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Trefts leads Bulldog swimmers in Missoula
MISSOULA — Butte High senior Tatum Trefts picked up a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke to highlight a nice day for the Butte High swimming teams at the Missoula County Public Schools Invitational.
The Bulldog girls placed fourth in team standings. The Butte boys swam to seventh.
Gallatin won the girls’ team title with 342.5 points, besting a field of 16 teams. Missoula Hellgate was next at 218, followed by Billings Central at 212 and Butte High at 181.
Bozeman won the boys’ title with 382.5 points. Helena Capital was next at 272, and Billings Central placed third at 267.5. Butte High scored 132 points.
The meet was the second in as many days for the Bulldogs.
“Everyone swam extremely well with being very tired with hard workouts and two meets in two days,” Bulldog coach Lynn Shrader said. “I am extremely proud of everyone.
Butte High junior Alaina Grochowski placed third in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 100 butterfly for the Bulldog girls. Her sister, Adalie Grochowski, a freshman, placed fifth in the 100 freestyle and ninth in the 200 individual medley.
Senior Olivia Thurmond swam to seventh in the 200 freestyle and 100th in the 100 free.
Freshman Bryher Fitzpatrich placed sixth in the 100 butterfly.
Bella Corrales, Alaina Grochowski, Adalie Grochowski and Thurmond swam to third place int eh 200 freestyle relay. Trefts, Thurmond and the Grochowski sisters placed fourth in the 200 medley relay.
Junior Gage Plum again led the Butte High boys. He placed eighth in the 500 freestyle while shaving a more than a second off his personal record to place 10th in the 200 freestyle.
Freshman Alex Sonnemann placed ninth in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 200 individual medley. He beat his PR in the medley by more than 23 seconds.
Senior Nathan Stone took ninth in the 100 butterfly.
Gunnar Benson, Sonneman, Tucker Kissell and Stone took sixth in the 200 freestyle relay. Grayson Lynch, Sonnemann, Ayvahn Mann and Plum swam to seventh in the 400 freestyle A relay. Mason Pullman, Jorden Sonnemann, Nathan Knopp and Rody Johnson took 10t0 in the 409 free B relay.
Plum, Stone, Benson and Kissell took ninth in the 200 medley relay.
Butte High will have a cross-town meet with Butte Central on Monday. That will be the last action for both teams before the State meet, which is Feb. 12-14 in Great Falls.
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Bulldog girls third, boys fifth in pool
Butte High’s girls placed third in the Butte High School Invitational swim meet Friday at the Butte Family YMCA. The Bulldog boys swam to fifth place.
Gallatin’s girls won the team title with 524 points. Billings Central scored 266 points to take second in the 10-team meet. The Bulldogs scored 216.
Bozeman won the boys’ title at 509, which was exactly 100 points better than second-place Billings Central. Helena Capital placed third at 299, and Gallatin finished fourth at 258. The Bulldogs scored 200 points.
“Everyone is working hard,” Butte High coach Lynn Shrader said. “They have had many hard workouts to get to this point.”
Senior Olivia Thurmand and junior Alaina Grochowski led the Bulldog girls. Thurmond placed fifth in the 200-yard individual medley, shaving 5 seconds off her previous best time. She also placed sixth in the 100 freestyle.
Grochowski finished fifth in the 200 freestyle, beating her previous best by 9 seconds. She placed sixth in the 100 breaststroke.
Senior Tatum Trefts had the top individual place of the day for the Bulldog girls. She took third in the 100 breaststroke. Freshman Adalie Grochowski also had a big day. She placed fifth in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 50 freestyle.
Adalie Grochowski, Trefts, Alaina Grochowski and Thurmond captured second in the 200 medley relay. Alaina Grochowski, Bella Corrales, Thurmond and Adalie Grochowski swan to second in the 200 freestyle relay.
Bryher Fitzpatrick, Trefts, Elly Rumler and Corrales took eighth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Morgan Hardy of Butte Central placed seventh in the 500 freestyle and eighth in the 200 freestyle. Teammate Tessa Ganzenmueller took 10th in the 200 freestyle race.
BC’s 200 medley relay team of Hardy, Tia Tomposn, Ganzenmueller and Arwen Register placed eighth.
Junior Gage Plum posted his best times in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke, taking seventh and sixth. Senior Nathon Stone placed fifth in the 100 butterfly.
Sophomore Tucker Kissell took ninth in the 50 freestyle, posting a personal record. Freshman Alex Sonneman placed eighth in the 200 freestyle, and sophomore Gunnar Benson took 10th in the 50 freestyle.
Sonneman, Kissell, Plum and Stone placed fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, and Sonnemann, Stone, Benson and Plum took sixth in the 200 medley relay. Elgin Hoar, Benson, Ayvahn Mann and Kissell teamed to take sixth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Shamus Peck placed ninth in the 100 butterfly for Butte Central. He just missed the top 10 in the backstroke.
Butte High will compete in a meet in Missoula on Saturday. The Bulldogs and Maroons will hold a crosstown meet on Monday at the YMCA. That will be the last action before the State meet, which is Feb. 12-14 in Great Falls.
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Dog girls win at home, boys fall on road
Butte High’s varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams split Western AA games against Missoula Sentinel Friday night.
The Bulldog boys ran into a hot-shooting Sentinel team and fell 77-36 in Missoula. Butte High’s girls found their shooting touch in a 72-47 win over the Spartans at the Richardson Gym.
Butte High’s teams will play back-to-back doubleheaders Friday and Saturday when the Kalispell school some to town for Western AA games. The varsity games will be played at the Butte Civic Center.
GIRLS
Butte High 72, Missoula Sentinel 47
Junior Cadence Graham poured in 32 points to lead the Bulldogs to the bounce-back victory. She sank five 3-poitners to lead the way for the Bulldogs, who started fast and heated up.In all, Butte High connected on 12 long balls, three of which came from freshman Elli Graham. The younger Graham, though, went down with a knee injury 5 minutes, 34 seconds into the game. She returned to the bench with ice on her knee, and Bulldog coaches are confident the injury is not serious.
Emma Johnson joined Elli Graham with nine points, while Saege Grey scored seven. The Bulldogs also got five from Franki Salusso, four from Autumn Clary, and three apiece from Alli Becker and Avery Barsness.
Reese Johnson and Stella Callaghan also contributed for the Bulldogs, who improved to 7-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Kaysa Fuller sank four 3-pointers and scored 12 points to lead the Spartans, who fell to 5-7 and 2-5. Avery Ogren and Olivia Reynolds each scored eight, and Andrin Reimers tossed in seven.
MISSOUOLA SENTINEL (5-7, 2-5) — Avery Ogren 3 2-2 8, Andrin Reimers 3 1-4 7, Kenzie Cline 2 0-0 5, Lucy Pfaler 3 0-0 6, Kaysa Fuller 4 0-0 12, Ryen Hobbs 0 1-6 1, Olivia Reynolds 3 0-0 8, Misha Meyer 0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Stanton 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 4-12 47
BUTTE HIGH (7-5, 5-2) — Allie Becker 0 3-4 3, Cadence Graham 10 7-10 32, Autumn Clary 0 4-4 4, Franki Salusso 2 0-0 5, Emma Johnson 3 2-2 9, Elli Graham 3 0-0 9, Saege Grey 2 2-4 7, Kendallyn Schad 0 0-0 0, Avery Barsness 1 0-0 3, Reese Johnson 0 0-0 0, Stella Callaghan 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 18-24 72.
Sentinel 8 9 15 15 — 47
Butte 24 14 17 17 — 72
3-point goals — Sentinel 7 (Fuller 4, Reynolds 2, Cline), Butte 12 (C. Graham 5, E. Graham 3, Grey, Salusso, Johnson, Barsness). Fouls — Sentinel 19, Butte 13. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
BOYS
Missoula Sentinel 77, Butte High 36
The Spartans simply shot the lights out, and the Bulldogs did not.Sophomore Beau O’Reilly sank eight 3-pointers on his way to a 36-point game to lead Sentinel to its 10th straight victory. He hit four of those on his way to 20 points in the first half.
Lincoln Rogers added 20 points in the win for Sentinel, which moved the Spartans to 11- overall and 7-0 in conference play.
Hudson Luedtke scored 14 points to lead the Bulldogs. Brady Hanson tossed in nine points for Butte, which got six from Josh Liston, three from Rhett Arntson and two apiece from Cayde Stajcar and Ryan Hanson.
Mitch Verlanic, Kendel Noctor, Kaleb Celli, Brady Walsh, Koda Schleeman and Raeder Grey also contributed for the Bulldogs, who fell to 9-3 and 4-3.
BUTTE HIGH (9-3, 4-3) — Cayde Stajcar 1 0-0 2, Hudson Luedtke 6 1-4 14, Josh Lison 2 0-0 6, Mitch Verlanic 0 0-0 0, Brady Hanson 3 3-5 9, Rhett Arntson 1 0-0 3, Ryan Hanson 1 0-0 2, Kaleb Celli 0 0-0 0, Brady Walsh 0 0-0 0, Koda Schleeman 0 0-0 0, Raeder Grey 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 4-9 35.
MISSOULA SENTINEL (11-1, 7-0) — Gavin O’Reilly 2 0-0 5, Lincoln Rogers 8 2-2 20, Beau O’Reilly 13 2-3 36, Kade Robinson 0 0-0 0, Zeke Glidewell 2 0-0 6, Jaiden Elgin Taylor 0 0-0 0, Kaden Thennis 0 0-0 0, Stellan Ridley 3 0-0 6, Carter Aune 0 0-0 0, Kane Szalay 0 2-2 2, Jayson McLennan 1 0-0 2, Jayce Eby 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 6-7 77.
Butte 7 11 10 8 — 36
Sentinel 21 17 22 14 — 77
3-point goals — Butte 4 (Lison 2, Luedtke, Arntson), Sentinel 13 (B. O’Reilly 8, Glidewell 2, Rogers 2, G. O’Reilly). Fouls — Butte 10, Sentinel 11. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none. -
Podcast No. 321: Tanner Huff
Tanner Huff is one of the best athletes to come out of Butte, America this century.
He was a member of Butte High’s 2019 football team that advanced to the Class AA State championship game as a junior. As a senior, he won four gold medals at the Class AA State track meet in Missoula.
On that beautiful May weekend in Missoula, Tanner won gold in the 100- and 200-meter races. He also ran a leg of Butte High’s championship relays as the Bulldogs captured the state title in the 400- and 1,600-meter relays.
Tanner had committed to play football at Montana Western. After the Montana Grizzlies saw his speed on the track, though, they offered him a chance to join the program as a preferred walk on. Tanner snapped up that opportunity.
This past season, Tanner was a standout on special teams for the Grizzlies, who advanced the semifinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs. Last May, Tanner also finished a degree in business management from the University of Montana.
Now that his career football career is over, he is working on his master’s degree.
Listen in to this episode as Tanner talks about playing for the Bulldogs and his career as a Grizzly. Listen as Tanner talks about the toughness it takes to be a Montana Grizzly.
Listen in to hear why he might have caught some people off guard with his great track season as a senior. Listen to hear some of his plans as he begins life after football.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Leskovar Honda, where their non-commission sales staff always has your back. This episode is also available on YouTube:
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Bulldog wrestlers set to honor seniors
Maroons host Class A Duals, Vincent signs with Diggers
Butte High’s wrestling teams will celebrate Senior Night Thursday night in the Butte High’s old gym.
The ceremony will take place as the Bulldog boys and girls host Missoula Sentinel in duals set to start under the spotlight at 6 p.m. The duals will mark the second-to-last home action of the season for Butte High.
Butte High’s boys advanced to the semifinals of the 17th Class AA Duals at Great Falls High, where the Bulldogs fell 64-8 to Billings West. The Golden Bears, the three-time defending Class AA State champions, defended their title at the Duals with a 47-21 victory over Gallatin in the title dual.
The Bulldogs opened with a 52-26 win over Belgrade before knocking off Billings Senior 48-31 in the quarterfinals. Butte High then beat Great Falls 43-36 in a consolation match and fell to Flathead in a 38-34 thriller. (Click here for results from the AA Duals.)
Butte High will honor their seniors and their parents as part of Senior Night. Those seniors are Bridger Brancamp, Xaiden Daly, Waylond Hicks, Keegan Hunt, Ryder McEwen, Caden Phillips, Darryn Rossiter and Joey Ward.
Butte High boys’ coach Cory Johnston said the Bulldogs are wrestling well heading into crunch time.
“We just have to stay the course and continue to be consistent,” he said.
Butte High’s senior girls are Allie Ballensky, Jessica Blow, Jauclynn Lansing, Peyton Liva and Mattie Stepan.
The Bulldog girls will compete at the Big Sky AA Mixer Saturday in Missoula. They will head to Dillon for a Mixon on Monday.
Gallatin and Bozeman will come to town to take on the Bulldog boys and girls on Tuesday. The divisional qualifying tournaments will be held Feb. 14 in Missoula, and the State meet is Feb. 19-21 in Billings.
Butte Central’s grapplers will compete in the Class A Duals Friday and Saturday at the Butte Civic Center. Action begins at 10 a.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
The Maroons competed in mixers in Frenchtown and Great Falls last week.
Maroons eye perfect January
Butte Central’s boys’ basketball team has been on fire since the Christmas Break.
After their Dec. 23 loss to Butte High, Butte Central has rolled off six straight victories. The Maroons can close out January at 7-0 with a win over Stevensville Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
The Maroons and Yellowjackets will tip off at 3 p.m., the same time the girls will play in Stevensville. BC’s winning streak includes wins over Anaconda, Stevensville, Frenchtown, Hamilton, Dillon and Corvallis.
Central beat Stevensville 74-39 Jan. 10 in the Bitterroot Valley.
Junior Joshua Sutton leads the Maroons into action. He is scoring 20.5 points per game. He has made 35 of 77 3-pointers on the season. That is a clip of 45 percent.
Sophomore Jaxon Hiatt adds 10.7 points per game for BC, which is getting 8.5 points from junior GG Fantini and 8.2 from senior Ryan Peoples. Junior Cade Kelly rounds out the Maroon lineup, with freshmen Noah Sutton and Henly Mansanti coming off the bench along with junior Burkley Lakkala.
At 5-0 in Southwestern A play and 10-1 overall, the Maroons led the conference. They have a looming showdown with Frenchtown on the road next Tuesday. Stevi is 0-5 and 111 heading into Thursday’s home game against Florence.
On the girls’ side, the Maroons are trying to stop a four-game losing streak that came in a tough stretch of games. BC’s last win was a 59-23 beating of Stevensville Jan. 10 at the MAC.
It also came as the Maroons are struggling to stay healthy. They lost sophomore Natalie Osterman to an injury while getting injured classmate Kenzie McQueary back on the court. BC coach Quinn Carter, though, said McQueary is not yet 100 percent.
Eighth grader Jordyn Samson leads BC in scoring with an average of 8.6 points per game, but she missed the last game. Sophomore Zayonna Otherbull adds 8.0 points to the lineup, and junior Rylee Forbes contributes with 5.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Braelynn Schelin and senior Arika Stajcar started last game along with McQueary, Otherbull and Forbes. Sophomores Evny Smith and Jaedyn Maldonado, eighth grader Luci Fantini and senior Caden Tippett contribute off the bench.
The Maroons will be back at home Tuesday against Frenchtown.
Bulldogs face Spartans
Three days after going to Missoula Tuesday to pick up a win over Missoula Big Sky, the Butte High boys’ basketball team will head back to Zootown to take on Missoula Sentinel on Friday.
Butte High’s girls, meanwhile, will be back at the Richardson Gym looking to bounce back from Tuesday’s tough home loss to Big Sky when they take on the Spartans. Both Western AA games tip off at 7 p.m.
On the boys’ side, the Spartans ride into the battle with a nine-game winning streak. Sentinel is 10-1 overall and 6-0 in the Western AA after Tuesday’s 53-43 win at Missoula Hellgate.
Lincoln Rogers, a 6-foot-8 senior, poured in 22 points to lead the Spartans in that win. Classmate Zeke Gildewell added 14 for Sentinel, which has not lost since it fell 49-42 at home to Billings West on Dec. 13.
Each win since that loss has been by double digits. The latest win came over a Hellgate team that beat Butte High 50-38 five days earlier in the Mining City.
The Bulldogs are 9-2 and 4-2 after Tuesday’s 62-54 win at Big Sky. Brady Hanson, a 6-9 sophomore, scored a career-high 19 points to lead the Bulldogs in the win. Senior Hudson Luedtke added 18 points.
Senior Josh Liston had his best game since returning to the lineup after a toe injury. He sank four 3-pointers and scored 12 points. Senior Cayde Stajcar tossed in seven.
Senior Mitch Verlanic joins Hanson, Luedtke, Liston and Stajcar in the starting lineup. Senior Rhett Arntson adds some punch off the bench. James Pearston, Kendel Noctor and Ryan Hanson have appeared in most of Butte High’s game.
Kaleb Celli, Raeder Grey, Koda Schleeman, Brady Walsh, Kodye Kjersten and Noah Powers have also seen varsity time.
Butte High’s girls are still smarting from Tuesday’s rough-and-tumble 61-53 loss to the Eagles.
Butte High fell to 6-5 overall and 4-2 in conference, but the Bulldogs did not go down without a fight.
Junior Cadence Graham scored 15 points, and freshman Elli Graham came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers and scored 14. Junior Allie Becker scored six.
The Butte High starting lineup generally consists of Cadence Graham, Becker, junior Autumn Clary and seniors Franki Salusso and Emma Johnson.
Freshman Saege Grey and junior Kendallyn Schad have contributed in every Bulldog game. Juniors Reese Johnson, Avery Barsness and Ellie Yates and sophomore Stella Callaghan have also seen key time for the Bulldogs.
Sentinel is 5-6 and 2-4 after Tuesday’s 44-39 loss to Hellgate. Lucy Pfahler, a 5-11 senior, scored 12 points to lead the Spartans in that loss. Andrin Reimers, a 6-1 junior, added 10.
The Bulldog boys and girls will be back at home next Friday and Saturday to take on Kalispell Glacier and Flathead in doubleheaders. The varsity games will be played at the Butte Civic Center.
Those games will mark the last scheduled high school varsity games on the new Civic Center floor this season.
YMCA hosts swim meet
Butte High and Butte Central swimmers will be back in action in Butte Friday for a meet at the YMC. Action is set to begin at noon.
It will mark the first of back-to-back meets for the Bulldogs, who are scheduled to head to Missoula for a meet on Saturday.
Butte High’s boys placed fifth and the girls took sixth at Saturday’s Montana Classic at the YMCA.
Nathan Stone, Gage Plum, Tucker Kissell, Ayvahn Mann and Gunnar Benson placed in the top 10 in individual events on the boys’ side. Connor Hardy did the same for Butte Central.
On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs got individual place showings from Olivia Thurmond, Tatum Trefts, Alaina Grochowski, Bryher Fitzpatrick and Bella Corrales. Tessa Ganzenmueller, Morgan Hardy and Tia Thompson placed for the BC girls.
This weekend will provide the final tune up for — and last chance to qualify for — the State meet, which is Feb. 12-14 in Great Falls.
Vincent takes talents to Tech
Montana Tech’s football team will have yet another Vincent on its roster.
Butte High senior Brooks Vincent signed an NAIA National Letter of Intent to play football for the Orediggers during a signing ceremony Tuesday morning at Butte High. He signed while sitting between his mother Janelle and his father Josh.
Josh Vincent was a fullback for the Orediggers when the team advanced to the NAIA national championship game in 1996. He was also a member of Butte High’s 1991 state championship football team.
Vincent’s uncle, Matt Vincent, was also a standout for the Bulldogs and Orediggers.
Brooks Vincent started the season at quarterback for the Bulldogs. He moved to receiver early in the season. He will play tight end for the Orediggers.
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No. 320: Mac Coyne and Adam Haight
Today we are talking unions with Mac Coyne and Adam Haight.
Mac, a Butte native, is a field agent for Laborers Local 1686. Adam is from California originally, but we like him anyway. He is the business manager for the local.
Unions are the backbone of the economy. That probably goes even more for the Laborers Union, which is billed as the most progressive, aggressive and fastest-growing of the unions. It also works hard to protect its members.
The Mining City was built on unions, and Butte is still a union town. Montana is still a strong unition state. But unions and the ideals they represent are constantly under attack. Currently, a push is being made at one of the state’s large employers to decertify the union.
Mac and Adam say that would be disastrous for all working men and women in the state and beyond. So, they are working hard to educate the members and nonmembers alike about the importance of what the union can and does do for them every day.
Listen in to this episode as Mac and Adam at the Carpenters Union Hall for a great conversation. Listen in as Mac and Adam talk about the importance of the Laborers Union and why they want to keep growing its membership.
Listen in to hear why they say the push to decertify would be so harmful.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
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Bulldog boys clip Eagles in Missoula, Big Sky girls win in Butte
Butte High’s varsity basketball team split Western AA games with Missoula Big Sky Tuesday night.
The Bulldog boys went to Zootown to beat Missoula Big Sky 62-54. The Big Sky girls came to the Mining City and beat Butte High 61-53 at the Richardson Gym.
Butte High’s boys will be back in Missoula Friday to take on Missoula Sentinel. The Bulldog girls will host the Spartans at the Richardson Gym.
BOYS
Butte High 62, Missoula Big Sky 54
MISSOULA — Brady Hanson and Hudson Luedtke combined for 37 points, and the Bulldogs pulled off a bit of a rare feat.Bulldog coach Matt Luedtke pointed out that win was just the second for Butte High in his seven years leading the program.
Hanson, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, tossed in a career-high 19 points, and Luedtke scored 18 as Butte High improved to 9-2 on the season and 4-2 in Western AA play. Josh Liston sank four 3-pointers and scored 12 points, while Cayde Stajcar tossed in seven and Rhett Arntson tallied six.
Mitch Verlanic, Kendel Noctor, James Pearston and Ryan Hanson also contributed for the Bulldogs, who led 39-22 at halftime. The Bulldogs led 19 points in the third quarter, and the Butte boys held off a Big Sky comeback attempt despite a rash of turnovers.
Cole Silberstein scored 14 points to lead the Eagles (4-6, 2-4). Jackson McGown added 10, and Eli Kasberg scored eight.
BUTTE HIGH (9-2, 4-2) — Cayde Stajcar 2 3-4 7, Hudson Luedtke 6 3-7 18, Mitch Verlanic 0 0-0 0, Josh Liston 4 0-0 12, Brady Hanson 8 3-4 19, Rhett Arntson 1 3-3 6, James Pearston 0 0-0 0, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Ryan Hanson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 12-18 62.
MISSOULA BIG SKY (4-6, 2-4) — Brady Williams 2 1-2 5, Blake Williams 2 0-0 5, Eli Kasberg 3 1-2 8, Cole Silberstein 4 1-2 14, Josiah Boone 2 0-0 4, Jackson McGown 2 6-6 10, Cormack Batt 2 2-4 6, Mason Fines 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 11-16 54.
Butte 17 22 9 14 — 62
Big Sky 10 12 15 17 — 54
3-point goals — Butte 8 (Liston 4, Luedtke 3, Arntson), Big Sky 5 (Silberstein 3, Kasberg, Bl. Williams). Fouls — Butte 13, Big Sky 14. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.GIRLS
Missoula Big Sky 61, Butte High 53
The Eagles strengthened their stronghold on first place in the Western AA with the hard-fought victory in a physical game.Sophomore Kenzie Schmitz scored inside and out on her way to a game-high 26 points to lead the way for the Eagles, who improved to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play. The 6-foot Schmitz hit a pair of 3-pointer in the win,
Senior guard Avory DeCoite added 19 points in the win, scoring 11 from the free throw line.
Cadence Graham scored 10 of her 15 points from the stripe to lead three Bulldogs in double figures. Elli Graham sank four 3-pointers and scored 14 points, and Allie Becker added 10.
Emma Johnson scored six points for Butte High, while Saege Grey and Franki Salusso each added four. Autumn Clary and Kendallyn Schad also contributed for the Bulldogs, who fell to 6-5 and 4-2.
MISSOULA BIG SKY (9-2, 6-0) — Avery DeCoite 4 11-14 19, Lilly Johnson 1 2-4 5, Tanya Kirilovich 2 0-2 5, Mya Hubbard 1 1-3 3, Kenzie Schmitz 9 6-8 26, Petyon Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Zoe Boone 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 21-33 61.
BUTTE HIGH (6-5, 4-2) — Allie Becker 3 4-11 10, Cadence Graham 2 10-11 15, Autumn Clary 0 0-2 0, Franki Salusso 0 4-4 4, Emma Johnson 2 1-2 6, Elli Graham 4 2-2 14, Saege Grey 1 2-6 4, Kendallyn Schad 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 23-38 53.
Big Sky 11 16 15 19 — 61
Butte 10 15 13 15 — 53
3-point goals — Big Sky 4 (Schmitz 2, Johnson, Kirilovich), Butte 6 (E. Graham 4, C. Graham, Johnson). Fouls — Big Sky 24, Butte 23. Fouled out — Kirilovich, Hubbard, C. Graham, Salusso. Technicals — none. -
No. 319: Hall of Fame public forum
Monday night was a great night for Butte sports. A nice crowd showed up for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame public forum at the McQueen Club.
The public forum gives members of the public the chance to make a case for nominees in front of the selection committee. Twenty-six people took that opportunity in a forum that lasted about 3 hours.
It started with Pat Ryan telling stories about his fellow Butte High wrestler Kevin Parvinen, and it ended with Butte Sports Hall of Fame 2024 inductee Steve Schulte putting on a comic routine as he spoke for Jay LeProwse and Colt Anderson.
In between, we heard form Butte Sports Hall of Famers like John Thatcher, Bernie Boyle, Jon McElry, Bruce Sayler, Deann Johnson and Ron Collins Jr. It is long, but it is well worth your time — especially when we get to the women lobbing for their Racetrack softball team from 1981.
The Hall of Fame will induct its 20th class July 24-25 in the Butte Civic Center. After a couple of weeks to digest all the materials of from more than 100 nominees, the committee will vote and the class will be announced next month.
The public got a glimpse of the difficulty of the committee’s job. It also got another reminder of why Butte is the greatest sports town in America.
If you could not attend the meeting and would still like to make a pitch to the committee, you can send me a letter of support to foles74@gmail.com. I will make sure the committee members see it.
Today’s episode is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
Here is 1984 State championship game talked about last night:
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Don Peoples and Pat Kearney were right about the Butte Sports Hall of Fame
In June of 2004, Matt Vincent and I made fun of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in a Montana Standard column.
We introduced the “Butte Rats Hall of Fame,” with an inaugural class of Willie Corette, the “Say Heeyyyyy Kid,” Evel Knievel, Stanley Ketchel, Maruice Thompson and Harry “Swede” Dahlberg.
The goal of the column was simple. We wanted to get under the skin of our friend Pat Kearney, the chairman of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. Yes, we were jerks sometimes.
We were funny jerks, but jerks nonetheless.
I am positive that the column achieved that goal, but Pat never gave us the satisfaction of knowing that. He never said a word.
One of our biggest criticisms of the Hall of Fame was that they put in way too many people. It wasn’t until more than a decade later that I realized how wrong we were.
Kearney tragically died of a heart attack in October of 2014, and I miss him nearly every day. I miss his knowledge, and I miss his friendship. I miss being able to call him up and saying, “Hey Pat, when was the last time …”
Pat knew the last time. He knew every time. His mind was like a Butte sports encyclopedia. Not only did he know the date and score, he could give you instant details of the game in question.
At a Butte-Silver Bow Christmas party in the 1980s, Chief Executive Don Peoples was talking to some people over a few drinks. They said a Butte Sports Hall of Fame would be a great idea. They talked and talked about it, like people do at such occasions.
The next morning, though, it still seemed like a great idea to People. So, he called the one man who know would make it happen. He called Pat Kearney.
On May 9, 1987, the first class of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame was inducted in a ceremony at the Copper King Inn. That class included Mining City legends Sylivia White Blaine, Bob O’Billovich, “Jumpin’” Joe Kelly, Swede Dahlberg, Milt Popovich, Jim McCaughey, Jim Sweeney, Bob Hawke, Bill Cullen, Bob O’Malley, Judy Morstein Martz, Danny Hanley and Walter T. Scott.
In July, the Hall of Fame will induct its 20th class. Kearney was there to lead the way for the first 15, and in 2009, Pat was voted into join the Hall he helped create. When inducted, Kearney said that he knew the Hall of Fame was a home run from the start. He just did not realize he would be one of the individuals running the bases.
After Kearney’s passing, a handful of Hall of Fame supporters scrambled to put together the Class of 2015. One of them was Jim Michelotti.
In May of 2016, Jim invited me to lunch at the Butte Country Club. He said he wanted to discuss some idea about the Hall of Fame. I took a notebook and a pen with me to that lunch, figuring he wanted me to write a story about his idea.
I also brought a list of excuses why I did not have time to be on the selection committee, and they were all valid. I did not have time then, and I do not have time now.
When Peoples and Mick Delenay sat down at the lunch table, I knew something was up. I knew I was in trouble.
They did not want me to be on the selection committee. They wanted me to be the executive director of the Hall of Fame. They wanted me to try to fill the unfillable shoes of Pat Kearney.
It was an offer I could not refuse, and not because of any threats or incredible salaries. I accepted it out of a responsibility to the sports legends of Butte. I did it for Kearney. I had to.
The next years were like taking a 300-level college class on the history of Butte sports. I thought I knew a lot about the sports history of my hometown. I learned how much I did not know.
Each year with a new group of nominees, I learn so much more.
I also learned how important it is to be named to the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. That does not just go for those fortunate enough to get the call. That goes about a thousandfold for the family members of the Hall of Famers.
That is why I have to answer a thousand phone calls and emails each year from people looking to get their parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, friend or teammate into the Hall of Fame.
That is why the people in the Hall of Fame care so much about the Hall of Fame.
One time I had a Hall of Famer tell me, with venom in his eye, that he would never attend another Hall of Fame ceremony if a certain team was not inducted. On the same day, I had another Hall of Famer tell me that he would never attend another ceremony if that same team was inducted.
He was every bit as passionate about the 100 percent opposite opinion. It seems like everyone has an opinion on the Hall of Fame, and they are all fervent.
That is why we had a big turnout for the public forum last night at the McQueen Club. That is when people have a chance to make their case to the selection committee on behalf of someone they love.
We have had people drive across the state on treacherous roads to speak. We have had people fly in from across the country to speak.
The Butte Sports Hall of Fame is just that important.
My job as the executive director is to try to make sure the committee members have the most complete information on each candidate possible. I also play a role in appointing those committee members, as well as sending out the ballots to current Hall of Fame members to vote on the veterans and contributor categories.
I do not get to vote.
The best part of the job is that I get to be there when we notify the individuals that they have been selected for induction into the Hall of Fame. There is never a dry eye around when that happens.
The toughest part is knowing that so many worthy candidates did not make it.
That, though, just reinforces the significance of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. It is an exclusive club, and it is an important club.
Don Peoples was right to think that he was on to something after that Christmas party. Kearney was right to think that the Butte Sports Hall of Fame was a home run from the start.
I am not sure if it was because the Standard brass canceled Rat Chat or because we just lost interest in teasing Pat, but the inaugural class of the Butte Rats Hall of Fame was the last class.
Our shot at getting under Kearney’s skin was nothing more than a weak tap out to second base.
— Bill Foley, who wishes he could still teams Pat Kearney, 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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Little Kids Hoops wraps up Saturday
The 2025-26 season of the Knights of Columbus Little Kids Hoops will close Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Felix Madrazo Gym.
Games for boys and girls from pre-kindergarten through second grade go from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Games for players in the third through sixth grade go from 10:30 until noon. Hoops will be lowered for the younger players.
The league is free to all boys and girls. There is no registration, and even players who did not play in previous weeks can show up for the last day.
All boys and girls who play Saturday will receive a league T-shirt, which is paid for by Harrington Pepsi of Butte.
The KC Little Kids Hoops program has been running for more than 30 years, and many of the boys and girls in the league turned out to be high school and college players.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 