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No. 243: Sami Evans and Scott Brown
Monday could go down as a very big day in Butte’s medical community.
Sterling Urgent Care opened its doors for the first time at 1307 Harrison Avenue. The facility is located in the mini-mall across the street from the Butte Civic Center.
Sterling held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday morning, and offered tours of the facility. Then, Membership Director Sami Evans and CEO Scott Brown sat down to talk about Sterling Urgent Care.
Yes, this might almost sound like an advertisement for Sterling, but it is not. Sterling is not an advertiser on the ButteCast.
We are just enamored with the model that Sterling is bringing to town, and we wanted to find out more about it. We wanted to tell you about it, and see if there is a catch.
Spoiler alert: there does not appear to be a catch.
Brown calls Sterling’s model the future of healthcare, and it is hard to argue with him.
We are all frustrated with our health insurance plans. So many of us make just enough money to not be able to afford to go to the doctor. Not without running up a huge debt, that is.
Well, Sterling is different. It is a membership-driven model. For $60 per month, you can go to see a medical professional at Sterling as many times as you want. Cost is $120 for a family of four. The price goes up $10 for each additional family member after that. If you need an x-ray, the cost is $20. Prescriptions are usually $15.
No longer will we have to be financially afraid to go to a doctor. If you feel a pain where you shouldn’t feel pain, you can go get it checked out without worry of a huge medical bill. If you think you might have influenza, you don’t have to hesitate to get seen by a medical professional.
Employers can offer Sterling memberships to their employees from month to month without a contract. Individuals can buy memberships with a one-year contract.
Listen in to this podcast as Sami and Scott tell us about the model for Sterling, which has 14 locations in Idaho, three in Utah and three in Wyoming. Butte is Sterling’s first location in Montana. Listen in to hear how Sterling started and how it has been so successful.
Listen in to hear why its arrival in the Mining City was held up by Harrison Ford.
Again, this is not an advertisement. If you are struggling with your medical plan or if you are a business looking for a great benefit for your employers, then this episode of the ButteCast is definitely for you.
You can go also to sterlingurgentcare.com to become a member today.
Today’s podcast is presented by Leskovar Honda, home of unbeatable service and the legendary 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Adalie Grochowski and Nathan Stone
Butte High swimmers Adalie Grochowski and Nathan Stone are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after the Bulldogs closed the regular season with a Friday meet in Butte and a Saturday competition in Missoula.
Grochowski, an eighth grader, takes home the girls honor after leading the team all season.
“She is a very hard worker and willing to swim any event we need her to,” Butte High coach Lynn Shrader said. “She is a key part of our relays also.”
Stone, a junior, receives the boys’ accolades. He is a co-captain of the team, and he has been a team leader throughout his career.
“He is a hard worker and is there to encourage his team members,” Shrader said.
Grochowski, Stone and the Bulldogs will compete in the state swim meet Feb. 13-15 in Great Falls.
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 in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
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KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of Feb. 3.
Monday
7 p.m. — Cook vs. Poi Time
8 p.m. — Cook vs. Parish
9 p.m. — Parish vs. Someday StartersTuesday
7 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. JellyfamWednesday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Poi TimeThursday
7 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Someday Starters
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Luedtke passes Dawson in loss
Saturday was a bitter-sweet one for the Butte High boys’ basketball team.
Bulldog junior Hudson Luedtke became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Butte High boys’ basketball program. But it came in a 64-61 Western AA loss at Helena Capital.
Luedtke sank five 3-pointers and poured in 20 points to pass the late John Dawson for the top spot in school history. He now has 1,037 points in his career. Dawson finished his career with 1,022 points in 1968.
Lexie Nelson is Butte’s all-time leading scorer with 1,696 points in her career that ended in 2010.
Dylan “Bobby” Bache also scored 20 points for the Bulldogs in the loss.
Butte High’s girls’ team got back to winning ways with a 41-34 victory over Capital at the Richardson Gym.
Butte Central, meanwhile, split with Corvallis in Southwestern A games. BC’s boys rolled to a 73-37 victory at the Maroon Activities Center. The Blue Devils turned back the BC girls 45-41 in Corvallis.
We will have more on these games in Wednesday’s ButteCast SportsCap.
GIRLS
Butte High 41, Helena Capital 34
HELENA CAPITAL (5-6, 3-4) — Eva Dahlquist 1 1-2 3, Ali Miller 4 0-0 9, Madi Emmert 1 1-1 3, Kate Drynan 2 1-4 7, Jaden Grooms 1 3-4 5, Taylor Zanto 0 0-0 0, Cailin Mohar 0 0-0 0, Greta Hageman 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 7-13 34.
BUTTE HIGH (8-4, 4-3) — Dylann Bartoletti 1 4-4 6, Cadence Graham 3 4-4 11, Brityn Stewart 3 1-2 8, Addie Hiatt 1 0-1 2, Franki Salusso 4 0-0 9, Ellison Graham 1 0-0 3, Emma Johnson 0 0-0 0, Allie Becker 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 11-13 41.
Capital 6 13 8 7 — 34
Butte 11 9 7 14 — 41
3-point goals — Capital 3 (Cummings 2, Miller), Butte 4 (C. Graham, E. Graham, Stewart, Salusso). Fouls — Capital 19, Butte 15. Fouled out — Hiatt. Technicals — none.Corvaills 45, Butte Central 41
BUTTE CENTRAL (4-7, 2-2) — Evyn Smith 0 2-2 2, Kenzie McQueary 3 3-6 9, Zayonna Otherbull 6 2-6 18, Rylee Forbes 4 1-1 9, Braelynn Schelin 0 0-0 0, Arika Stajcar 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 8-17 41.
CORVALLIS (5-8, 2-3) — A. Loran 1 4-6 6, E Varner 6 0-2 17, K. Allen 1 0-0 2, B. Epling 3 0-0 8, S. Johnson 0 0-0 0, A. Benson 2 0-0 5, E. Knapp 0 0-0 0, S. Weidow 1 0-0 2, T. Holchhalter 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-10 45.
Central 15 4 11 11 — 41
Corvallis 17 9 9 10 — 45
3-point goals — BC 5 (Otherbull 4, Stajcar), Corvallis 8 (Varner 5, Eplin2, Benson). Fouls — BC 13, Corvallis 11. Fouled out — McQueary. Technicals — none.BOYS
Butte Central 73, Corvallis 37
CORVLLIS (2-10, 1-3) — Tanner Sorensen 1 2-2 5, Ledge Conner 4 0-0 8, Taylor Brothers 0 1-2, Conner Jessop 1 0-0 2, Drew Lewis 6 3-4 15, Dylan Wirt 1 0-0 2, Tervin Epling 0 2-2 2, Caleb Johansen 0 0-0 0, Reese Tucker 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 8-10 37.
BUTTE CENTRAL (5-7, 2-3) — Patrick Stimatz 4 0-0 10, Cade Kelly 3 1-1 9, Joshua Sutton 6 2-3 15, GG Fantini 5 0-0 10, Owen McPartland 6 2-2 16, Justus McGee 0 0-0 0, Noah Sutton 2 0-0 5, Jaxon Hiatt 3 0-0 7, Zander Strand 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 6-9 73.
Corvallis 6 12 10 9 — 37
Central 18 19 24 12 — 73
3-point goals — Corvallis 1 (Sorensen), BC 9 (Stimatz 2, Kelly 2, McPartland 2, J. Sutton, No. Sutton, Hiatt). Fouls — Corvallis 11, BC 14. Fouled out — McGee. Technicals — none.Helena Capital 64, Butte High 61
BUTTE HIGH (8-4, 4-3) — Tocher Lee 1 3-3 6, Dylan Bache 6 8-11 20, Torre Tempel 0 0-0 0, Hudson Luedtke 7 2-4 20, Braylon Larson 4 1-2 9, Spencer Callaghan 1 0-0 2, Kendel Noctor 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 14-19 61.
HELENA CAPITAL (6-5, 5-2) — Merek Mihelish 3 0-0 8, Conor Toivonen 3 3-4 9, Dylan Almquist 2 2-4 6, Landon Levang 5 2-3 13, Brenton Belzer 7 1-2 19, Kyle Bachmeier 0 0-0 0, Drew Almquist 0 0-0 0, Brett Buehler 0 0-0 0, Wil Spotorno 2 0-0 5, Carson Toivonen 0 2-2 2. Totals 23 10-15 64.
Butte 10 17 17 17 — 61
Capital 11 23 15 15 — 64
3-point goals — Butte 6 (Luedtke 5, Lee), Capital 6 (Belzer 2, Mihelish 2, Spotorno, Levang). Fouls — Butte 11, Capital 16. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
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Tempel breaks Bulldog 3-point record
A large crowd filled Butte High’s Richardson Gymnasium thinking it might see Hudson Luedtke break Butte High’s all-time scoring record.
Instead, it was Torre Tempel who made history.
The Butte High senior shattered Butte High’s single-game 3-point record, burying nine treys as the Bulldogs knocked off Helena High in a 74-73 Western AA thriller Thursday night.
Butte High’s boys’ record for 3-pointers in a game was six, and it was shared by Scott Johns (1991), Ryan Mickelson (1999), Chad Jonart (2004), Brock Bond (2011), Trevyn Roth (twice in 2018), Billy Kelly (2020) and Luedtke (2024).
Tempel finished with a game-high 29 points in the win. According to ButteSports.com writer Bruce Sayler, Luedtke, who was clearly the focal point of the Helena defense, finished with a triple-double. He scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 12 assists.
Luedtke now has 1,017 career points. He trails John Dawson by just five points on the Bulldog boys’ all-time list heading into Saturday’s game at Helena Capital.
Butte High’s girls’ team fell 44-39 at Helena High. The Bulldog girls will play host to Capital on Saturday.
Dillon swept a Southwestern A doubleheader with Butte Central at the Maroon Activities Center. The Beavers won the girls’ game 55-31 before completing the sweep with a 52-41 decision in the nightcap.
BC’s boys will be home against Corvallis on Saturday. The Maroon girls travel to the Bitterroot Valley to battle the Blue Devils.
We will have more on these games in Wednesday’s ButteCast SportsCap.
GIRLS
Dillon 55, Butte Central 31
DILLON (11-1, 3-1) — Kinzy Creighton 1 0-0 2, Josie Robbins 3 0-2 8, Kylie Konen 4 0-0 9, Kenleigh Graham 5 1-2 11, Sage Tash 3 0-0 6, Cassie Keller 1 0-0 3, Landri Hartman 4 0-0 10, Tess Tash 0 1-2 1, Quincy Hansen 1 0-0 3, Shannon Martin 0 0-0 0, Kena Sampson 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 2-6 55.
BUTTE CENTRAL (4-7, 2-2) — Evyn Smith 0 0-0 0, Kenzie McQUeary 3 7-8 13, Zayonna Otherbull 1 6-11 9, Rylee Forbes 0 0-0 0, Arika Stajcar 2 0-0 6, Marly Mansanti 0 0-0 0, Braelynn Schelin 1 0-0 3, Meika Boyer 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 13-19 31.
Dillon 9 16 11 19 — 55
Central 4 5 13 9 — 31
3-point goals — Dillon 7 (Hartman 2, Robins 2, Keller, Hansen, Konen), BC 4 (Stajcar 2, Otherbull, Schelin). Fouls — Dillon 19, BC 5. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.Helena High 44, Butte High 39
BUTTE HIGH (7-4, 3-3) — Dylann Bartoletti 3 3-4 10, Cadence Graham 3 6-3 10, Brityn Stewart 5 0-1 11, Addie Hiatt 2 0-0 4, Franki Salusso 1 0-1 2, Ellison Graham 0 0-0 0, Autumn Clary 0 0-0 0, Allie Becker 0 0-0 0, Emma Johnson 1 0-0 2.
HELENA HIGH (5-5, 3-3) — Addi Rousch 1 1-1 3, Madi Todorovich 1 4-8 6, McKenna Pipinich 3 3-4 10, Cassidy Smith 2 0-0 5, Grace Murgel 2 0-0 5, Morgan Koch 12 0-0 4, Dakota Lieberg 4 3-6 11, Lauren Lieberg 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 11-19 44.
Butte 14 7 9 9 — 39
Helena 12 9 10 15 — 44
3-point goals Butte 3 (Bartoletti, C. Graham, Stewart), Helena 3 (Pipnich, Smith, Murgel). ouls — Butte 15, Helena 18. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.BOYS
Butte High 74, Helena High 73
HELENA HIGH (8-2, 5-1) — Jaxan Lieberg 10 2-2 24, Mase Spaulding 4 4-5 14, Madden Spaulding 5 3-4 15, Eli Peterson 3 0-1 7, Cameron Bullock 2 0-0 4, Pacer Lybbert 1 0-0 3, Gracen Silvonen 0 0-0 0, Dylan Mosness 3 0-0 6. Totals 28 9-12 73.
BUTTE HIGH (8-3, 4-2) — Tocher Lee 0 1-2 1, Dylan Bache 4 2-2 13, Torre Tempel 9 2-3 29, Hudson Luedtke 5 3-5 14, Braylon Larson 4 1-2 9, Spencer Callaghan 3 1-3 8, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Raeder Grey 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 10-17 74.
Helena 17 16 19 26 — 73
Butte 19 19 25 16 — 74
3-point goals — Helena 8 (J. Lieberg, Mas. Spaulding 2, Mad. Spaulding 2, Peterson, Lybbert), Butte 14 (Tempel 9, Bache 3, Callaghan, Luedtke). Fouls — Helena 15, Butte 8. Fouled out — Mosness. Technicals — none.Dillon 52, Butte Central 41
DILLON (11-1, 4-0) — Carter Curnow 7 1-2 17, Braxtyn Turney 1 0-0 2, Kyler Engellant 8 2-3 19, Cohen Hartman 4 1-2 9, Gabe Lemelin 1 0-0 2, Ian Singlton 0 0-0 0, Sam Davis 1 1-2 3, Will Hansen 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 5-9 52.
BUTTE CENTRAL (4-7, 1-3) — Ryan Peoples 1 0-0 3, Patrick Stimatz 0 0-0 0, Joshua Sutton 6 1-1 15, Justus McGee 1 0-0 2, Owen McPartland 5 0-0 11, Cade Kelly 0 0-0 0, GG Fantini 3 0-0 6, Jaxon Hiatt 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 1-1 41.
Dillon 7 16 17 12 — 52
Central 12 4 9 16 — 41
3-point goals — Dillon 3 (Curnow 2, Engellant), BC 4 (Sutton 2, Peoples, McPartland). Fouls — Dillon 11, BC 16. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
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Podcast No. 242: Lisa Wareham
Lisa (Wareham) Edwards is so much more than a photographer. She is also so much more than an artist.
In a way, her work serves as a vessel for us to travel back in time. For the last few years, Wareham has been producing photographs that perfectly blend Butte of today with Butte from yesteryear.
If you want to see the blown-up Miners Union Hall in 1914 mashed with a photo of the site on Main Street today, Lisa has you covered.
If want see the giant elk from the 1916 Elks Convention on the corner of Main and Broadway mixed with the intersection of today, she has that for you, too.
You can see old cars next to new cars and people walking the streets from a century apart.
Her work helps us appreciate our hometown even more than we already did. Most of us lovers of Butte never knew that was possible.
You can browse Lisa’s work and maybe buy a piece or two at timetravelart.com. If you make a purchase before the end of January, which is tomorrow, shipping is free. You can also pick up your purchases at her studio on Granite Street.
Listen in to this podcast as Lisa talks about getting into photography as a journalism student at the University of Idaho. Listen as she talks about moving to Butte in the sixth grade and returning to the Holey City after college.
Listen to how she got into time travel art, and some of the challenges it presents. Listen to hear what she has planned for the future.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
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As Luedtke chases history for Dogs, Graham also on bigtime scoring pace
By Bill Foley
All eyes will be on Hudson Luedtke Thursday as the Butte High boys’ basketball team takes on Helena High Thursday at the Richardson Gym.
The Butte High junior needs just 20 points to pass the late John Dawson as the top boy scorer in school history. Luedtke has surpassed 20 points in six of Butte High’s 10 games this season. That includes two games with 31 points.
In Helena, meanwhile, Bulldog sophomore Cadence Graham will continue her march up the Bulldog scoring list. Graham, the first Butte High player to log varsity time as an eighth grader, has quickly amassed more than 600 points on her career.
With 658 career points, Graham has already cracked the top 10 in Bulldog girl history. With a bullet.
While she has a long way to go, Graham is clearly on pace to become just the second Butte High girl to score 1,000 points in her career. The first was the great Lexie Nelson, whose 1,696 points scored from 2007 through 2010 are the most scored by any girl or boy in Mining City high school history.
Graham is just five points away from passing Butte Sports Hall of Famer Deanna Dugdale for No. 9 on the Butte High girls’ all-time scoring list. Dugdale scored 662 points from 1980 through 1982.
Joey O’Neill (669), JoeEllen Roesti (672), Gwenn Abbott (672) and Natalee Faupel (681) could also be passed in the coming games.
Graham scored a game-high 27 points as the Bulldogs fell in a 58-55 overtime thriller to Missoula Big Sky Friday night at the Butte Civic Center. Graham sank four 3-pointers and shot 7 for 8 from the free throw line in the game, which marked the sixth time she scored at least 20 points in a game this season.
Graham scored a career-high 33 points Butte High’s Jan. 9 51-37 home win over Missoula Hellgate. Through 10 games, Graham has scored 196 points in her sophomore season.
She scored 165 as an eighth grader and 297 as a freshman.
Classmate Brityn Stewart, a senior, is also on the verge of moving into the top 10. Stewart has 595 points on her career. After scoring 20 as a freshman, Stewart followed with 198 and 240 as a sophomore and junior. She has 137 points so far this season.
Kenzi Schnitz scored 23 points to lead the Eagles, who improved to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in Western AA play. Butte High fell to 7-3 and 3-2.
Stewart scored nine points for the Bulldogs, while Franki Salusso poured in eight. The Dogs got four from Emma Johnson, three from Ellison Graham and two apiece from Dylann Bartoletti and Addie Hiatt. Sidney Whitaker also contributed for the Bulldogs.
After the Butte High girls dropped the heartbreaker, the Bulldog boys beat Big Sky 51-44 for their third straight win in the nightcap of the doubleheader. The streak lifts Butte to 7-3 and 3-2.
Luedtke’s 18 points made him just the second Butte High boy to score more than 1,000 points in a career. He has 1,003 since joining the Bulldog starting lineup as a freshman. Dawson, a 1968 graduate, finished his career with 1,022 points.
(See more about Dawson and Luedtke in this week’s Tap ’er Light column.)
Dylan “Bobby” Bache added 17 hard-earned points for the Bulldogs in the win. Tocher Lee, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a concussion, joined Torre Tempel with six points. Braylon Larson scored four for Butte, which got contributions from Spencer Callaghan, Kendel Noctor, Brady Hanson and Raeder Grey.
After hosting Helena High on Thursday, Butte High’s boys will play at Helena Capital on Saturday. The Bulldog girls will host the Bruins in Butte after traveling to the Capital City to face the Bruins on Thursday.
Stajcar steal preserves Butte Central win
Butte Central’s girls’ basketball team bounced back from a 51-15 home loss to Frenchtown on Thursday with an inspired 38-35 win over Hamilton Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
Freshmen Kenzie McQueary and Zayonna Otherbull combined to score 28 of Butte Central’s points. McQueary netted 16 points, while Otherbull scored 12 points while giving the Maroons a force on the boards.
However, junior Arika Stajcar made the play of the game, forcing a steal in the final seconds to stop the surging Eagles from getting off a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
That was a welcome sight to the BC faithful who had just watched Hamilton star Canaan Magnus hit a contested pull-up jumper with 1.8 seconds left to give the Broncs a 62-60 win over the BC boys.
The Maroon girls are now 4-6 overall and 2-1, and BC does not have a senior on the roster. Central has five freshmen — Evyn Smith, Braelynn Schelin and Jaedyn Maldonado are the other three — who contribute regularly along with sophomores Marly Mansanti, Rylee Forbes and Meika Boyer, and juniors Caden Tippett and Stajcar.
The loss to Hamilton was not the only gut-wrenching loss of the week for the BC boys. Central fell 62-57 Thursday in Frenchtown.
Junior Ryan Peoples missed that trip because of an illness, and he was far from 100 percent when he played against the Broncs.
Hank Smith poured in 29 points to lead Frenchtown on Thursday. Teammate Cooper Michaud added 17.
Sophomore Joshua Sutton netted 27 points to lead the Maroons Owen McPartland scored nine, while Cade “Buzz” Kelly scored six and Patrick Stimatz tossed in five.
On Saturday, Magnus hit four 3-pointers and tossed in 25 points to lead Hamilton, which bounced back from Friday’s loss to Dillon.
McPartland scored 26, but the Maroons couldn’t get him a good look after Magnus’ dagger in the MAC. Peoples and Sutton both scored 13.
Butte Central’s boys and girls will be at home Thursday for a huge doubleheader against two 10-1 Dillon teams. The Dillon girls are 3-1 in conference, while the defending Class A State champion boys are 3-0.
On Saturday, the BC boys will play host to Corvallis. Central’s girls will hit the road to play the Blue Devils.
Bulldogs swim to second, fourth
Butte High’s swimming teams put up impressive showings Saturday during the Butte High Montana Classic at the Butte Family YMCA.
“There were some great showings today,” Butte High coach Lynn Shrader said after the big day in the pool.
Butte High’s girls placed second, while the boys took fourth.
Billings West won the girls’ title with 568 points. Butte High was second in the eight-team meet with 263. Missoula Sentinel followed at 252.
West also won the boys’ crown with 468 points. Missoula Hellgate was second at 428, followed by Billings Skyview at 324 and Butte high at 198.
Butte High’s girls had a handful of leaders in their best showing of the season. Junior Olivia Thurmond, who is battling back from a knee surgery, placed third in the 50-yard freestyle race, while eighth grader Adalie Grochowski placed fifth in the 100 butterfly and eighth in the 200 freestyle.
Grochowski posted a personal-best time in the butterfly.
Sophomore Sophia Fladager registered a PR in the 50 freestyle to take eighth place. She also finished eighth in the 500 freestyle. Junior Tatum Trefts took placed third in the 100 breaststroke and ninth in the 200 individual medley.
Also, sophomore Nimalka DeAlwis took eighth in the 100 butterfly.
Butte High’s girls stood out in the relay races, too. The 200 Medley A team of Grochowski, Trefts, Nimalka DeAlwis and Thurmond swam to fourth place. The B team of Fladager, Elly Rumer, Bryher Fitzpatrick and Bella Corrales placed sixth.
In the 200 freestyle relay, Butte High’s A team of Thurmond, Fitzpatrick, Fladager and Grochowski placed fourth. The team of Corrales, DeAlwis, Gracie Ferriter and Amy Fladger placed eighth.
Butte’s 400 freestyle relay team of Ferriter, Trefts, Rumer and Amy Fladager finished sixth.
On the boys’ side, junior Nathan Stone once again did not live up to his last name. This Stone can swim.
Stone posted a PR to place third in the 200 individual medley. He also placed fifth in the 100 freestyle to lead the Bulldogs.
Sophomore Gage Plum placed fifth in the 500 freestyle, and freshman Tucker Kissell shaved four seconds off his PR to place eighth in the 200 freestyle. Alex Sonnemann finished ninth in the 100 butterfly.
Senior Blair Hamry took 3 seconds off his best 200 freestyle time to place 10th.
Elgin Hoar, Gunnar Benson, Alex Sonnemann, and Gage Plum swam to fourth place in the 200 freestyle team. Butte’s B team of Grayson Lynch, Ayvahn Mann, Jorden Sonnemann and Levi Balentine took ninth in that event.
Kissell, Hamry, Hoar and Stone placed fourth in the 400 freestyle relay.
“There were many best times today, even though not everyone placed,” Shrader said. “Everyone swam hard today and did their very best. There are two more meets before state, and everyone is working hard to make the top 32 that will earn them a state spot.”
The Bulldogs will compete in anther meet at the YMCA this Friday. They go to Missoula for a meet on Saturday.
Butte Central’s boys placed sixth with 93 team points. The BC girls scored 19 points.
Connor Hardy lead the Maroons. He placed third in the 100 backstroke and eighth in the 200 individual medley.
Also competing for the Maroons were Morgan Hardy, Kherington Adams, Jim Bradshaw, Izzy Lopez, Carolyn Lopez, Conan Holmes, Robert Regester, Joe Bradshaw and Arwen Regester.
Bulldog boys place fourth at AA Duals
Butte High’s boys’ wrestlers showed that they are ready for the postseason Saturday, placing fourth at the 16-team Montana AA Duals at Great Falls High.
The Bulldogs beat Belgrade 51-29 before topping Great Falls Russell 48-31 to advance to the semis. In the final four, Butte fell 69-12 to eventual champion Billings West.
Heading into to the meet, Bulldog coach Cory Johnston said his team is getting ready for the postseason. He said he had seen enough from his Bulldogs to know where they stand.
Competing for the Bulldogs were Keegan Hunt, Renzy LeProwse, Kuley Queer, Ben Tierney, Reveles McEwen, Bradey Doyle, Isaac Zell, Darryn Rossiter, Lincoln Zell, Joseph Ward, Bode Hazlett, Ryder McEwen, Jaeger Hansen, Bridger Garrison, Will Stepan, Finn Wortham, Karson Pumnea, Jake Bailey, Cameron Fleege, Reece Cunneen, Bridger Brancamp, Kasen O’Keefe, Braydon Pierce, Mason Swanson, Garrett Henson, Waylond Hicks and Gavin Rowe.
Meet results are available at trackwrestling.com.
Butte High’s girls had a busy week, competing in Missoula and Lewistown. They headed to Belgrade for a mixer on Monday before taking on Belgrade and Gallatin on the road on Tuesday night.
Butte High’s boys also took on Belgrade and Gallatin on Tuesday.
The Bulldog teams will then have some down time to get ready for the divisional qualifying meets, which run Feb. 7-8 in Kalispell.
The state wrestling meets are Feb. 14-15 in Billings.
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‘Happiest kid in the whole world’ about to have his Bulldog record eclipsed
In November of 1967, John Dawson gave perhaps the greatest quote to a sportswriter that I have ever read.
“I am the happiest kid in the whole world,” Dawson was quoted of saying in the Nov. 12 edition of The Montana Standard.
Dawson had reason to be happy when he talked to Montana Standard sportswriter Jack Keneally on that Veterans Day in Great Falls. The senior played quarterback and safety as the Butte High Bulldogs beat Great Falls High 14-0 in Great Falls to win the Class AA football state championship.
Looking back on that newspaper story from more than 57 years ago, it is hard not to smile at that Dawson quote. It seems to say so much about the child-like honesty of Dawson. It also serves as a reminder that the high school sports heroes of the past and present are, in fact, just kids.
Too often, that gets lost in the yelling and screaming at high school games.
That quote also kind of makes me sad. I would have really loved to talk to John Dawson, even though I never really knew anything about him until the play of Hudson Luedtke sent me searching.
Unfortunately, I will never get the chance to meet him. Dawson died of a heart attack on Dec. 14, 1990. He passed away just five days shy of his 41st birthday.
He was survived by his parents, Edwin and Eleanor Dawson, his brothers, Edwin and Mark, and his sister, Carol.
Dawson’s 170-word obituary simply stated that he played football and basketball at Butte High. It mentioned that he was a Silver B.
In the short obituary, which came back in the day when obits of 200 words or less were published for free, I learned that Dawson worked for the Anaconda Co. He also worked for Paffhausen Construction, Dwyer Construction and Lombardi Construction.
In 1986, Dawson purchased and began operating Take Two Video in Littleton, Colorado.
I heard Dawson mentioned as Butte High’s quarterback in 1967 before, but that was about it. He wasn’t talked about like we talk about Bulldog state championship quarterbacks like Barry Sullivan, Don Douglas, Josh Paffhausen and Dallas Cook. That is because the current Bulldogs probably pass more in one month than they did in the entire 1967 season.
In the state title game, Dawson threw the ball nine times, completing five for 118 yards.
Plus, Dawson was overshadowed by teammates like Glen Welch, Mick Dennehy, Jim Becker, Monte Sever and Greg Salo, just to name a few.
Back then, Butte High was known more for defense than the passing game. The 1967 Bulldogs surrendered just 81 points in 10 games.
Dawson, a two-year starter at quarterback for coach Bill Kambich, threw a pair of touchdown passes against Butte Central in 1967. He was a second-team All-State player, but that wasn’t good enough to get your mugshot in the paper back in those days.
In basketball, Dawson’s Bulldogs never posted a winning record. They went 14-15 in 1967 and 12-13 in 1968.
Dawson was only 5 feet, 6 inches, and he shared a backcourt with the 5-8 Welch, according to Keneally’s story previewing the 1967-68 basketball season.
“Welch and Dawson are both quicker than cats,” Keneally wrote. “What they lack in height is more than made up in speed.”
Dawson could also apparently put the ball in the hoop, though the paper never really played up his scoring prowess. I could find no mention of 1,000 points.
So, my guess is that when Dawson passed away, he had no idea that he scored a total of 1,022 points for Butte High’s boys’ basketball team from 1966 through 1968. If he did know that point total, however, he almost certainly did not know he was the only Bulldog boy to surpass the 1,000-point mark.
It wasn’t until the late 1990s and early 2000s that the late Pat Kearney went through the laborious task of compiling the basketball and football records for Butte High and Butte Central. Pat did that by spending countless hours in the library or Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, painstakingly going through the microfilm to read the game story for every game played by the Bulldogs and Maroons.
He did it so that sportswriters and sportscasters can shine an even brighter spotlight on current and future athletes.
For the last month, we have been talking about Dawson’s 1,022 points because of the work of Kearney and the play of Hudson Luedtke. On Friday, the Butte High junior joined Dawson as the only two members of the Butte High boys’ 1,000-point club.
Luedtke has 1,003 points heading into this week’s games at home against Helena High and at Helena Capital.
So, by this time next week, Luedtke will likely have passed Dawson for the top spot in Butte High boys’ history.
It is an impressive feat for Luedtke to break such a record just halfway through his junior year. By this time next year, he could be bringing up names like Dougie Peoples and Lexie Nelson as he continues to add to his career points total.
Nelson scored 1,696 points from 2007 through 2010 for the Butte High girls’ team. That is the most points scored by a boy or girl in Mining City high school history. Peoples closed his career with 1,683 points for Butte Central in 2023.
There is an old saying that records are made to be broken.
Records, though, are so much more meaningful than that. Not only are they made to recognize modern-day greatness, they help us remember the stars from the past.
That it took a special talent like Luedtke to invoke Dawson’s name says so much about the player Dawson was for the Bulldogs.
Luedtke will go down as the greatest scorer in the history of the Butte High boys’ basketball program. He might even surpass Peoples and Nelson as the greatest scorer Butte ever saw.
But there is so much more to Luedtke’s game than scoring. He plays great defense, and he entered last weekend averaging 5.1 assists per game on the season.
He is a true team leader in every facet of the game.
Last year, Luedtke led the Bulldog to the third-place game of the Class AA State tournament in Missoula. After the Bulldogs fell to Billings West in that game, Luedtke promised me that the Bulldogs will be back at State in 2025, this time to win it all.
I looked into his eyes, and I knew he was telling me the truth.
As a young boy, Luedtke set his goal to play in the NBA. But he is also highly recruited in football, a sport in which he is already a three-time All-State player.
If he chooses the football path, the sky is the limit. It seems pretty high for hoops, too.
Basketball, after all, is in Luedtke’s blood. His grandpa, Mickey Tuttle, was a leader on Butte High’s last state championship basketball team in 1984. His mother, Kristen Chambers, was a standout for the Bulldogs before taking her talents to Montana Western.
His father, Matt, is the head coach of the Bulldogs. He won the Gatorade Player of the Year award while playing basketball for Ronan in 2000.
This record, though, is all about Hudson. He isn’t going to break it with his genes. He’s going to do it through hours and hours of work in the gym.
While we were hitting our snooze buttons, Luedtke was in the gym shooting. And shooting. And shooting.
He has the drive for greatness, and that is now paying off in the form of career milestones midway through his junior year.
That drive is also introducing us to John Dawson. Before the season started, we knew that Dawson scored 1,022 points in a Butte High uniform.
Thanks to Hudson Luedtke, we also know that John Dawson was once the happiest kid in the whole world.
— Bill Foley, who blames his lack of athletic ability on his genes, 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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KC Kids’ Hoops ends Saturday
The Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s Little Kids’ Hoops program will close out the season Saturday 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.
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.
All players who show up for Saturday’s finale will receive a league T-shirt.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Hudson Luedtke and Arika Stajcar
Basketball players Hudson Luedtke and Arika Stajcar are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after a big weekend of hoops in the Mining City.
Luedtke, a Butte High junior, takes the boys’ honor after becoming just the second Butte High boy to score 1,000 career points. The milestone came as Luedtke scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 51-44 Western AA win over Missoula Big Sky Friday night at the Butte Civic Center.
The 18 points puts Luedtke at 1,003 for his career. That includes 217 points in 10 games this season. Luedtke will almost certainly become Butte High’s career boys’ scoring leader this week when the Bulldogs play at home against Helena High and at Helena Capital.
Only the late John Dawson has more points for the Butte High boys. Dawson scored 1,022 points from 1966 through 1968.
Luedtke has been a two-sport starter for the Bulldogs since his freshman season. He already has three All-State seasons in football and two All-State campaigns in basketball.
Stajcar, a Butte Central junior, receives the girls’ honor after her game-clinching steal in the final seconds of BC’s 38-35 Southwestern A win over Hamilton Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
Stajcar, who buried a 3-pointer in the second quarter of the win, doesn’t lead the team in scoring, but BC coach Quinn Carter said she brings something to the team that cannot be measured on the stat sheet.
“Arika has been doing an outstanding job leading our team this season,” Carter said. “Her defensive efforts have been creating numerous opportunities for us, setting the tone on both ends of the floor. Her clutch steal at the end of Saturday night’s game against Hamilton sealed a crucial win for the 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 in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 