Lubick and Noah Powers both pitched better than their lines might indicate in a game that saw the Bulldogs commit four errors.
Gallatin also reached on a pair of hits that were perfectly placed into the sun.
In Bozeman, it looked like Butte High would escape with a win a couple of times. Stajcar hit a no-doubt home run to put Butte High up 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning. Thins really looked good when the shortstop took a relay pass and gunned out a runner at the plate in the bottom of the inning.
A passed ball allowed the Hawks to tie the contest at 3 in the sixth, and Duffy singled in Stajcar for a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh.
But the Hawks knotted the game when Luke Zundel singled in Caiden Pershing with the tying run.
Zundel then scored on an error as the Haws walked off with the win.
Duffy went 2 for two with a walk and the two RBIs. Carden, and Cunningham also singled for the Bulldogs. Grady Foley, Stajcar, Solomon, Duffy and Tucker Kissell were hit by pitches.
Brooks Vincent, Hunter Davies, Solomon and Cunningham pitched for the Bulldogs.
BC impresses in track opener
CORVALLS — Butte Central’s track teams opened the season Saturday at the Blue Devil Invitational. (Results)
Three BC boys placed second in an event to lead the Maroons to 25 points and an eighth-place showing in the 16-team meet.
Corvallis won the boys’ title with 96 points. Hamilton was next at 72, followed by Darby at 68.
Junior Danny McCarthy ran to second place in the 100-meter race, crossing in 11.55 seconds. Sophomore Palmer Kellicut took second in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 16.34 seconds.
Freshman Henly Mansanti cleared a personal best mark of 5 feet, 10 inches to take second in the high jump.
Senior Will McGree jumped 36-1 ½ to place sixth in the triple jump, and junior Grady Button placed eighth in the 400 meters and high jump.
Frenchtown scored 102 points to claim the girls’ title. Hamilton took second at 84, and Polson finished third at 66. The Maroons scored eight points.
Harper McGree placed fourth in the high jump, clearing 4-6. That beat fellow BC freshman Evyn Tippett, who placed fifth, by two inches.
Tippett also placed sixth in the 200- and 400-meter races. She took eighth in the 100.
Senior Caden Tippett placed ninth in the shot put with a mark of 29-6.
Next up for the Maroons is the April 11 East Helena Invitational.
West tops Dogs on courts
Billings West’s boys and girls swept past the Butte High tennis teams Friday at Stodden Park and the West Elementary courts.
The Golden Bears won the girls’ battle 8-0, while West’s boys won 7-1. The match was the first under new Butte High coach Paul Miranda.
Tashi Hanley picked up Butte High’s lone win on the day. He beat West’s Nash Koffler 6-4, 6-4 in a No. 3 singles match.
Butte High’s Matthew Weldon played in what might have been the match of the day. He dropped a 6-2, 2-6, 10-7 decision to Owen Thayer in a No. 2 battle.
Joshua Schrader and Phillip Russo also played singles for the Bulldogs.
Butte High’s doubles teams were James Pearston and Max Pearson, Hunter LaPier and Kanyon Flynn, Briggs Joseph and Caleb Bradley, and Bryce Gratton and Jaxon Jonart.
Gratton and Jonart dropped a 3-6, 7-6, 10-6 battle to Jonah Schmaltz and Raleigh Kindsfath at No. 4 doubles.
Avery Blue, Carleigh Donaldson, Avya Williams and Alissa Pennock played singles for the Bulldog girls. The Butte High doubles teams were Chloe Jewell and Sienna Bradley, Bella Babb and Aubrey Allmendinger, Rory Trafford and Kenzie Read, and Lucy O’Leary and Emily Allred.
Butte High is back in action Saturday in Bozeman, where they will take on Bozeman and Gallatin.
Central’s tennis team will play see its first action next Tuesday at home against Stevensville.
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Episode No. 335: Debbie Shea
Debbie (Bowman) Shea is a retired teacher who spent 26 years educating the youth of Butte.
She also spent 11 years in the Montana Legislature, working to make lives better for the people of the Mining City and the State of Montana.
There, she got to work with great Butte statesmen like Fritz Daily, Bob Pavlovich, Joe Quilici and J.D. Lynch.
The fact that Debbie is retired, however, does not mean she gave up her work to impact the next generations. She is an author who has been a part of releasing four books.
Like her previous work, her latest book focuses on history. This one, “Walking With an Irish Immigrant,” is a book about the grandmother she never knew. It is a tribute to her grandmother.
Abigail “Bina” Harrington Healy moved to Butte from Ireland and lived an exceptional, but relatively short life. She passed away before Debbie was born. She lived through the Irish Revolution and the Great Depression. She was even briefly part of a bootlegging operation in Butte, and that is all in the book.
Debbie asked questions about her grandmother, but it wasn’t until recent years that she really dove into researching her for the latest project.
The book can be found The Corner Bookstore (1877 Harrison Ave.) and on Amazon. It is also likely available at other Butte bookstores.
Now a resident of Boise, Idaho, where she can be closer to her grandchildren, Debbie is still — and always will be — a Butte girl.
She grew up in Muckerville, living in her family home on the corner of Montana and Woolman until she was what is now considered middle school age. She attended St. Mary’s Grade School and has always embraced her Irish heritage. Later this spring, she will make her 10th visit to “The Emerald Isle.”
This morning, I met with Debbie over Zoom for a fun conversation. Listen in as she talks about her grandmother and why she was so fascinated with her story. Listen as she talks about the Butte neighborhoods and why preserving that history is so important.
Today’s episode is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
It is also available on YouTube:
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Snow wipes out Bulldog track, softball
Butte High’s season-opening track meet and softball games have been called off because of snow in Southwest Montana, the school announced this morning.
Butte High’s home track meet with Missoula Sentinel, Missoula Hellgate and Butte Central was called off. So were Butte High’s softball games at Gallatin. Those games will be made up, but no date has been announced.
The Bulldog softball teams also saw their Thursday home games with Glacier rescheduled. The Bulldogs will now play those games on April. 7. Butte High will open again attempt to open the season Friday against Flathead at Stodden Park.
Butte High announced yesterday that the baseball game against Butte Central set for today was also postponed. No makeup date has been set.
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Missoula thieves steal joy of Duke loss
Sunday, Jan. 3, 1993 saw a high of 19 degrees in the Mining City.
That was also the day the Buffalo Bills battled back from a 35-3 deficit in the third quarter to beat the Houston Oilers, 41-38, in overtime of an AFC Wild Card playoff game. That still ranks as the biggest comeback in NFL history.
I did not get to watch that comeback, however, because my grandpa had me outside in the bitter cold working to improve the steps on my aunt’s deck. It was a job she asked him to do, figuring he would do it when the weather warmed up.
But my grandpa was always in a rush to get things done.
He called me after I watched the first half of the Bills-Oilers game. Since it was a blowout — and because I always helped my grandpa when he asked — I went along with it.
When I got home, my dad asked me if I saw the Bills’ game.
“The Oilers killed them,” I said.
“No,” my dad said. “Buffalo came back to win.”
“I’m going to kill grandpa,” I said. Then I walked down the alley to his house to have a talk with him about a game he made me miss.
That was back before there was an NFL Network to show the game again that night, too. If you missed the game, you missed the game.
Sure, I got to watch the highlights on SportsCenter, but that is not the same. That was a once-in-a-lifetime game to watch, and I had to miss it.
It was the most regrettable game of my lifetime. Until Sunday.
Thanks to a thief or thieves stealing a wheel off my daughter’s car in Missoula, I missed the University of Connecticut’s incredible comeback to beat Duke to earn a spot in the Final Four.
I was on the couch watching Duke get all the calls. I watched every Duke game of this year’s tournament, and they seemed to get every call as they squeaked out victories that ruined my day.
I have despised Duke ever since the Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley days. I still can’t stand Laettner, even after the “I Hate Christian Laettner” 30 for 30 documentary was made to try to turn hearts like mine.
It didn’t work. The Blue Devils are still the Dallas Cowboys of college basketball.
Laettner should have never even made that shot to beat Kentucky and send Duke to the 1992 Final Four. He should have been ejected from that game for his dirty play long before the final seconds.
Even though the Blue Devils built a 19-point lead, I kept the game on Sunday. I watched that lead dwindle to 10 before my 22-year-old daughter called me in hysterics.
She left her apartment at an off-campus complex owned by the University of Montana only to find a jack under her car and her front, driver’s-side wheel missing. The lug nuts were gone, too.
It was like a scene from the TV show “Everybody Hates Chris,” but in Missoula, not Bed-Stuy.
We put studded snow tires on her car in November, and I had her normal set of tires at our house in Butte.
Trying to calm her down, I told her I would be there as soon as I could. I said I would bring her those tires and put the donut spare on for her. Then she could go to the Honda dealer, where they would find her a rim and put the regular tires back on.
I loaded the tires into my truck and strapped them down. Then I drove away, heading to Missoula. As I pulled away from my house, I turned on KBOW to see if I could catch a final score of the Duke-UConn game.
The refs would bail the Blue Devils out from the UConn comeback bid, I figured, but I still wanted to hear the score.
Right when the radio came on, I heard the announcer screaming that UConn just took the lead on an incredible play with three-tenths of a second left on the clock. It turned out that it was .4 seconds on the clock, but it still was not enough time for Duke to answer with a miracle of its own.
UConn freshman Braylon Mullins stole a tipped pass that should have never been thrown, passed to a teammate, then got the pass back and sank a 35-foot 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 73-72 win.
For the record, I also don’t normally cheer for UConn because I can’t stand head coach Dan Hurley. That isn’t because he is Bobby Hurley’s brother, either. It’s because the UConn coach is the biggest crybaby this side of UCLA coach Mick Cronin.
The play and shot by Mullins were simply incredible. That will be replayed more than the shot Laettner should not have been allowed to shoot.
But I didn’t get to see it live because of some thief or thieves in Missoula. In the middle of the night, they stole a wheel from a girl who is working hard to pay for school along with the high cost of living in Missoula.
The thieves got an assist from a school that constantly gouges its students. At night time, the complex a few blocks south of the campus is only as bright as the moonlight. There are no street lights, and only about one in four of the lights above each apartment door work.
The ones that do give out light, however, are dim or flickering. That gives the complex a nice Cabrini-Green, Candyman kind of vibe.
I’m sure that is exactly how the highly-paid administrators at the school like to live at their homes. The school paid former president Seth Bodner around $350,000 a year to not answer emails, so it apparently cannot afford lightbulbs to help keep the students safe.
That, though, is a rant for another day. It is a conversation I cannot wait to have with Bodner now that he bailed on the students to run for the Senate. I bet he will now actually talk to the people since he wants our votes.
It was still kind of light out, but raining like crazy, when I got to Missoula to put the donut spare on the car. I went to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on Broadway Street and bought a full set of anti-theft lug nuts for the car.
As they say, I was yesterday days old when I knew there was such a thing. Steeling wheels, I figured, was something you only see on television.
I also had to buy a wrench to lower the black-and-yellow hydraulic jack left behind without its handle.
The very nice UM Campus Security officer assured me that the jack would be sent to forensics and dusted for finger prints and DNA. They would get all their best people on the case, and it would be solved in about 42 minutes, like we see on TV.
At least I took his laugh at my request for that as an assurance that it will be done.
He said the officers were going to be on the lookout for a car with a mismatched Honda wheel or a vehicle with one studded tire when they are patrolling the area. My daughter will be looking for that tire, too, when she walks to campus or takes walks around the neighborhood.
If you are in Missoula, maybe you could keep an eye out for that, too. Or maybe you know someone who mysteriously got a new Honda wheel for his or her car over the weekend. Thieves are not the smartest people, and they tend to talk. Maybe you will hear something.
If you do, please call the police. Better yet, contact me and let me know the name of the thief or thieves. They owe us about $600 for the rim and another $200 or so for the studded snow tire.
More importantly, I want to meet these people. I don’t want to fight them or hurt them.
I just want to have a little talk with them about a game they made me miss.
— Bill Foley, who would not vote for Seth Bodner for dog catcher, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Butte-BC baseball game washed out
Tuesday’s baseball games between Butte High and Butte Central have been postponed because of the wet weather, Butte Central announced today.
The games will be rescheduled, but no makeup date has been set.
Butte Central was set to open the season, while Butte High dropped games to Gallatin and Bozeman Friday and Saturday. We will have more on those games in this week’s SportsCap.
Other prep action is still on for Tuesday, however. That includes Butte High’s track meet with Missoula Sentinel, Missoula Hellgate and Butte Central. The Maroons were a late addition to that meet.
BC’s softball team is still set to play at Three Forks on Tuesday. The varsity will play at 3 p.m., with the junior varsity following at about 5.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Teagan Duffy and Evyn Tippett
Butte High baseball player Teagan Duffy and Butte Central track athlete Evyn Tippett are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after the Butte High baseball team and Butte Central track squads opened the 2026 spring season.
Duffy, a sophomore, takes home the boys’ award after starting the season on fire. The Bulldog cleanup hitter went 4 for 6 at the plate in Butte High’s first two games.
While playing left field, Duffy went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored in an 11-4 home loss to Gallatin on Friday. The next day, Duffy caught and went 2 for 2 with two RBIs and a walk in a 5-4 loss at Bozeman.
Duffy also threw out a would-be base stealer at third base against the Hawks, and he made a great tag as teammate Cayde Stajcar gunned down a runner at the plate.
Tippett, a freshman, receives the girls’ honor after a strong performance to open the season at the Blue Devil Invitational Saturday in Corvallis.
Tippett, who ran a leg of BC’s 400-meter relay team as an eighth grader at last year’s Class A State meet, placed sixth in the 200- and 400-meter races in the season opener. She ran to eighth place in the 100-meter race, while jumping to fifth in the high jump.
She posted a personal-best time or mark in all four events.
Tippett also plays basketball for the Maroons. She was on the high school team the past two seasons.
For the fourth year, Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photo of Duffy courtesy Alycia Holland Photography. The photo of Tippett provided by Jacqueline Photography.
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Svenningsen tops Bado for state crown
Shelby native Pete Svennungsen of Spokane swept the Open division of the Montana State Handball Championship in Butte Sunday at the Butte Elks.
Svennungsen defeated Butte’s Brett Badovinac to win the Open Singles title. He then paired with Chance Wachholz of Whitefish to win the Open Doubles crown by defeating two-time defending champions Sam Sottosanti of Ohio and Chris Tico of Sand Point, Idaho.
This marks Svennungsen’s third consecutive open singles title. It is the fourth time Svennungsen and Wachholz teamed to win the title. Wachholz has now won six state doubles titles to go along with his four state singles titles.
Missoula’s Kirk Johnson defeated Ken Scott of Lander, Wyoming in a thrilling final of the Super Golden Masters Singles. Johnson edged Scott 11-10 in the tiebreaker after splitting the first two games. It is Johnson second consecutive title and third state singles title.
Jay Spooner of Fargo, North Dakota won the Diamond Masters Singles. He defeated East Helena’s John Larson 21-14, 21-17 in the final. It is Spooner’s fourth Montana singles title.
Spooner then teamed with Jackson Wyoming’s Dan Passolt to win the Super Golden Masters Doubles title, defeating Luther’s Dan Scilley and Billings’ Mike Meyer in the final. It is the third Montana doubles title for Spooner and Passolt.
Billings’s Chris Graham won the A division and Butte’s Connor O’Neill won the B Division.
In all, 32 players competed in the tournament, which celebrated 100 years of Handball at the Elks in Butte. The courts opened in the fall of 1925 and the first invitational tournament was held in March 1926. The two original courts are much the same as when they opened. Complete Results:
Open Singles
1st Round – Don Foley, Butte d. Chris Graham, Billings 20-21, 21-13, 11-1; Shaun Gonda, Sheridan, WY d. Luke Santore, Missoula; Henry O’Brien, Florence d. Nick Piazzola, ButteQuarterfinals – Pete Svennungsen, Spokane, WA d. Foley 21-13, 21-15; Sam Sottosanti, Ohio d. Gonda 21-8, 21-14; Marcus Madrazo, Butte d. Travis Peevey, Cheney, WA 19-21, 21-12, 11-3; Brett Badovinac, Butte d. O’Brien 21-4, 21-11
Semifinals – Svennungsen d. Sottosanti 21-12, 21-12; Badovinac d. Madrazo 21-10, 21-16
Final – Svennungsen d. Badovinac 21-15, 21-12
Super Golden Master (60+) Singles
Quarterfinals – Mike Hitchcock, Butte d. Todd Timboe, Seeley Lake ; Ken Scott, Lander, WY d. Eric Howe, MelroseSemifinals – Kirk Johnson, Missoula d. Hitchcock; Scott d. Don Schmidt, Missoula
Consolation – Howe d. Timboe 21-4, 21-8
Third – Hitchcock d. Schmidt 21-8, 21-17
Final – Johnson d. Scott 11-21, 21-12, 11-10
Diamond Masters (70+) Singles
Quarterfinals – Jay Spooner, Fargo, ND d. Tom Madrazo, Butte 21-6, 21-8; John Larson, East Helena d. Steve Birrell, Bozeman 21-11, 12-21, 11-3; Dan Scilley, Luther d. Scott Salo, Butte 21-14, 21-9Semifinals – Spooner d. Mike Meyer, Billings 21-16, 21-15; Larson d. Scilley 21-7, injury default
Final – Spooner d. Larson 21-14, 21-17
Open Doubles
Quarterfinals – Henry O’Brien, Florence and Eric Schmidt, Lolo d. Chris Graham, Billings and Shaun Gonda, Sheridan, WY; Pete Svennungsen, Spokane, WA and Chance Wachholz, Whitefish d. Ken Scott, Lander, WY and Dan Passolt, Jackson, WY; Marcus Madrazo, Butte and Don Foley, Butte d. Luke Santore, Missoula and Nick Piazzola, ButteSemifinals – Sam Sottosanti, Ohio and Chris Tico, Sand Point, ID d. O’Brien and Schmidt 21-3, 21-10; Svennungsen and Wachholz d. Madrazo and Foley 21-15, 21-13
Final – Svennungsen and Wachholz d. Sottosanti and Tico 21-12, 20-21, 11-4
Super Golden Masters (60+) Doubles
Quarterfinals – Todd Timboe, Seeley Lake and Sam Baldridge, Whitefish d. Steve Birrell, Bozeman and Rich Jones, BozemanSemifinals – Dan Scilley, Luther and Mike Meyer, Billings d. Timboe and Baldridge 10-21, 21-4, 11-7; Jay Spooner, Fargo, ND and Passolt, Jackson, WY d. Tom Madrazo, Butte and Scott Salo, Butte
Consolation Semifinal – Madrazo and Salo d. Birrell and Jones 21-15, 17-21, 11-2
Third – Timboe and Baldridge d. Madrazo and Salo 21-16, 20-21, 11-4
A Singles (Round Robin)
1st – Chris Graham, Billings d. Luke Santore, Missoula; d. Nick Piazzola, Butte
2nd – Nick Piazzola, Butte d. Santore 21-15, 21-7
A Doubles (Round Robin)
1st – Ken Scott, Lander, WY and Dan Passolt, Jackson, WY d. Chris Graham, Billings and Shuan Gonda, Sheridan, WY; d. Luke Santore, Missoula and Nick Piazzola, Butte 21-14, 21-182nd – Chris Graham, Billings and Shaun Gonda, Sheridan, WY d. Santore and Piazzola
B Singles
Final – Connor O’Neill, Butte d. Tommy Heppler, Butte 21-11, 21-18Open Singles Consolation
Semifinals – Shaun Gonda, Sheridan, WY d. Don Foley, Butte, MT 21-12, 21-11; Travis Peevey d. Henry O’Brien 21-19, 21-16Final – Gonda d. Peevey 21-1, 21-8
Diamond Masters (70+) Consolation
Tom Madrazo, Butte d. Steve Birrell, Bozeman 21-8, 21-9; Scott Salo, Butte d. Birrell 20-21, 21-15, 11-1 -
KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of March 30.
Monday
7 p.m. — Parish vs. ButteSports
8 p.m. — Parish vs. Hoopballas
9 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Poi TimeTuesday
7 p.m. — Crib Crew vs. Someday Starters
8 p.m. — ButteSports vs. Poi TimeWednesday
7 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Someday Starters
8 p.m. — Rosary Rattlers vs. HoopballasThursday
7 p.m. — Rosary Rattlers vs. Washington Generals
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Spring sports season begins with postponements
The high school spring sports season will begin in typical fashion for this part of the Rocky Mountains.
It will begin with a pair of postponements.
Butte High’s baseball team and Butte Central’s softball team will not start the season as originally scheduled.
The Bulldogs were set to open the baseball season Thursday against Gallatin at Three Legends Stadium. Because of a poor weather forecast, however, that opener was delayed one day. The Bulldogs will instead play the Raptors at 5 p.m. Friday.
This year marks the largest field of Montana high school baseball teams, with 43 schools now competing. That is up from 21 teams for the inaugural season of 2023. The teams will be broken up into classes this year, with all the Class AA schools competing other than Helena High and Helena Capital.
Butte High, which will host the Class AA State tournament May 28-30 at 3 Legends Stadium, will travel to Bozeman for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday before playing host to Butte Central at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.
That game will be the opener for the Maroons, who will be looking to qualify for the State Class ABC tournament, which is May 28-30 in Polson.
The other postponement to open the season is the BC softball team. Central’s opener against Livingston set for Saturday has been pushed back because of a scheduling conflict for Livingston.
That game has been rescheduled for April 30.
BC will now open the season at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Three Forks. Central’s first home action is now set for April 14 when Stevensville comes to town for a Southwestern A contest at Stodden Park.
The Class A State softball tournament is this May 28-30 in Hamilton.
Butte High’s softball team will head to Bozeman to play its season opener against Gallatin. Butte High’s first home action will be next Thursday, April 2, against Flathead.
The Class AA State softball tournament will be held May 28-30 in Missoula.
BC’s track & field season begins Saturday with the 9 a.m. Blue Devil Invitational in Corvallis. The Maroons will host the annual John Tomich Invitational May 2, and the Western A Divisional is May 22-23 in Frenchtown.
The Class A State meet is May 29-30 in Laurel.
The Bulldog track teams will see their first action Tuesday when Missoula Sentinel and Hellgate come to town for a triangular on the Charlie Merrifield Track at Bulldog Memorial Stadium inside the Gene Fogarty Complex.
Butte High’s boys will host the Swede Dahlberg Invitational April 25, the same day the Bulldog girls head to Great Falls for the Optimist Invitational.
The Western AA Divisional meet will be May 22 in Helena, and the Class AA State meet will be May 28-30 in Missoula.
Butte High’s tennis teams are under new leadership with longtime tennis player/coach Paul Miranda taking over the helm of the Bulldog program. His teams will open the season Friday against Billings West and Missoula Big Sky at Stodden Park and West Elementary School.
Butte will face West at noon before battling Big Sky at 3 p.m.
Divisionals will be held May 21-22 in Missoula, and the Class State meet is May 29-30 in Kalispell.
Central’s tennis teams do not open the season until April 7, when the Maroons host Stevensville.
The Maroons will host the Central A Divisional meet May 21-22 in Butte. The Class A State tournament is May 28-29 in Hardin.
Schedules for the Bulldogs and Maroons can always be found in the menu at ButteCast.com.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 