The ButteCast with Bill Foley

Podcasts and stories about Butte, America and beyond

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  • Athletic Trainers to host golf tourney

    Athletic Trainers to host golf tourney

    The second annual Montana Athletic Trainers’ Association golf tournament will be held June 12th at 5 p.m. at Fairmont Hot Springs.

    Proceeds from the two-person scramble will go to support athletic trainers across the state. Cost is $60 per player.

    Click here to register online. Donations to the organization that looks after our young athletes can also be made.

  • Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Braelynn Schwartzmiller and Evan McEwen

    Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Braelynn Schwartzmiller and Evan McEwen

    Copper City Softball player Braelynn Schwartzmiller and Butte Muckers baseball player Evan McEwen are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.

    Schwartzmiller receives the girls’ honor. She is in the final days of sixth grade at the Margaret Leary Elementary School.

    Schwartzmiller is the super-utility player for the Markovich Family Foundation team in the Majors Division, which is for players 11 and 12 years old. She was nominated by coach Dani Denney, who says Braelynn is always hustling and always smiling. The coach said she is a great teammate.

    Schwartzmiller also displays those gritty traits while playing volleyball and basketball during the school year. She makes her teammates play better and her coaches look good.

    The East Bullpups are about the get an incredible competitor.

    McEwen, who is finishing his sophomore year at Butte High School, takes home the boys’ award after a big week for the Muckers. That includes a seven-RBI game in an 18-12 win over the Kalispell Lakers May 25 to send the Muckers to the championship game of the Helena Independents Memorial Day Tournament at Kindrick Legion Field.

    That big game includes a grand slam that came one pitch after the Lakers intentionally walked teammate Grady Foley to load the bases.

    This past Saturday, McEwen helped the Muckers open their home schedule with a doubleheader sweep of the Missoula Mavericks B. He pitched all five innings in a 12-2 win in the opener, striking out five batters. Then he smacked two hits, scored two runs and drove in one in the 6-3 win in Game 2.

    For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, 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 McEwen courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.

  • Maroons schedule football camp

    Maroons schedule football camp

    The Butte Central Maroons football program has scheduled its 2025 summer football camp for July 28-31.

    The camp, which is open to first through 12th graders, will be held on the Torger Oaas Maroon Field at the Maroon Activities Center.

    The session for boys entering first through fifth grades will be held each day from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The cost for boys in this age group is $34. The session for boys entering sixth through 12th grades will be held each day from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The cost for boys in this age group will be $50.

    A reduced fee of $23 for each additional camper, from the same family will be offered.

    The camp will be staffed by the Butte Central football coaching staff. The camp will feature football skill development and fun. All campers will receive an official 2025 Maroon Football T-shirt.

    To register for the camp or obtain further information, call the Maroon Activities Center at (406) 723-6706.

  • Lee, Stewart named top Bulldogs

    Lee, Stewart named top Bulldogs

    Seven Butte High athletes earn Block B Awards

    Tocher Lee and Brityn Stewart were the big winners as Butte High doled out athletic awards at the Butte Athletic Council’s All-Sports Banquet Wednesday night at the Butte Civic Center.

    The honors come one night before the Butte High Class of 2025 graduation ceremony.

    Lee took home the Harry “Swede” Dahlberg Outstanding Boy Athlete Award, while Stewart received the Outstanding Girl Athlete Award.

    Lee became just the third Butte High boy to earn 12 varsity letters in his career, joining Ethan Shrader and Tommy Mellott. He did it in four sports, lettering four times in basketball, three times each in football and track and two times in baseball.

    He will long be remembered as a clutch performer in all sports. That includes hitting the game-winning 3-poitner to send the Bulldogs to the Class AA State tournament in 2024. This spring, Lee batted leadoff for the Butte High baseball team while qualifying for the State meet in the long jump.

    Lee signed to play football at Montana Tech.

    Stewart will leave Butte High School with 10 letters. That includes four letters in basketball, three in track, two in volleyball and one in softball. She was a team leader of a Bulldog basketball team that played on Saturday night of the Class AA State tournament in Bozeman this March.

    Stewart will be remembered as a player who came up big in big games. That includes a 36-point performance in Western AA Divisional Tournament game in 2023.

    As a junior, Stewart won the state championship in the javelin. She placed third in that event this past weekend in Kalispell. She also received the Outstanding Girl Defensive Basketball Player Award and the Bill Hawke Outstanding Senior Girl Track Award. She shared the Outstanding Volleyball Player Award with fellow senior Jaycee Cleveland.

    Stewart recently signed to throw the javelin for the Montana Tech track & field team.

    In all, seven Bulldogs took home Block B’s, meaning they lettered seven or more times in their career.

    Dylann Bartoletti received 12 letters. That includes four each in golf and track, three in basketball and one as a football manager.

    Will Stepan, who took the Most Inspirational Student-Athlete Award, earned nine letters — four in wrestling, three in football and two in baseball. Sam Sampson and Torre Tempel each took home eight letters. Sampson earned three in football and track and two in tennis, and Tempel earned three in football, three in basketball and two in track.

    Dylan “Bobby” Bache earned seven letters — four in basketball and three in track.

    All the awards and scholarships handed out at the All-Sports Banquet follow. Photos of Lee and Stewart courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.

    BAC All-Sports Banquet Awards
    Most Inspirational Student-Athlete — Will Stepan
    Harry “Swede” Dahlberg Outstanding Boy Athlete — Tocher Lee
    Outstanding Girl Athlete — Brityn Stewart
    Frank Mischkot Memorial Scholarship — Brett Polich
    “Sig” Meyer Scholarship — Sam Henderson
    Don Tamietti Memorial Scholarship — Will Stepan
    Chris Milodragovich Memorial Scholarship — Will Stepan
    Tom Tutty Memorial Scholarship — Peyton Trabert
    Hard Hat Football Award — Sam Sampson
    Head Hunter Football Award — Eli Smith
    Outstanding Girl Flag Football Award — Hailey Hotalen
    Outstanding Volleyball Player (Offense) — Jaycee Cleveland and Brityn Stewart
    Outstanding Volleyball Player (Defense) — Cadence Graham
    Outstanding Gir Cross Country Runner — Sophia Houchin
    Mike Hotzel Outstanding Boys Distance Runner — Camden Houchin
    Outstanding Senior Girl Soccer Player — Elli Quist
    Outstanding Senior Boy Soccer Player — Roscoe “Mack” Williams
    Outstanding Girl Golfer — Dylann Bartoletti
    Outstanding Boy Golfer — Chase Choquette
    Bob Rae Boy Basketball Player — Hudson Luedtke
    Outstanding Boy Defensive Basketball Player — Torre Tempel
    Connie Hogan Memorial Award (Outstanding Girl Basketball Player) — Cadence Graham
    Outstanding Girl Defensive Basketball Player — Brityn Stewart
    Outstanding Girl Swimmer — Adalie Grochowski
    Outstanding Boy Swimmer — Nathan Stone
    Tom Renz Outstanding Wrestler — Bode Hazlett and Keegan Hunt
    Outstanding Girl Wrestler — Peyton Liva and Mattie Stepan
    Outstanding Girl Tennis Player — Murphy Sullivan
    Outstanding Boy Tennis Player — Cole Skeel
    Pete Schonsberg Newcomer Track Award — Saege Grey
    Bill Hawke Outstanding Senior Girl Track Award — Brityn Stewart
    Outstanding Boy Track Award — Sam Henderson
    Bob O’Malley Memorial Boys Track Award — Sam Sampson and Sam Henderson
    Outstanding Softball Player (Offense) — Mattie Stepan
    Outstanding Softball Player (Defense) — Ashlinn Mullaney
    Outstanding Baseball Player (Offense) — Will Stepan
    Outstanding Baseball Player (Defense) — Lucas Harris-Huerta

    Block B Winners
    Dylan Bache — 7 letters (4 basketball, 3 track)
    Dylann Bartoletti — 12 letters (4 golf, 4 track, 3 basketball, 1 football manager)
    Tocher Lee — 12 letters (4 basketball, 3 football, 3 track, 2 baseball)
    Sam Sampson — 8 letters (3 football, 3 track, 2 tennis)
    Brityn Stewart — 10 letters (4 basketball, 3 track, 2 volleyball, 1 softball)
    Will Stepan — 9 letters (4 wrestling, 3 football, 2 baseball)
    Torre Tempel — 8 letters (3 football, 3 basketball, 2 track)

  • Podcast No. 267: Sam Henderson

    Podcast No. 267: Sam Henderson

    If Sam Henderson was to walk away from track & field today, we would still be talking about him decades from now.

    On Saturday, Henderson won the Class AA State title in the triple jump. His winning mark, which came on his final jump, was 47 feet, 1 ½ inches. That was his fourth best jump of the season. His three best — including his personal record of 48-7 ½ at the Western AA Divisional meet the week before — would have placed fifth at the Big Sky Conference Championships.

    He set and reset the Butte High School record several times in the triple jump.

    He also placed third in the high jump by clearing 6-4. That came a week after he cleared 6-10 to win the Divisional title. That jump was three quarters of an inch shy of the Butte High record set by the great Jasson McNallie in 1989.

    If Sam, who transferred from Butte Central after his sophomore year, was to walk away now, he’d go down as one of the all-time great Bulldogs.

    The thing is, Sam is not done with track & field. Not even close.

    Sam, who will graduate from Butte High on Thursday, will take his talents to the University of Montana, where he will chase championships for the Grizzlies.

    He signed with the Grizzlies before he began his senior season for the Bulldogs. Then, Sam set the world on fire.

    In one six-day stretch, Sam competed in the Harry “Swede” Dahlberg Invitational, the Russ Pilcher Top 10 Meet in Missoula and the 129th Penn Relays in Philadelphia. He won the triple jump Dahlberg and Top 10 before triple jumping to fifth place while competing with the best in the world in Philly.

    He is believed to be the only high school athlete from Butte to compete in the prestigious event.

    Listen in to this podcast, which was recorded in the Coaches’ Corner at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill, as Sam talks about winning the triple jump on his last attempt, and how he really wasn’t sweating in that much. Listen to what it is like to clear 6-10 in the high jump and soar that far in the triple jump.

    Listen to why Sam started triple jumping in the first place, and what it was like to rub elbows with the very best at the Penn Relays.

    Listen in to hear his plans for Los Angeles in 2028.

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

  • Dr. Farren and his smile will be missed

    Dr. Farren and his smile will be missed

    Dr. Daniel J. Farren passed away last week.

    Not every guy will be as sad as I am about the passing of his longtime optometrist, but Dr. Farren was special. Dr. Farren was so much more than an eye doctor.

    The good doctor came into my life in 1983, when I was 9. I remember the day we met like it was yesterday. It was also one of the most important days of my life.

    I started wearing glasses before I turned 3 years old. That meant that I had to go to the eye doctor at least once every year, though it seemed like it was every month.

    I did not like my first eye doctor, and it was pretty apparent that the feelings were mutual. Even my mom, who almost always sees the best in every person, told me recently that she thought the doctor was mean to me.

    The worst part about going to that eye doctor was that he basically had one style of eyeglasses for me to pick out. The “throw-the-ball-at-my-head” model. They are the kind of glasses my friend Pat Ryan would call “birth control glasses.”

    As if the lazy eye didn’t put me behind the 8 ball enough.

    My lasting memory of going to my first eye doctor was a couple of members of his staff holding me down to a table so he could get an eye drop in my second eye. He must have figured that if glasses were not going to fix my amblyopia, then he would scare that eye straight.

    The first drop stung, so I was not about to let him land a drop in my other eye. I won that fight, too, because I learned at a young age that no doctor can beat an effective kicking-and-screaming tantrum.

    When he decided he would charge my family extra to make monthly payments — right after the mines closed in Butte and my dad lost his job — my mom finally decided we needed a new eye doctor.

    That is when I met Dr. Farren. I immediately liked him because, well, he was just such a likeable guy. He always had a joke, and he was always smiling.

    Literally every single time I saw Dr. Farren, he was smiling.

    He was also much, much better at his job than my old eye doctor. Dr. Farren actually offered an explanation as to why my left eye always liked to stare at my right eye, and it was not because of a lack of stinging eye drops.

    Both of my eyes worked, but not at the same time.

    I remember staring at the giant E on the chart across the dark room. Dr Farren held his big spoon to cover my right eye. Then he switched it to my left, and then back again. I thought I was outsmarting the good doctor by switching my eyes as he moved his spoon.

    That first appointment seemed like it took forever as Dr. Farren figured out what was up with my eyes and explained it to my mom. He said he could fix it.

    With that, we started some pretty intensive therapy. I went to Dr. Farren’s office a couple of times each week to work on training my eyes to work together. I remember sitting in a dark room for hours, staring at a screen while trying to make the off-kilter L and the R lineup.

    To almost every other person on the planet, the L and R just automatically lined up. Not for me.

    Dr. Farren also got me a pair of glasses that were a little more fashionable. Not much, but a little.

    As I went through the months of therapy, Dr. Farren and I hoped that it would work well enough that I would be able to hit a baseball. Well, at least I hoped it would. I am sure Dr. Farren probably knew that was a lost cause, but he never told me that.

    It did help me hit a little better, though. Instead of striking out every time, I started to foul off the ball. Occasionally, I would even get a hit.

    One time years later, though, I helped Dr. Farren’s grandson hit an inside-the-park grand slam. That should count for something.

    I wrote about that in a column for ButteSports.com in May of 2015.

    Taylor Farren was on the Centerville Fire Department team in the Northwest Little League’s Triple-A league in 1999. I was an assistant coach on that team, and I worked hard to get Taylor to swing the bat during games.

    One game, late in the season, Taylor was our 10th batter of the inning. Under league rules, the inning ended after 10 batters if the defense did not record three outs.

    So, with the bases loaded, Taylor came up and watched the first three pitches come nowhere close to the plate. I called time out.

    “Listen,” I told him, “if you walk here, you are just walking back to the dugout because you’re the last batter. So, I want you to swing at the next three pitches no matter where they are.”

    The next pitch was high and outside, but Taylor smashed it over the center fielder’s head and to the fence. Taylor sprinted around the bases as his mother honked her horn and then jumped out of her minivan to race to the fence to scream and cheer for her boy.

    Had I ever hit the ball like that, Dr. Farren would have been the one screaming and shaking the fence. He worked so hard to get my eyes straight. They never made it all the way, and I still cannot not get that L and R lined up.

    But Dr. Farren never gave up on me. He also made it so my left eye has not crossed uncontrollably. In fact, today you would hardly be able to tell that I ever had such a problem.

    As I got older, those appointments with Dr. Farren got even more fun. They were long appointments, too, because we would talk so much. His stories were still funny, and his jokes were even better.

    My three kids thought he was a riot, too. They will never forget how he told each one of them about the phone call he made to Mickey Mouse the day before the appointment, asking “Mick” to send a special video to show the kids as he examined their eyes.

    Then, Dr. Farren would put on a video of a Mickey Mouse cartoon that had to be at least 70 years old on his 1980s model TV/VCR combo.

    When it was my turn for an appointment, it was always apparent how badly Dr. Farren wanted me to see 100 percent straight. He would almost try to will me to see the shape that was supposed to jump off the screen in the depth perception test.

    Since my eyes still aren’t totally lined up, I never did see it.

    One time, I figured I would have my wife tell me what the shape was so I could get a rise out of Dr. Farren. I just wanted to see the look on his face.

    The Doc, though, got to Kim first. He made her promise not to tell me, and she held true to that promise.

    I never did make the big leagues in baseball. I never even made the Babe Ruth league. Of course, that was not just about my eyesight. I also lacked just about every other quality an athlete needs to be a good baseball player.

    But it was not because Dr. Farren did not try. He even offered to help me when I tried to take up playing handball in my late 20s.

    This time, though, Dr. Farren did not bring me back for therapy to try to line up the L and R. Instead, he suggested writing me a note to explain to my opponents why I could not hit a handball. It would have been like a doctor’s excuse for losing.

    Then, like he always did, Dr. Farren smiled.

    — Bill Foley, who wishes he would have taken Dr. Farren up on that offer to write a handball excuse note, 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: Jaeger Hansen and Peyton Trabert

    Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Jaeger Hansen and Peyton Trabert

    Butte High track athletes Jaeger Hansen and Peyton Trabert are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.

    The honors come after the Bulldogs impressed during the Class AA State meet in Kalispell.

    Hansen, a sophomore, receives the boys’ honor after placing second in the javelin at Legends Stadium with a personal-best throw of 172 feet, 1 inch.

    That came one week after Hansen broke his previous record by 17 feet to qualify for State with a fourth-place throw of 163-9 at the Western AA Divisional meet in Butte.

    Hansen, who ran the 100- and 200-meter races for the Bulldogs during the regular season, also lettered in football and wrestling for the Bulldogs during the 2024-25 school year.

    Trabert, a senior, takes home the girls’ accolade after placing seventh at State in the pole vault. Three days after receiving the Mariah’s Challenge Scholarship, Trabert matched her personal best by clearing 9 feet, 6 inches. That capped a solid senior campaign that also saw Trabert compete in the 100-meter dash for the Bulldogs.

    In the fall, Trabert contributed as an outside hitter for the Butte High volleyball team.

    For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, 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 Trabert courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.

  • Sam Henderson triple jumps to title; Hansen second, Stewart third in javelin

    Sam Henderson triple jumps to title; Hansen second, Stewart third in javelin

    Sam Henderson is a state champion.

    One day after the Butte High senior placed third in the high jump, Henderson pulled off a clutch leap to win the Class AA triple jump title Saturday at the Class AA State meet at Legends Stadium in Kalispell.

    The Class A meet was held in conjunction with the Class AA for just the second time this century. The first time came in Butte in 2022. (Results)

    Henderson saved his best jump of the meet for last. That is also when he needed it most. He jumped 47 feet, 1 1/2 inches for the win. That moved him past Kalispell Flathhead’s William Hollensteiner, who was leading at 46-10 ¼ heading into the final round. Dylan Garcia of Billings West took third in 45-7

    The title closed the book on a remarkable career by Henderson, who also placed sixth in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday with a time of 15.12 seconds.

    On Friday, Henderson cleared 6-4 in the high jump. That was good for a tie for first with Jaxan Lieberg of Helena High and Porter Gibbs of Missoula Big Sky. But Lieberg and Gibbs placed first and second based on jumps.

    Henderson competed at a State meet all four years of his career, with his first appearance coming at the Class A meet in Butte. He transferred from Butte Central to Butte High after his freshman season, and he will go down as one of the all-time great Bulldogs.

    He owns the school triple jump record with a mark of 48-7 ¼ set at the Western AA Divisional meet last week in Butte. His best mark of 6-10 in the high jump, also set last week, is just three quarters of an inch shy of the school record set by the great Jasson McNallie in 1989.

    Henderson’s senior year also included a podium finish at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

    Like McNallie, Henderson ended his prep career standing on the No. 1 on the podium. He will continue his career at the University of Montana.

    Asa team, Butte High scored 25 points to place ninth. Kalispell Flathead won with 88 points. The Braves were followed by Helena High at 81 and Kalispell Glacier at 56.5.

    Sophomore Jaeger Hansen might just be beginning another remarkable Bulldogs. Hansen, who made a huge jump in his personal record to place fourth and qualify for State in the javelin last week, popped off with another huge throw Friday.

    Hansen launched the javelin 172 feet, 1 inch, his second PR in as many weeks, to place second in the event. Tyler Crum of Helena Capital took the gold with a PR of 186-1.

    The mark by Hansen is the seventh best at Butte High since the javelin was changed a few decades ago.

    Junior Camden Houchin placed seventh in the 3,200-meter race for the Bulldogs. He finished with a personal-best time of 9 minutes, 37.53 seconds. That beat his previous best by 19 seconds.

    Houchin also ran to 20th place in the 1,600-meter race, finishing in 4:34.74.

    Senior Brett Polich closed his career with a seventh-place performance in the shot put. The future Montana Western football player posted a mark of 50-10.

    Senior Dylan “Bobby” Bache, who first rose to fame as a freshman playing on the varsity basketball team, placed third in the long jump. He busted loose for a personal best of 21-8 ¼. Also in that event, junior Cohen Andrews placed 18th (20-3 ½) and senior Tocher Lee took 22nd (20-1).

    Junior Ryan Hanson placed ninth in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, and classmate Levi Wiltsie took 28thg in the 3,200 with a PR time of 10:24.11.

    Butte High ran to 11th place in the 400-meter relay and 12th in the 1,600-meter relay. Xavier Jory, Sam Sampson, Preston Jensen and Jacob Galle ran the short relay, while Bache, Sampson, Raeder Grey and Houchin ran the long relay.

    On the girls’ side, senor Brityn Stewart did not defend her title in the javelin. She still brought home a medal, placing third in the event with a throw of 127-2. That mark was 7 inches shy of her season best and just 3 feet, 5 inches off last year’s championship mark.

    Senior Rae Smart of Billings Skyview, captured gold by breaking the all-class record with a throw of 162-11. She beats the record of 156-11 set by Columbia Falls’ Angellica Street in 2019.

    Billings West junior Elsa Johnson took second at 134-4. Smart, who had one of the all-time great performances, also won the discus and shot put title.

    Butte High senior Peyton Trabert cleared 9-6 to placed seventh in the pole vault, and classmate Mylee Demarais took 14th in the shot put with a mark of 30-7. Cadence Graham finished 18th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48-84.

    Butte High placed 12th in the 400-meter relay and 13th in the 1,600-meter relay. Autum Clary, Graham, Saege Grey and Dylann Bartoletti ran the short relay, while Wakely Burelson, Sophia Houchin, Grey and Graham ran the long.

    That 1,600-meter relay team, by the way, might have set a record for the youngest team. Graham is a sophomore, Burelson is a freshman, and Houchin and Grey are eighth graders.

    Gallatin won the girls’ team title with 100 points. Helena High took second at 83, followed by West at 56. Butte finished 15th with six points.

    McCarthy, McGree place fourth

    Sophomore Danny McCarthy and Keefer McGree put up some impressive performances for Butte Central on the Class A side.

    After running to fifth in the preliminary round of the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.52 seconds, McCarthy posted a PR of 11.39 to take fourth place.

    Cole Zeigler of Frenchtown took gold in 11.14 seconds. Jack Phelps of Columbia Falls was next at 11.34, followed by Solomon Morgan of Corvallis in 11.37.

    McGree also posted a PR, running to fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 40/47 seconds. Brody Hardy of Frenchtown won the race in 39.09. Bigfork’s Austin Savik was second in 20.24, and Laurel’s Isaiah Burt was third in 40.30.

    McGree ran to 10th in the 110-meter hurdles in 16,73.

    Corvallis captured the team title with 76 points, edging second-place Frenchtown by one point. Laurel was third at 64. The Maroons placed 14th with the eight points from McCarthy and McGree.

    On the girls’ side, Whitefish won with 74 points. Havre took second at 60, and Hamilton placed third at 56.

    Butte Central’s girls did not score a point, but the super-young Maroons figure to be a factor in the coming years.

    McPartland impresses on court

    Butte Central senior Owen McPartland will go down as one of the greatest BC basketball players in history.

    Over the last couple of weeks, McPartland also turned some heads on the tennis court. One week after winning the Central A Divisional title, McPartland won two matches at the Class A State meet in Billings. (Results)

    McPartland beat Riccardo Slanzi of Stevensville in a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 battle in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, eventual runner up Jack Oehlerich of Whitefish downed McPartland 6-0, 6-4.

    The Maroon battled back with a 6-2, 6-0 consolation victory over Landon Orthman before bowing out with thrilling 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Whitefish’s Owen Erickson.

    McPartland was the lone high school tennis player from Butte still playing on the final week of the season.

    Bulldog baseball celebrates seniors

    Rain wiped out Butte High’s Senior Night baseball game against Missoula Sentinel on May 15. The game was non-conference, and the schedule was too tight to make it up.

    The Bulldogs, though, will still make sure their five seniors will get the proper sendoff.

    Butte High will hold a special ceremony at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 3 Legends Stadium to recognize seniors Tocher Lee, Will Stepan, Matthew Donaldson, Karsen McEwen and Lucas Harris-Huerta and their parents.

  • Wombold, Vicevich perfect in Week 5

    Wombold, Vicevich perfect in Week 5

    John Wombold and Dave Vicevich shot perfect scores, breaking all 50 targets, to lead Week 5 shooting at the Butte Trap Club’s Spring League.

    The perfect score was the second in as many weeks for Vicevich.

    Gilliam Clark, Rayelynn Brandl, John McIntosh and Kaden Hafer each shot a 49. Seth Duclos and Doug Rentz shot a 48.

    Clark and Brandl led the women’s standings. Mindy McClernan was next at 49. Vicevich also shot a 49 to lead all wobble scores, topping Rentz by one.

    The Week 5 leaderboard and team handicap standings follow:

    Butte Trap Club – 2025 Spring League – Week 5 Standings
    Team Handicap Standings

    AA
    Baker Auto                                       –           909
    Lost Art Builders                               –           870
    Arc Electric                                        –           857
    Wolverine Systems                          –           749
    Peterson Electric                              –           716
    Anaconda Trap Club                       –           703

    A
    WET                                                   –           865
    S&S Plumbing/Northwest Pipe      –           856
    Cooney’s Locksmith                         –           846
    Timberline Security                          –           842
    Edward Jones/Walt McIntosh        –           833

    B
    Northwest Clay Busters                  –           82
    St James                                           –           822
    Lisac’s/Jim Lynch State Farm        –           814
    Lockmer Plumbing                           –           809
    Superior Title                                    –           609

    C
    Archibald Co.                                    –           789
    Pro Repair                                         –           777
    Q-Stains                                            –           766
    Clay Howery Construction              –           761
    Air Tight Solutions                           –           761
    Nick’s Casino                                    –           759

    D
    Maloney’s/Harrington’s Pepsi        –           702
    Daddy’s Girls                                    –           666
    Eastridge Enterprise                        –           636
    B Squared Pest Control                  –           626
    12 G Girls                                          –           612

    High Individual Scores
    John Wombold                     –           50×50
    Dave Vicevich                       –           50×50
    Gillian Clark                          –           49×50
    Rayelynn Brandl                   –           49×50
    John McIntosh                      –           49×50
    Kaden Hafer                         –           49×50
    Seth Duclos                          –           48×50
    Doug Rentz                           –           48×50

    High Lady Scores
    Rayelynn Brandl                   –           49×50
    Gillian Clark                          –           49×50
    Mindy McClernan                 –           45×50
    Denise Andersen                 –           37×50
    Tammy Gordon                    –           37×50

    High Wobble Trap Scores
    Dave Vicevich                       –           49×50
    Doug Rentz                           –           48×50
    Jake Taverna                        –           47×50
    Seth Duclos                          –           46×50
    Les Andersen                       –           45×50

  • Podcast No. 266: Dom Tibbetts

    Podcast No. 266: Dom Tibbetts

    During his two years covering sports for KXLF-TV in Butte and KBZK-TV in Bozeman, we could tell that Dom Tibbetts was going to be off to bigger and better things.

    I used to joke with him that he was headed to SportsCenter because of his world-class hairdo. He does have nice hair, too. He made all of us jealous.

    The truth is, though, we knew Dom was going places because was doing a really good job. If there ever was a guy built for prime time, it was Dom.

    That is why he was picked to be a contestant on The Price is Right. It is why he made it on stage.

    Dom left the Mining City for a job in WTXL-TV in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2020.

    Two years later, Dom started working at WKBW-TV in Buffalo. Now, the Upstate New York native gets to cover the Buffalo Bills, the team he grew up rooting for.

    He covers everything else sports in Buffalo, too.

    Dom, though, never forgot his first job. He never forgot his Butte barber, Dave Isakson of the Leisure Way.

    He will never forget covering a national championship run by the Montana Western women’s basketball team. He will never forget the 2019 Butte High football team and the great cast of characters of the team that made a run to the championship game. That includes the great Tommy Mellott, now of the Las Vegas Raiders.

    Listen in to this podcast as Dom talks about heading to Butte straight out of Ithaca College. Listen as he talks about some of the great sports teams and moments he covered.

    Listen to hear how he covered some stories that weren’t quite as fun, like Max Demarais’ battle with a tumor that cost him one of his eyes.

    Listen to hear Dom tell the story of his appearance on The Price is Right and how he thinks Drew Carey is a good guy.

    Listen in to hear how he remains professional while covering the team he has loved for so long.

    Today’s podcast is brought to you by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.