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  • Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Logan Carden and Major All-Stars

    Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Logan Carden and Major All-Stars

    Butte baseball player Logan Carden and the Copper City Softball Major All-Stars are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.

    Carden takes home the boys’ honor after hitting a three-run, walk-off home run the Butte Miners’ 11-10 win over Glendive Tuesday at 3 Legends Stadium. The game was the opener of a doubleheader that saw each team take home a win.

    Carden also doubled in the win, driving in four runs. The Miners leadoff hitter and center fielder tripled and drove in a run in the nightcap. Through 13 games, Carden is batting .341. He has registered two doubles, three triples, a home run and nine RBIs. He is also carrying a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

    The Copper City Softball Major All-Stars earned the girls’ honor after placing second in the Montana District 2 tournament in Missoula.

    The Butte girls went 4-1on the tournament. They beat Garden City of Missoula 4-3 in the opener. After winning slugfests against Dillon, Westside and Dillon again, Butte fell to Garden City in the championship game.

    Butte coach Jenny McEwen called it a great team effort to get to the championship game.

    Team members are Braelynn Schwartzmiller, Brinkley Greer, Sophia Martin, Kaitlin Kachmarik, Myla Swanson, Bentli Petritz, Brixley Schelin, Aria Sherrill, Oakley Stajcar, Anna Yates, Taylor Benski, Parker Gilbreath and Kyla McEwen. Coaches are Jenny McEwen, Zac Stajcar and Cullen Gilbreath.

    Since the beginning of 2023, Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back, has teamed 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 Carden courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.

  • Diamond B’s will grow by two this fall

    Diamond B’s will grow by two this fall

    The Butte High Silver B’s will welcome two Diamond B’s to the organization this football season.

    Mr. Bruce Serigstad and Mr. Don Williamson are the only two living members from the 1951 Bulldog Squad that were Co-Champions of the State of Montana. Bruce will become the 23rd Diamond B, and Don will become the 24th Diamond B, in the 87-year history of the organization.

    The following men from the 1951 Butte High Bulldog football team earned their first varsity football letter from Butte High School seventy-five years ago. They will be formally inducted as Diamond B’s at the 87th Annual Meeting and Induction Ceremony which will take place on Friday September 18, 2026.

    The full list of first-year lettermen from the 1951 squad follows:

    Don Crain (DEC), Clark Doran (DEC), Don Duffy (DEC), Jim Freshman (DEC), Bud Maxson (DEC), Tom Pomroy, Sr. (DEC), Bill Salonen (DEC), Bruce Serigstad, Bill Tarrow (DEC), Al Vega (DEC), Bert West (DEC), Don Williamson, Jerry Winkler (DEC), and Bob Zorick (DEC).

    If any of the Diamond B Inductees have not received their yearly mailing, or have any questions about our 2026 event, please reach out to Silver B Historian Scott Paffhausen at (406) 490-9956 or hist@buttehighsilverbs.com. Members can also receive information, register and pay online by accessing our website at buttehighsilverbs.com.

    The photo above shows Williamson, left, and Serigstad during their days with the Butte High Bulldogs. Click here for more photos and information about the 1951 Butte High team.

  • Butte High Silver B’s going Platinum

    Butte High Silver B’s going Platinum

    The Butte High Silver B’s announced a new class of inductees today.

    The new Platinum B’s will be formally inducted on during the Silver B’s 87th Annual Meeting and Induction Ceremony on Sept. 18. In the past, the yearly induction classes consisted of Silver B Inductees (25-years after earning first varsity football letter), Golden B Inductees (50-years after earning first varsity football letter), and Diamond B Inductees (75-years after earning first varsity football letter).

    This year’s induction will include the new Platinum B Inductees for those who earned their first varsity letter in football 65 years ago.

    The Silver B’s Board of Directors wants to recognize our elderly members at an age when they are still in decent health. They have so few Diamond B’s in our organization’s history, and by the time they are inducted, the men are in their 90’s and their bodies are failing.

    This year’s initial class of Platinum B’s will consist of all living first-year lettermen from the 1961 Bulldog Squad. We will also be retroactively inducting all living members from the 1952 Bulldog Squad through the 1960 Bulldog Squad.

    The full list of first-year lettermen from the 1952 to 1961 squads follows:

    1961 Squad: Clyde Carpino, Terry Cochrane, Ron Collins, Calvin Dunks, Dan Hodge, Terry Lonner, Mark Moynihan, Lynn Pogreba, Tom Saunders & Chuck Starin

    1960 Squad: Ray Cyr, Dale Jozovich, Ray Markwald, Chuck Miller, Rick Richter & Bob Thomas

    1959 Squad: Gene Allen, Mel Beattie, Gary Carle, Charles “Bud” Gale, Bob Given, Cliff Knapp, Jerry Laird, Jerry Olds, Ross Oliphant, Barton Penny, Lewis Schneller, Garry Selby, George “Buddy” Strohl & Mel Wattula

    1958 Squad: Paul Bolton, Mark Ciabattari, Dale Fellows, Mel Gardner, Peder Hildre, Dave Markwald, Hugh Ouellette, Dick Riley, Jim Sessions, Ron Taylor & Martin White

    1957 Squad: Jack Allen, Fred Grimm, Marvin Hash, Jim Killoy, Harley Lewis, Rich Schuller, Jack Shevalier & Joe Sicotte

    1956 Squad: George Calcut, Bob “L.C.” Clark, Bill Cords, Ken Fitzpatrick, Tom Gollinger, Fred Moriarty, Bob O’Billovich, Dan Peters, Ted Potter & Jack Reinwand

    1955 Squad: Jim “J.P.” Murphy, Charles “Fuzzy” Olson, Dick Paul & Rhett Potter

    1954 Squad: Jim Clark, Bob Harmon, Chuck Marchand, Lawrence Moody, Carlos Munoz, Bob Rask John Templin & George Theofelis

    1953 Squad: Bill Lepetic, Leonard Metz & Davis Place

    1952 Squad: Dwaine Annala, Frank Becky & Bernie Shontell

    Historian Scott Paffhausen is seeking the public’s help in tracking down information for Chuck Marchand of the 1954 squad. We’re not sure if he is living or deceased. Any information relating to Chuck… .as well as any information in regards to the status of all members this initial class of Platinum B’s would be greatly appreciated.

    If any of the Platinum B Inductees have not received their yearly mailing, or have any questions about our 2026 event, please reach out to Paffhausen at (406) 490-9956 or hist@buttehighsilverbs.com. Members can also receive information, register and pay online by accessing our website at buttehighsilverbs.com.

    Click here for photos of all the teams joining the new Platinum B’s.

  • 2001 lettermen set to join Silver B’s

    2001 lettermen set to join Silver B’s

    The newest class of the Butte High’ Silver B’s will be inducted this fall.

    The following men from the 2001 Butte High Bulldog football team earned their first varsity football letter from Butte High School 25 years ago. They will be formally inducted as our newest class of Silver B’s at the 87th Annual Meeting and Induction Ceremony, which will take place on Friday Sept. 18.

    The full list of first-year lettermen from the 2001 squad follows:

    Colt Anderson, Tim Antonovich, Carter Briggs, Wayne Cunningham, Willy Cusson, Russ Davis, Logan Dudding, Marc Elich, Matt Enrooth, Josh Fellows (DEC), Colby Hoffenbacker, Dan Lacey, Brodie Loushin, Chad Moore, Scott Mulcahy, Steve Nicholls, Luke Powers, Jason Rixford, Cole Salo, Justin Schwartzenberger, Greg Smelich, Craig Smith, Dan Thomas, Dane Vaala, and Steve Willis, Jr.

    If any of the new Silver B’s inductees have not received their yearly mailing, or have any questions about the 2026 event, reach out to Silver B Historian Scott Paffhausen at (406) 490-9956 or hist@buttehighsilverbs.com. Members can also receive information, register and pay online by accessing our website at buttehighsilverbs.com.

  • Silver B’s announce 2026 Golden B’s

    Silver B’s announce 2026 Golden B’s

    Butte High’s Silver B’s announced the 2026 Class of Golden B’s today.  

    The following men from the 1976 Butte High Bulldog football team earned their first varsity football letter from Butte High School 50 years ago. They will be formally inducted as Golden B’s at the 87th Annual Meeting and Induction Ceremony which will take place on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.

    The full list of first-year lettermen from the 1976 squad follows: Jim Anderson, Skip Arntson, Cory Atiyeh, Fred Bosch, Dave Carriger, John Chelini, Mark Chelini (DEC), Todd Chelini, John Clark, Mike Clifford, Larry Crnich, Todd Endy, Mark Hairston (DEC), Mike Holland, Andy Kalarchik (DEC), Dan Kipp (DEC), Claude Leverton, Reed Madison, Mike Maroney, Curt McElroy, Dave Meier (DEC), Lowell Panasuk (DEC), Dan Powers, Joe Powers, Brad Rafish, Craig Rowan, Doug Ryan, Lonnie Schmidt, Dennis Secord (DEC), Jack Smith, Barry Sullivan, Randy Teller, Byrl Thompson, Si Timberman, Sean Warner, and Dick Yant.

    Silver B’s Historian Scott Paffhausen noted that Yant was in inadvertently left out of the 2026 annual brochure.

    If any of the Golden B Inductees have not received their yearly mailing, or have any questions about our 2026 event, please reach out to Paffhausen at (406) 490-9956 or hist@buttehighsilverbs.com. Members can also receive information, register and pay online by accessing our website at buttehighsilverbs.com.

  • Leskovar sponsoring hole-in-one prize for Hall of Fame scramble

    Leskovar sponsoring hole-in-one prize for Hall of Fame scramble

    This year’s Butte Sports Hall of Fame celebration will include a chance to win a 2026 Honda Ridgeline from Leskovar Honda.

    Butte’s locally-owned dealership is sponsoring a hole-in-one contest during the Hall of Fame scramble on Friday, July 24 on the Par 3 course of the Highland View Golf Course.

    One hole will be designated as the prize hole. That hole has not yet been selected.

    The tournament, which will be $10 per person plus green fees for non-members, is open to the public. The tournament has tee times blocked off from 1 to 3 p.m. Players can show up with a team of four or five or come as an individual and join a team.

    You do not have to sign up in advance.

    The Green Jacket Ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 24 at the Civic Center. The event, which is free to the public, begins with a 6 p.m. social hour.

    The Induction Banquet begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. That event also begins with a 6 p.m. social hour. Cost is $47 before July 12. Then the cost goes $5. Tickets can be purchased at the Butte Civic Center box office or at butteciviccenter.com.

    Individuals called to 20th class of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame are Brian Bolton, Bernie Brophy, Shirley Chesterfield-Stanton, Susie Hogart-Harrington, John Kovacich, Scott Paffhausen, Kevin Parvinen, Jane Pascoe, Don Peoples Jr., Greg Salo, Butch Starin and Chunky Thatcher. Teams entering the Hall are the 1972 Mile High All-Star baseball team, the 1976 Northwest All-Star softball team, the 1995 Butte High Wrestling team, the 2000 Butte Central softball team, and the 2009 Butte High girls’ track teams. All five teams captured state titles.

    In addition to purchasing a ticket, members of those teams are asked to RSVP to Butte Sports Hall of Fame Executive Director Bill Foley so the Hall of Fame can have a plaque for them at the banquet. Call or text Foley at (406) 491-3022 or email him at foles74@gmail.com by July 10 to reserve your plaque.

    Those who can’t make it to the event can purchase a plaque for $75, plus shipping.

  • Episode No. 359: Guns & Hoses

    Episode No. 359: Guns & Hoses

    Today we are talking softball with Butte police officers Jorey Thatcher and Ben Girdler and Butte firefighter Aaron Facincani.

    These three brave men are getting ready for the Guns vs. Hoses softball game, which will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Stodden Park. The game is set up as a fundraiser for Mariah’s Challenge.

    The game will pit Butte’s police officers against Butte’s firefighters. The Finest vs. the Bravest.

    The event is free and open to the public. The players will be raising money to play in the game, much like they do to participate in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge.

    Donate via Venmo by using the QR code below.

    After checking out the lineups of the teams so far, I am establishing the firefighters as a slight favorite. At first, I was thinking the line should be set at 3 runs, but we are going to move it down to 1 and a half. However, I’m pretty sure you will struggle to find any bookie or service to take any action on the game.

    One sure bet, though, is there will be a whole lot of smack talk between the rivals. We got a glimpse of that today when I met with Thatcher, Girdler and Facincani inside the vault at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill for a fun conversation.

    Listen in as they talk about the preparation for the game. Listen in to hear which players are the ringers and which ones will be doing the most talking.

    Listen in to hear that the cause is very near and dear to the hearts of all involved.

    Today’s episode is presented by Leskovar Honda, home of the friendly non-commission sales staff that always has your back.

  • No. 358: Remembering Mick Ringsak

    No. 358: Remembering Mick Ringsak

    Several years ago, I got involved in a fight to protect or local environment against Butte-Silver Bow, the so-called Environmental Protection Agency and British Petroleum.

    We had some victories in that fight, which will likely continue for decades. We stopped them from dumping toxic waste near homes by Timber Butte, and we stopped them from dumping the same waste by homes in Centerville.

    The best part of joining the fight is not the victories or getting under the skin of the people who try to poison our town. Rather, it was getting to know some of Butte’s best fighters. That includes Evan Barrett and Elton “Mick” Ringsak, Butte’s “Political Odd Couple.”

    Evan can usually be seen wearing a “Montana Democrats” hat, while Mick was a self-described “Eisenhower Republican.” They were best friends until the very end.

    Mick was a man without a party for the last decade or so. But he was still outspoken about issues and candidates. He always spoke out for what he saw was right, even if that meant backing a moderate Democratic senator like Jon Tester or a moderate democratic governor like Brian Schweitzer.

    Mick passed away Tuesday at the age of 83, and the Mining City will never be the same. The world will never be the same.

    I have known Mick for as long as I can remember. He and Dan McElroy owned Miller’s Boots and Shoes for decades. But I really got to know him over the last few years. The more I got to know Mick, the more I liked him.

    He was kind and giving. He was funny, and he had a simple way of getting to the heart of any matter. Beating around the bush was never Mick’s style.

    Mick served our country during the Vietnam War. He led the way to build an important road in Vietnam, and that road is now a major transportation artery.

    In 1969, he was sent to Tunisia after a major flood wiped out roads and rail lines. Mick was charged with rebuilding three railroad bridges. They were told it would take two years, and Mick led an effort that finished the job in a matter of months. That led Mick to be knighted by the Tunisian government. He is one of the few United States citizens to get congressional approval to be knighted in a foreign country.

    Mick served as the Small Business Administration’s Region 8 administrator under President George W. Bush, and he was a member of the Upper Clark Fork River Advisory Council.

    Recently, he was a founding member of the Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice.

    Right up until the day he died, Mick was busy fighting for other people. It was simply what he did.

    Listen in to this podcast, which was recorded in April of 2024 in a conference room in the Silver Bow Center on Granite Street, for just a small glimpse into the greatness of Sir Elton W. “Mick” Ringsak.

    After hearing this, you will wish he would have run for president.

    Rest in peace, Mick. You’ve certainly earned it.

    Today’s episode is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.

  • A case against Seth Bodnar

    A case against Seth Bodnar

    Perhaps my best decision as a father was to take my daughter to Rocky Mountain Martial Arts when she was in the second grade.

    There, Delaney got to study under the late, great Master Jim Miller. He taught his students to never be a bully. He also taught them to never put up with a bully.

    Master Miller taught his students self-defense, but more importantly, he instilled in them a sense of self-worth. He taught them to stand up for themselves and for others.

    He taught them to never be the kind of people who look the other way when the going gets tough.

    My daughter clearly took Master Miller’s teachings to heart. She has a keen sense of social justice, and she has never shied away from standing up for herself or for others.

    When she was in eighth grade, Delaney punched out a boy who thought he could get away with calling her horrific names every day in class.

    During her second year at the University of Montana, she punched a bully who had been threatening her and her roommates for several months. When the university would not protect her, she protected herself.

    And Seth Bodnar punished her for that.

    Now, Bodnar, who was the president of the university at the time, is running as an “independent” candidate for one of Montana’s seats in the United States Senate. We cannot let him win.

    When it came to sexual discrimination against female employees at the University of Montana, Bodnar clearly looked the other way. At best.

    Today I am not writing about the lawsuit and the awful comments attributed to Bodnar that are on the record.

    What I can speak of is how Bodnar and his administration treated my daughter. I can speak how they did nothing to protect her, her roommates and countless other young women at the University of Montana from a female sexual predator and stalker.

    In January of 2024, my daughter and two roommates got a new roommate at their apartment in the dormitory Pantzer Hall. From the start, her words and actions were troubling, to say the least.

    She treated the women like they were her property. If they went to a basketball game without her, she would threaten them like she was a jealous husband.

    Immediately, she made threats of violence against these young women. Some were not-so-veiled threats. Others were not veiled at all. She made it known to them that she was possessed by a demon and was very capable of killing them.

    When the young women went to the student housing department for help, they got none.

    On Jan. 26 and again on Jan. 29, I called the housing department to try to make sure my daughter was living in a safe place, and my calls were not answered. No university official ever returned a call after I left repeated messages.

    This roommate from hell continued to threaten the young women as the semester went on. She tried to gross them out, and she exposed herself to them. Each incident seemed to be worse than the one before.

    Eventually, my daughter and another roommate were allowed to move to another apartment, but the stalking and harassment did not stop.

    By the time April rolled around, this roommate was known widely by UM students as the “Pantzer Hall Masturbator.” That is because she set up in one of the study lounges and masturbated so everyone walking by could clearly see her and what she was doing.

    When my daughter and some of the other young women who were exposed to this scene went to the University of Montana campus police, they were quickly dismissed. Officer Mark Horner yelled at them for wasting his time, telling them it was not a crime.

    At the same time, the threats to the young women were escalating, and the roommate made it clear that she was going to hurt my daughter — or worse.

    That April 11, my daughter was on her way to class when the roommate quickly approached her in an angry-and-aggressive manor. When she lunged at my daughter, Delaney hit her with a one-two punch. It might have been a one-two-three combination.

    The roommate cried and ran away, and my daughter immediately reported the incident to her resident assistant. It was a clear case of self-defense, and the aggressor was not seriously injured. Delaney only punched enough to defuse her assailant.

    This came as I was reaching out for even more help for my daughter and the other young women. The school still made it clear to us that it was not going to anything about the repeated threats and sexual exposer.

    So, my daughter and I indicated that she might talk to the school newspaper about the experiences her, her roommates and other women of the dorm experienced that semester. We suggested that, perhaps, the school did not learn its lesson from Jon Krakauer’s book “Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town” that followed the weak response to cases involving sexual assault by the University of Montana and the justice system.

    That finally got the attention of the Bodnar administration, and suddenly my daughter faced disciplinary action for defending herself from the attack. Instead of helping her, they figured they would intimidate her into silence.

    My wife and I received a phone call from Amy Capolupo at the University. She assured us that if any of Delaney’s roommates tried to file charges with Missoula police against the “Pantzer Hall Masturbator,” then charges would also be field against Delaney.

    She told Delaney the same thing in a phone call a few minutes earlier.

    About the same time, Delaney got an intimidation letter from Darby Waldbillig of the University of Montana. The letter stated that Delaney could not talk to anybody about the many incidences that led up to the April 11 encounter.

    She somehow figured that the University of Montana has powers that trump the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

    Waldbillig is the same UM official who, during a hearing over Zoom, kept trying to take Delaney’s description of what happened as an admission of guilt. She was clearly trying to silence a student who threatened to go to the press.

    As a result, my daughter was given a year of probation by the school, and the roommate from hell was never charged. She was also never given the help she so badly needed.

    My daughter left the school for more than a year because she did not feel safe or welcomed there. The predator was transferred to another dorm, as if she was an abusive priest being moved to another parish.

    For more than a month in April and May of 2024, I repeatedly emailed Bodnar. I called his office. Not one time did he get back to me. Not one time could he even pretend to be interested in the safety of the female students of the University of Montana.

    He was too busy looking the other way.

    Clayton Christian, Montana’s commissioner of higher education, replied to the same emails. He expressed his concern about all the young women involved. Bodnar did not, even though one of his top assistants assured me that he read all my emails.

    Now, Bodnar wants to represent Montana in the United States Senate. He is being supported by former Democratic Montana senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus, along with Nancy Keenan, the former superintendent of the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

    They also seem to be at least associated with those leading a charge to call for Alani Bankhead, who won the Democratic nomination for the seat on June 2, to drop out of the race so Bodnar can take on Republican nominee Kurt Alme in November.

    They surely did not know about my daughter’s story when they threw their support toward Bodnar. But they must have seen the comments attributed to him in the lawsuit. They know he was accused of telling a woman she was too fat to be the face of UM. They know that all happened well after the “Me Too” movement took hold, too.

    Tester, Baucus and Keenan must know that, at the very least, Bodnar has dropped the ball when it comes to standing up for women and victims. When the going gets tough, he looks the other way.

    Montana does not need another senator like that.

    — Bill Foley, who will never look the other way, 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.

  • Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: City champs and Benny Cunningham

    Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: City champs and Benny Cunningham

    This week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week are the 12U and 10U championship teams from the Copper City Softball Little League and Northwest Little League star Benny Cunningham.

    Cunningham takes home the boys’ honor. He plays for the Elks in the Northwest 11-12 league. Northwest president Brandon Scown says Cunningham is the top pitcher/catcher prospect in the league.

    “Benny is an absolute stud behind the plate and stops runners with just being present at the dish,” Scown said. At last week’s Butte Junior Miners tournament in Butte, Cunningham gunned down a pair of runners attempting to steal third base.

    Cunningham is also a monster at the plate. “He’s sporting a .389 average and changing the looks of vehicles that park outside the centerfield fence,” Scown said.

    On the mound, Cunningham is a strikeout machine. “Benny leaves no doubts in my mind that his progression has only just begun,” Scown said. “Get used to hearing his name. This fella is going to turn heads for many years to come.”

    The players from O’Keefe Drilling, the Copper City Softball 10U champion, and Game-One, the queens of the 12U, share the girls’ honor.

    O’Keefe Drilling put together an incredible season in the Minor Softball Division, finishing with an outstanding 13-1 record and earning the title of City Champions. Every player contributed to the team’s success through hard work, teamwork, and determination all season long.

    In the semifinal game, Ella Briggs blasted a two-run home run to help secure the victory, while Loghan Smith delivered a huge three-run home run in the championship game. Shea Whitaker was dominant in the circle, pitching two innings in the semifinal and all four innings of the championship game while recording an impressive 13 strikeouts over six innings pitched. Shea also set the tone offensively as a strong leadoff hitter and used her speed to create opportunities on the bases.

    Defensively, the team was solid from top to bottom. Mandy Breitmeyer made two outstanding plays at shortstop, while Ella Briggs provided dependable defense at first base. Loghan Smith showed tremendous hustle behind the plate, and Eva McGree anchored second base. Allison Weldon was steady at third base, while Nataley Garrison, Olivia Coates and Elle Shaffer covered the outfield with confidence.

    O’Keefe Drillings is coached by Casey Briggs and Brandon Whitaker.

    10U champion O’Keef Drilling. Front row: Shea Whitaker, Eva McGree, Olivia Coates and Allison Weldon. Back row: Coach Brandon Whitaker, Loghan Smith, Ella Briggs, Elle Shaffer, Nataley Garrison, Mandy Breitmeyer and Coach Casey Briggs. (Courtesy photo)

    Game-one started the season calling themselves the “Badnews Bears.” They finished the season with a 9-4 record and the Major Softball Division champions, winning eight of nine games to end the season.

    The season turned around at the midway point as it started getting contributions from all nine hitters.

    Taylor Benski pitched every inning of the season for the champs. Kesten Osborne and Gracie Renz were a wall behind the plate doing majority of the catching. Brynlee Mansell earned the nickname “Golden Glove” with her many flashy plays in the field. Brinkley Greer was clutch all season, especially in the championship game, going 3 for 3. 

    The team got key hitting and fielding performances from Peyton Huntington, Persephone Weldon, Zaleigh Varcoe and Haley Garrison. The team was coached by Chris Benski and Zach Osborne.

    “The hard work these girls put in paid off in the end,” Benski said. “Most importantly, they all grew as players and had fun.”

    Since the beginning of 2023, Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back, has teamed 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.

    12U champion Game-One. Back row: Coach Zach Osborne, Zaleigh Varcoe, Haley Garrison, Peyton Huntington, Brynlee Mansell, Brinkley Greer, Persephone Weldon and Coach Chris Benski. Front row: Taylor Benski, Kesten Osborne and Grace Renz. (Courtesy photo)