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KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of Jan 27.
Monday
7 p.m. — Parish vs. Poi Time
8 p.m. — Parish vs. Someday StartersTuesday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Washington GeneralsWednesday
7 p.m. — Cook vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Cook vs. Washington GeneralsThursday
7 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Poi Time
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Butte Central-Hamilton box scores
Butte Central’s varsity basketball teams split a Southwestern A doubleheader with Hamilton Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
Canaan Magnus hit a contested jumper with 1.8 seconds left to give Hamilton a 62-60 victory in the boys’ game. Magnus scored 25 points in an effort that spoiled a 26-point performance by BC senior Owen McPartland.
The Maroon girls hung on for a 38-35 victory in the nightcap. Kenzie McQueary scored 16 points, and Zayonna Otherbull tossed in 12 for the Maroons. Arika Stajcar, though, had the play of the game, picking up a late steal to stop the Broncs from getting off a game-tying 3-pointer.
We will have more on these games in Wednesday’s ButteCast SportsCap.
GIRLS
Butte Central 38, Hamilton 35
HAMILTON — Meryn Leonardi 0-3 0-0 9 Ella Griffin 1 1-8 4, Tricia Wilson 1 0-0 2, Mariah Domingo 1 2-6 4, Ashlynn McKern 4 5-8 13, Bryan Ciaflone 1 0-0 3, Elise Carroll 0 0-0 0, Loretta Hanson 0 0-0 0, Kassidee McKern 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 8-22 35.
BUTTE CENTRAL (4-56 2-1) — Evyn Smith 0 0-0 0, Kenzie McQueary 5 5-9 16, Rylee Forbes 2 0-0 4, Zayonna Otherbull 4 4-11 12, Arika Stajcar 1 0-2 3, Marly Mansanti 0 0-0 0, Braelynn Schelin 0 0-2 0, Meika Boyer 1 1-2 3, Caden Tippett 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 10-26 38.
Hamilton 2 6 18 9 — 35
Central 9 12 9 8 — 38
3-point goals — Hamilton 5 (Leonardi 3, Griffin, Ciaflone), BC 2. (McQueary, Stajcar). Fouls — Hamilton 24, BC 17. Fouled out — Carroll, Wilson, Domingo, Forbes. Technicals — none.BOYS
Hamilton 62, Butte Central 60
HAMILTON (7-5, 3-1) — Kaden Gum 3 1-2 7, Asher Griffin 1 0-0 3, Landen Wetzel 3 2-2 10, Canaan Magnus 10 1-1 25, Tyler Jette 3 0-0 6, Jake McCarthy 1 2-3 4, Cash Llockhart 3 0-0 6. Totals 24 6-8 62.
BUTTE CENTRAL (4-6, 1-2) — Ryan Peoples 4 2-5 13, Patrick Stimatz 0 0-0 0, Joshua Sutton 6 0-0 13, GG Fantini 1 1-3 3, Owen McPartland 9 2-3 26, Cade Kelly 1 0-0 3, Jaxon Hiatt 1 0-0 2, Justus McGee 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 5-11 60.
Hamilton 16 18 12 16 — 62
Central 18 24 10 8 — 60
3-point goals — Hamilton 7 (Magnus 4, Wetzel 2, Griffin), BC 9 (McPartland 6, Peoples, Kelly, Sutton). Fouls — Hamilton 16, BC 12. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
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Luedtke breaks 1,000 in Bulldog win
Butte High junior guard Hudson Luedtke became just the second Bulldog boy basketball player to score 1,000 career points Friday night.
The milestone came as Luedtke tossed in 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 51-44 Western AA win over Missoula Big Sky at the Butte Civic Center. The win, Butte High’s third straight, lifts the Bulldogs to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Luedtke now has 1,003 points through 59 career games. He is just 20 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in Butte High history. That title now belongs to the late John Dawson, who scored 1,022 points in 73 games from 1966 through 1968. Dawson died of a heart attack five days short of his 41st birthday in December of 1990.
Luedtke’s total includes 217 points in 10 games this season.
The Bulldog players and coaches recognized the achievement at mid-court following the game.
Luedtke will have a chance to eclipse Dawson’s mark when the Bulldogs play host to Helena High Thursday at the Richardson Gym.
Lexie Nelson, a 2010 Butte High graduate, scored 1,696 points in her remarkable career. That is the high school scoring record in Butte — boy or girl.
Dylan “Bobby” Bache scored 17 points in the win that capped a boys-girls doubleheader. Missoula Big Sky opened the twin bill with a 58-55 overtime win over the Bulldogs. Butte High freshman Cadence Graham, who is well on her way to 1,000 points on her career, too, poured in 27 points to lead the Bulldogs.
We will have more on the Butte-Big Sky games in Wednesday’s ButteCast SportsCap.
BOYS
Butte High 51, Missoula Big Sky 44
MISSOULA (5-4, 2-3) — Isaiah Reed 6 0-0 15, Carmack Batt 0 0-0 0, Mason Fulford 0 0-0 0, Tyson Tims 1 2-2 4, Cole Silberstein 2 0-0 6, Brady Williams 1 2-4 5, Eli Kasberg 3 4-6 10, Aiden Towe 2 0-0 4. Totals 15 8-12 44.
BUTTE HIGH (7-3, 3-2) — Tocher Lee 2 0-0 6, Dylan Bache 7 3-3 17, Torre Tempel 2 0-2 6, Hudson Luedtke 5 5-6 18, Braylon Larson 2 0-0 4, Spencer Callaghan 0 0-0 0, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Brady Hanson 0 0-0 0, Raeder Grey 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-11 51.
Big Sky 12 9 9 13 — 44
Butte 15 10 11 15 — 51
3-point goals — Big Sky 6 (Reed 3, Silberstein 2, Williams), Butte 7 (Luedtke 3, Lee 2, Temel 2). Fouls — Big Sky 13, Butte 14. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.GIRLS
Missoula Big Sky 58, Butte High 55 (OT)
MISSOULA BIG SKY (7-2, 5-0) — Kyler Latrielle 0 0-2 0, Tanya Kirilovich 1 0-2 3, Tina Kirilovich 5 2-3 12, Kadynce Courture 7 3-6 19, Kenzi Schmitz 10 3-5 23, Lilly Johnson 0 1-2 1, Peyton Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Gianna Janacaro 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 9-20 58.
BUTTE HIGH (7-3, 3-2) — Dylann Bartoletti 1 0-2 2, Cadence Graham 8 7-8 27, Brityn Stewart 3 0-0 9, Franki Salusso 4 0-2 8, Emma ohnson 2 0-3 4, Ellison Graham 1 0-0 3, Autumn Clary 0 0-0 0, Gracie Jonart 0 0-2 0. Totals 19 9-19 55.
Big Sky 12 13 10 18 5 — 58
Butte 10 21 10 12 2 — 55
3-point goals — Big Sky 3 (Courture 2, Ta. Kirilovich), Butte 8 (C. Graham 4, Stewart 3, E. Grham). Fouls — Big Sky 14, Butte 21. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
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Podcast No. 241: Erik Nylund, Part 2
Earlier this week, we started a conversation with Erik Nylund.
Erik is a 1993 Butte High graduate who worked for Sen. Jon Tester for most of the senator’s three terms in office. He has also been a behind-the-scenes fighter for underdogs, whistleblowers and the people of his hometown.
Now that Tester is no longer in the U.S. Senate, Nylund is finally free to speak his mind. His days of being behind the scenes are over, and he is speaking the truth to the people. Mick Ringsak says his longtime friend is “unleashed.”
That is a good thing for social and environmental justice everywhere, especially in the Mining City. It’s also great for entertainment.
Erik is an officer in recently-formed group Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice along with Ringsak, Sister Mary Jo McDonald, Evan Barrett and Don “Moose” Petritz.
It is a group of people with nothing to gain fighting for people with everything to lose. Today, we conclude the important conversation.
Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
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Butte Central-Frenchtown boxscores
Frenchtown’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams swept Butte Central in Southwestern A games Thursday night.
The Broncs’ girls won 51-15 at the Maroon Activities Center, and the boys won 62-57 in Frenchtown. Butte Central’s boys played without junior Ryan Peoples. He did not make the trip because of an illness.
Butte Central’s boys and girls will play host to Hamilton in a doubleheader Saturday at the MAC. The boys play at 4, and the girls close things out at 5:30.
We will have more on these games in Wednesday’s ButteCast SportsCap.
BOYS
Frenchtown 62, Butte Central 57
BUTTE CENTRAL (4-5, 1-1) — Patrick Stimatz 2 0-0 5, Joshua Sutton 12 0-0 27, GG Fantini 0 0-0 0, Justus McGee 0 0-0 0, Owen McPartland 3 2-2 9, Noah Sutton 0 0-0 0, Cade Kelly 2 0-0 6, Jaxon Hiatt 5 0-0 10. Totals 23 2-2 57.
FRENCHTOWN (7-2, 1-1) — Leighton Cyr 0 0-2 0, Cooper Michaud 6 2-2 17, Konnor Klimpel 2 0-0 4, Hank Smith 12 5-10 29, Henry Griffin 4 0-1 8, Trever Smith 0 0-0 0, Jaxon Haynes 0 0-0 0, Brooks Day 0 0-0 0, Cole Pfahler 1 0-0 2, Brayen Ricci 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 7-12 62.
Butte Central 9 18 10 20 — 57
Frenchtown 15 18 8 21 — 62
3-point goals — BC 7 (J. Sutton 3, Kelly 2, Stimatz, McPartland), FT 3 (Michaud 3). Fouls — BC 14, FT 12. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.GIRLS
Frenchtown 51, Butte Central 15
FRENCHTOWN (7-2, 2-0) — Mason Quinn 8 3-5 22, Ryan Lucier 3 2-3 8, Bailey Hansen 2 0-0 4, Maya Skinner 1 1-5 3, Jezy Palmer 1 1-2 4, Laney Holleran 2 0-0 4, Macey Smith 1 0-0 2, Miley Leishman 0 0-0 0, Makenzie Brush. Totals 20 7-15 51.
BUTTE CENTRAL (3-6, 1-1) — Evyn Smith 0 0-0 0, Kenzie McQueary 1 8-12 10, Zayonna Otherbull 1 2-2 4, Rylee Forbes 0 1-2 1, Arika Stajcar 0 0-0 0, Marly Mansanti 0 0-0 0, Braelynn Schelin 0 0-0 0, Jaedyn Maldonado 0 0-0 0. Totals 2 11-16 15.
Frenchtown 13 2 19 17 — 51
Butte Central 7 4 2 2 — 15
3-point goals — FT 4 (Quinn 3, Palmer), BC 0. Fouls — FT 14, BC 13. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
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Butte High girls’ subvarsity report
Following are the Butte High girls’ basketball subvarsity reports for games from Jan. 9 through Jan. 18, as provided by coaches.
Butte High JV 57, Missoula Hellgate JV 39
Three Bulldogs scored in double figures as Butte High rolled to victory Jan. 9 at the Richardson Gym.Ellison Graham sank three 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead the way for the Bulldogs. Saege Grey added 15 points, and Allie Becker tossed in 11. Grey and Becker shared the Junkyard Dog award.
Butte High also got eight points from Gracie Jonart and three apiece from Autumn Clary and Kendallyn Schad.
Cady Schneider scored 16 points to lead Hellgate. Maria Saenz added 10.
Butte High freshmen 42, Missoula Hellgate freshmen 32
Ava Bryson scored 14 points, while Sage Leber, Berkli Salusso and Wakely Burleson were super gritty on the defensive side of the ball as the Bulldogs picked up the Jan. 9 win at Butte High.Salusso also scored eight points, and Evie Smith and Burleson each poured in seven. Leber scored five, and Aly Verlanic netted one.
Elli Hogan scored 10 to lead Hellgate.
Butte High JV 45, Missoula Sentinel JV 40
Ellison Graham, Allie Becker and Saege Grey combined for 35 points as the Bulldog JV pulled out a win Jan. 11 in Missoula.Graham scored 16 points, using a pair of 3-pointers. Becker tossed in 10, and Grey netted nine. Butte High also got four points from Autumn Clary, three from Gracie Jonart, two from Ally Godbout and one from Kendallyn Schad. Jonart took home Junkyard Dog honors.
Kaysa Fuller’s 11 poitns paced the Spartans.
Missoula Sentinel sophomores 30, Butte High sophomores 28
The Bulldogs dropped a tough decision Jan. 11 on the road.Reese Johnson scored 10 points to lead the Bulldogs in the game. Avery Barsness scored six points, while Brittyn Klima netted four, and Stella Callaghan, Ellie Yates, Kate DeShaw and Kendallyn Schad each tossed in two.
Butte High freshmen 56, Missoula Sentinel freshmen 7
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures as Butte High went on the road for the lopsided Jan. 11 victory.Evie Smith scored 17 points to lead the way for Butte. Wakely Burleson added 13 points, and Milee Stillwagon and Ava Bryson each tossed in 10. Also, Sage Leber, Kiley Conway and Berkli Salusso scored two points apiece.
Coaches credited the entire squad for playing excellent defense for the entire game. Butte High held Sentinel scoreless in the second half. The coaches singled out Conway, ly Verlanic and Addie Thomson for their great all-around performance.
Butte High JV 48, Kalispell Flathead JV 14
Allie Becker and Elli Graham led the way as eight Bulldog player scored points in the lopsided win Jan. 17 in Kalispell.Becker scored 14 points, and Graham sank three 3-poiners and scored 12. Kendallyn Schad scored six points for Butte, while Saege Grey tossed in five, Gracie Jonart netted four, Autumn Clary and Avery Barsness each scored three, and Reese Johnson scored one.
Kalispell Glacier sophomores 34, Butte High sophomores 28
The Wolfpack turned back Butte High in the sophomore game Jan. 17 in Kalispell.Brittyn Klima’s 11 points led the Bulldogs in the loss. Reese Johnson scored seven points, and Avery Barsness tossed in six.
Butte High also got two points apiece from Kate DeShaw and Kendallyn Schad.
Butte High freshmen 35, Kalispell Glacier freshmen 32
Evie Smith’s 15 points led the way as Butte High’s freshmen held on for the tight road victory Jan. 17.Wakely Burleson was a monster on the defensive end of the court, and Ava Bryson and Smith rebounded the ball with authority, according to Bulldog coaches. Berkli Salusso scored six points and Bryson finished with five. Also, Aly Verlanic, Sage Leber and Burleson each scored three.
Butte High JV 42, Kalispell Flathead JV 26
Ellison Graham had another huge game as the Bulldogs picked up the 16-point win in Kalispell. She sank three 3-pointers in the Jan. 18 win.Allie Becker tossed in eight points, and Kendallyn Schad contributed with seven. Butte High also got four points from Saege Grey, three from Gracie Jonart, two apiece from Brittyn Klima and Avery Barsness, and one point from Reese Johnson.
Butte High sophomores 42, Kalispell Flathead sophomores 24
Brittyn Klima scored 12 points, and Stella Callaghan poured in 10 as the Bulldog sophomores picked up the big win on the road Jan. 18. Callaghan was named Junkyard Dog of the game.Ellie Yates scored six points in the win for Butte High, which got four points apiece from Reese Johnson, Kate DeShaw and Kendallyn Schad. Avery Barsness netted two.
Butte High freshmen 44, Kalispell Flathead freshmen 19
Seven different Butte High players scored as the Bulldogs rolled to victory on the road Jan. 18.Sage Leber scored 10 points, while Evie Smith and Ava Bryson each tossed in eight. Milee Stillwagon, the Junkard Dog of the game, scored seven points.
Butte also got five from Wakely Burleson, four from Berkli Salusso and two from Addie Thomson.
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Hunt, Hazlett, Liva shine in Missoula, Luedtke closes in on history
In Montana wrestling circles, it does not get a whole lot bigger than the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic.
The tournament, held at Missoula Sentinel, is named in honor of the legendary Missoula coach. This year, the tournament brought in 33 teams from Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Butte High’s boys made a strong showing at the event. With 171 team points, the Bulldogs finished fifth in the tournament and third among teams from the Treasure State. Kalispell Flathead brought home the team title with 223 points. Mead, Washington took second at 196.5, followed by Great Falls High at 193 and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 191.
Junior Keegan Hunt and sophomore Bode Hazlett wrestled to individual titles to lead the Bulldogs as we enter crunch time of the season. Hunt took the 103-pound title, while Hazlett won the 138-pound division.
Meanwhile, Butte High junior Peyton Liva won the 100-pound title at the Hellgate Girls Wrestling Invitational across town.
Hunt rolled his record to 33-0 with four wins on his way to the Jug Beck crown. He picked up two wins by pin, one by injury default and one by technical fall.
Hunt made short work of Nash Larson of Coeur d’Alene, pinning him in 1 minute, 24 seconds in the championship match.
Hazlett went 5-0 to run his record to 29-3. That includes four wins by pin and a 10-8 victory over Cut Bank’s Gage Clothier in the title tilt.
Ben Tierney of Butte High reached the semifinals before capturing fifth place at 110 pounds. Will Stepan placed fifth at 150 pounds, while Bradey Doyle (118 pounds), Revels McEwen (126) and Ryder McEwen (144) placed seventh.
Butte Central and Butte High each sent teams to the John Fisher Tournament at Missoula Big Sky.
Lincoln Zell (126), Isaac Zell (118), Kasen O’Keefe (175), Reece Cunneen (165), Bridger Garrison (144), Renzy LeProwse (103), Finn Wortham (150), Cameron Fleege (165), Jake Bailey (157) and Bridger Brancamp (175) scored double digit team points for the Bulldogs.
James Holmes (138), Jack Holmes (126), Kohler Sparks (132) and Tyge Menesses (103) competed for the Maroons.
Butte High’s girls placed sixth in the 12-team Hellgate tournament. Flathead won with 193.5 points. Missoula Big Sky was next at 169.5, followed by Browning at 143, Ronan at 135, Polson at 129.5 and Butte High at 116.5.
Liva took the 100-pound title with a 4-0 performance. That included two pins along the way. She stuck Aubrey Cavan of Havre in 2:15 in the championship match.
Junior Mattie Stepan placed second at 145 pounds for Butte High. She went 4-1 on the tournament with three pins and a major decision. Stepan fell 10-2 to Kaitlyn Thorn of Bozeman in the title bout.
Junior Brooke Johnson took third at 140 pounds for the Bulldogs. She won a 10-9 thriller over Haley Wilson of Flathead in the third-place match.
Freshman Chyanne Robinson placed fifth in the division with a 235-pound limit.
Butte High’s girls competed at Missoula Sentinel on Tuesday. Their upcoming schedule includes a mixer Saturday in Lewistown and a mixer Monday in Dillon.
The Bulldog boys will wrestle at the AA Duals Saturday in Great Falls.
Central’s grapplers will be in Lewistown Friday and Saturday for the Class A Duals.
Complete results from the tournaments are available at trackwrestling.com.
Luedtke within reach of 1,000, Dawson
Butte High junior guard Hudson Luedtke moved up one spot to No. 2 on the Bulldog boys’ all-time scoring list as the Bulldogs went to Kalispell for a pair of Western AA wins last weekend.
Luedtke hit a clutch 3-pointer down the stretch as Butte High overcame a nine-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter to beat Glacier 57-54 Friday night. Luedtke scored 24 points.
He added 26 points less than 24 hours later as the Bulldogs beat Flathead 78-69. The wins lifted Butte High to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in Western AA play.
With 985 points on his career, Luedtke now is 15 points away from becoming Butte High’s second boy to score 1,000 points in his career. That could very well happen Friday when the Bulldogs play host to Missoula Big Sky Friday at the Butte Civic Center.
In Kalsipell, Luedtke passed up Chris Rasmussen, a hero on Butte High’s last state championship team from 1984. Rasmussen finished his storied career with 969 points.
Only John Dawson, who scored 1,022 points from 1966 through 1968, stands above Luedtke ion the all-time Bulldog list.
If Luedtke doesn’t overtake Dawson on Friday, which he could do with a 38-point game, he could do it Jan. 30 when the Bulldogs play host to Helena High at the Richardson Gym.
Senior Torre Tempel had a huge weekend in Kalispell, too. After scoring 13 points against Glacier, Tempel, who was battling an ankle injury earlier in January, tossed in 23 points in the win over Flathead. Tempel hit five 3-pointers in that victory.
Dylan “Bobby” Bache and Braylon Larson each scored 10 points against Glacier. Bache added 14 against Flathead. Larson added eight, while Spencer Callaghan and Kendel Noctor both scored three.
Butte High’s girls’ basketball team, which is 7-2 and 3-1 after the weekend, ran its winning streak to six games with a 61-52 win over Glacier on Friday. A day later, the Dogs saw that streak snapped with a 53-52 loss to Flathead.
Sophomore Cadence Graham scored a total of 46 points on the weekend. Senior Brityn Stewart tossed in 39.
Graham shot 10 for 12 from the free throw line and scored 29 points against Glacier. Stewart hit three 3-pointers and scored 19 points. Butte High also got six points from Dylann Bartoletti, four from Franki Salusso and two apiece from Autumn Clary, Addie Hiatt and Emma Johnson.
Graham and Stewart both scored 20 points against the Bravettes on Saturday. Graham again did a lot of her damage from the charity stripe, hitting 12 of 14 shots. Johnson scored nine points, while Salusso tossed in two, and Bartoletti netted one.
Butte High’s girls will also host Big Sky Thursday at the Civic Center.
Butte Central’s girls went on the road to open Southwestern A play with a 64-22 rout of Stevensville. The win lifted BC to 3-5 overall.
Three Maroons scored in double figures to lead the way in the win. Sophomore Rylee Forbes scored a game-high 18 points in the win. Freshman Kenzie McQueary tossed in 14, while classmate Braelynn Schelin netted 13
Central also got seven points from Zayonna Otherbull, five from Evyn Smith, three from Arika Stajcar and two from Jaedyn Maldonado and Meika Boyer.
At the Maroon Activities Center, the BC boys rolled to a 94-40 win over Stevi in their conference opener. The win evened Central’s overall record to 4-4.
Once again, the Maroons were lights out from the 3-point line. Eight days after setting a school record with 19 made 3-pointers against Anaconda, the Maroons dialed in for 16 long balls against the Yellowjackets.
Senior Owen McPartland sank six threes and scored 30 points to lead the way. Sophomore Joshua Sutton and junior Ryan Peoples each hit four 3-pointers. Sutton scored 21 points, and peoples finished with 17. Patrick Stimatz and Cade Kelly also hit 3-pointers.
Freshman Jaxon Hiatt finished with eight points, Kelly scored seven, GG Fantini and Justus McGee both scored four, and Stimatz finished with the three.
The Maroons will continue Southwestern A play this week with games against Frenchtown and Hamilton. The boys will be at Frenchtown on Thursday, while the girls will play at home.
BC will welcome Hamilton for a doubleheader on Saturday.
Shorthanded Bulldog swimmers compete in Great Falls
Butte High’s swimming teams did not finish on top of team standings Saturday in Great Falls. That is in large part because the Bulldogs were missing some key swimmers.
In all, 10 Butte High swimmers missed the meet because of illness, injury or another school function. However, Bulldog coach Lynn Shrader was impressed with the Bulldogs who made the trip.
Butte High’s girls competed with just five athletes and were missing three of their top six swimmers. They placed eighth.
Junior captain Olivia Thurmond is still recovering from her knee surgery, eighth grader Adalie Grochowski battled an illness, and sophomore Nimalka DeAlwis competed in the speech and debate meet.
“Every girl who swam had at least one best time,” Shrader said. “It was great to see. All are working really hard.”
Junior Tatum Trefts took seventh in the 100-yard breast stroke. She also had a best time in the 50 freestyle, just missing out on the top 10. Sophomore Sophia Fladager saw a 4-second drop in the 100 free to take seventh.
Eighth grader Bryher Fitzpatrick knocked off five seconds in her 200 free to place 10th.
The 200 medley relay of Sophia Fladager, Trefts, Fitzpatrick and Bella Corrales captured sixth. The 200 free relay of Trefts, Bryher, Fitzpatrick, Elly Rumler and Fladager finished eighth.
Butte High’s boys placed sixth, despite have five swimmers gone with an illness.
“Again, everyone who swam and individual event swam at least one best time,” Shrader said. Junior captain Nathan Stone swan a personal-best time in the 100 butterfly by more than half a second to capture fourth. He also took eighth in the 50 free with a PR.
Senior captain Blair Hamry posted a 2-second drop to take 10th in the 100 butterfly. Eight grader Alex Sonnemann took 14 seconds off his best 200 individual medley time to place seventh.
The A medley relay team of Gage Plum, Hamry, Stone and Tucker Kissell captured fifth. The B medley relay of Ayvahn Mann, Jorden Sonnemann, Alex Sonnemann and Alex Cranny swam to 10th.
In the 200 freestyle relay, Hamry, Kissell, Alex Sonneman, and Stone took sixth.
“The team is working hard and getting over illness, and I am looking forward to the next three meets before state,” Shrader said.
Butte High will compete in a meet Saturday at the Butte Family YMCA. Butte Central’s swimmers, who had the week off, will also compete in that meet.
Tech men win fourth straight
Montana Tech’s men’s basketball team rolled its record to 16-4 overall and 4-1 in Frontier Conference lay with wins over Montana Western and the University of Providence.
Tech rolled to a 69-47 win over the Bulldogs Thursday in Dillon before routing Providence 81-56 two days later in Butte.
Four Orediggers scored in double figures to lead the Oredigger men in Dillon. Hayden Diekhans and Michael Ure led the way with 14 points apiece. Brayden Koch scored 13, and Keeley Bake knocked down 10.
In Butte, Diekhans poured in 19 points, while Ure finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ifeanyi Okeke scored 12 points, while Connor Michaud and Josh Coulanges each scored 10 off the bench.
The Tech women are 12-6 and 3-2 after going 1-1 on the week. Both games were decided by just four points. The Orediggers bounced back from Thursday’s 72-68 loss at Western with a 62-58 win on Saturday.
Kenzi Pedersen scored 20 points and Payton Hagy tossed in 18 to lead the Bulldogs on Thursday.
Brooklynn Hankwitz scored 17 points to lead three Orediggers in double figures. Hadley Humphreys scored 13, and Hallie Neibauer tossed in 12. Tech also got nine from Aubrie Rademacher and seven apiece from Liv Wangerin and Brooke Badovinac.
Nine Tech players scored in Saturday’s win. Wangerin’s 14 led the way. Avery Carlson came off the bench to score 10, while Humphreys tossed in nine, and Rademacher netted eight. Neibauer, Badovinac and Kia Wassen all scored five.
The Oredigger men and women will play two home games this week. MSU-Northern comes to town on Thursday before Tech’s teams get a rematch with Rocky Mountain College on Saturday.
Vermillion, Comva win Frontier weekly awards
Montana Tech’s track team competed in a pair of meets last week. Tech competed at the Snake River Open Thursday and Friday in Pocatello, Idaho before sending athletes to the Spokane Indoor Challenge.
Jadyn Vermillion and Kamryn Comba highlighted the Oredigger performance, and they were rewarded with Frontier Conference Athlete of the Week honors. Vermillion was named the top field athlete, while Comba took home the track honors.
Vermillion, a senior from Myrtle Creek, Oregon, took home the honors after her performance in Spokane, a meet that featured schools primarily from the NCAA Division I. She jumped a school-record 18 feet, 7 3/2 inches on her first attempt.
Comba, a junior from Idaho Falls, shattered Tech’s school record in the 800-meter run, taking nearly 4 seconds off the previous record. She finished 17th out of 33 runners, where she was the highest NAIA place finisher at the Snake River Open.
She finished with a time of 2 minutes, 22.14 seconds in the 800-meters for the Orediggers. She also anchored the 1,600-meter relay team that finished with a time of 4:09.93.
Next up for the Orediggers is the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Friday and Saturday in Moscow, Idaho. The Orediggers will compete at the Bobcat Performance meet Jan. 31.
For more on the Orediggers, go to godiggers.com.
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Podcast No. 240: Erik Nylund, Part 1
Erik Nylund just might be the smartest person I know. He is also one of the best people I have ever known.
My 1993 Butte High classmate is a man who will always do what is right. He has a big heart, and he fights for the little man. He fights for children. He fights for whistleblowers who need protection.
Erik worked for Sen. Jon Tester for most of the senator’s 18 years serving Montana. While he did his work for the senator, he always had his eye on social injustices in the Mining City and beyond.
Because he worked for Sen. Tester, though, Erik was always doing his fighting behind the scenes. That is because he said he didn’t have his First Amendment rights to speak freely in public.
Sen. Tester lost his bid for a fourth term in November. While we lose a senator who did a lot for our state, we gained a free-speaking Erik Nylund. Not a terrible trade, if you ask me.
Erik recently went on a rant on Facebook about selling the Crazy Mountains to some billionaires, and his right-on commentary about the injustice it went viral. Hopefully it opened some eyes about the attack our state and country are under from these billionaire oligarchs.
Erik is also an officer in the recently formed Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice. He is joined in that group with longtime Butte fighters Sister Mary Jo McDonald, Mick Ringsak and Evan Barrett. That group has led the effort to pressure the EPA to speed up the timeline for Butte-Silver Bow and British Petroleum to bring the Mining City down to the new acceptable levels of lead.
The EPA is giving them 25 to 40 years to continue to poison the children and adults of Butte. Erik and the Watchdogs want that to be more like 5 years. That’s because Erik has studied cleanups in other places in the United States, and he knows it can be done.
Erik has long been an ally in the fight for real Superfund cleanup in Butte. Now, he his voice is getting a whole lot longer.
Today is the first of two parts of this interview. Part 2 will drop later this week.
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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Our local government must demand that EPA and BP get the lead out now
It really is a battle we should never have to fight.
Nobody should ever have to write to a federal government agency to plead with the bureaucrats to stop the poisoning of children. Nobody should ever have to urge the local government to ask that agency to stop the poisoning today instead of decades from now.
Well, that is exactly what the Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice and some citizens have been doing the last few months since the Environmental Protection Agency announced it was lowering the acceptable lead level in Butte, but with a major caveat.
They are giving Butte-Silver Bow and British Petroleum 25 to 40 years to get affected areas down to the new standard.
That would mean that the lead poisoning that has inflicted the children of Butte for so long will be allowed to continue for generations to come.
Lead poisoning, by the way, is really, really bad. A lot of us have been affected by it, even if we might not realize it. It is particularly harmful to infants and children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead poisoning can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems and hearing and speech problems.
It can cause a lower IQ, decrease ability to pay attention and under performance in school. And the health impacts shown by the Annual Health Needs Assessment conducted by St. James Hospital are an indicator of hazards to adults that may be tied to lead.
So, any person exposed to lead will likely be placed behind the 8 ball for life.
I am willing to bet that every person in Butte or the surrounding area who reads through that list of problems knows at least a few people who suffer from them.
The sad thing is that so many of them could have been prevented, but the EPA decided that the acceptable lead level in Butte was fine at 1,200 parts per million for so many years. The standard for the rest of the country, however, was much lower. Just 26 miles away in Anaconda, the lead standard was set at 400 parts per million.
Somehow, the EPA decided lead wasn’t as damaging in Butte, with ongoing claims that smelting didn’t impact the Mining City. Or maybe the agency just decided that it didn’t care about the people of Butte.
Either way, it is unbelievably unacceptable.
For many years, it has been nearly impossible to differentiate between British Petroleum, the EPA and Butte-Silver Bow. If you didn’t know the players while attending a rare public meeting about Superfund cleanup, it would be impossible to know who was with whom as they pushed the sub-par cleanup on the residents of Silver Bow County.
With government officials telling us how great things were, most of us believed it. We were told the Residential Metals Abatement Program was a model, but there were multi-pathway cleanups before RMAP that moved at a much faster pace with public facing documented results.
Sadly, our government is acting this way in light of the EPA dropping the lead standard to 175 parts per million, which came as a major announcement late last year.
During the first meeting of the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners of 2025, a letter proposing the official comments to the EPA from our local government appeared on the agenda. The fence-sitting letter was supposedly written by Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher and Director of Reclamation & Environmental Services Eric Hassler, and it clearly showed more concern for the bottom line of British Petroleum than it did for the children of Butte.
Evan Barrett, a founding member of the Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice, spoke up and asked the commissioners to hold the letter for a couple of weeks to give the public a chance to comment on it. Thanks to the actions of commissioners Trudy Healy and Jim Fisher, the commission did just that.
Last Wednesday, Barrett, Don “Moose” Petritz and I spoke in front of the Committee of the Whole to simply ask that the official letter from our government forcefully demand that the timeline be drastically sped up.
We don’t want them to hem and haw and write that some citizens have “voiced frustration” over the timeline in the letter. We want them to demand that the cleanup be completed in closer to five years than 25 or 40.
It doesn’t seem too much to ask, and it seems really simple for our leaders to make such an easy statement to show that they are, indeed, more concerned about our children and future children than they are for British Petroleum or impacts to government departments.
We know that British Petroleum, which our government still likes to refers to as “ARCO” even though the international giant bought ARCO for $28.6 billion a quarter of a century ago, has the money to do the job a lot faster than that.
The citizens of Butte have been telling the EPA just that during the comment period that runs until Feb. 14. We simply want our local government to join us in our fight because the official word of the government packs more of a punch with the EPA than a collection of citizen letters.
Commissioners Fisher, Michele Shea, Bill Anderson and Russell O’Leary spoke out and asked questions about the letter at Wednesday’s meeting of the Committee of the Whole.
“I do agree that timeline issue needs to be hit harder from the local government,” Shea, the commissioner for District 2, said. “And the EPA needs to be hit harder on it directly from the public. Twenty-five years is unacceptable. It just is.
“In the meantime, we are harming human health,” Shea said. “It can be done. It’s just a question of willpower and resources.”
Fisher, the Commissioner for District 6, called the timeline “crazy.”
“I think it’s time for Chief Executive Gallagher and Director Hassler and some other people to get firm,” Fisher said, incorporating some frustration over the long Superfund fight in Butte. “We’re tired of this. It’s been 40 years. Let’s start making it happen. Let’s just quit being compliant. Let’s argue. Let’s fight the fight and win this battle.”
Yes, Commissioner Fisher gets it. Scream that over and over ten thousand times. That is all we are saying. That is why I ran for chief executive. We need a leader who will finally — finally — say just that.
Fisher’s comments, along with the comments from me, Barrett and Petritz, appeared to anger Gallagher. He also doesn’t seem to get what we are saying, even though we have said it so many times.
“Nowhere in our letter do we say that we accept 25 years,” Gallagher said in what can best be described as a mini temper tantrum. “Can we be stronger? Yeah, I think we can be stronger.”
The chief executive also said he takes great offense to any suggestions that Butte-Silver Bow is in bed with British Petroleum, which he called “ARCO.”
Well, if you don’t want to be accused of being in bed with the giant oil company, then quit acting like you are in bed with the giant oil company. It really is that simple.
If you don’t accept 25 years, then demand that it be done more quickly. Don’t sit on the fence. Say it with some meaning.
Stand up with us and tell the EPA and BP to get this done in five years. Stand up and say that we will not tolerate the continued poisoning of our children.
Then we will pat you on the back and fight with you, instead of against you. Then we will believe you when you tell us you are “fighting as hard as anybody else.”
In the meantime, we citizens are still on our own. So, we have to speak up and fight for ourselves.
Make sure to email your comments demanding the work be done in five years to EPAButtePPcomments@epa.gov. Tell the EPA to get the lead out now.
It wouldn’t hurt to call and email every commissioner and implore them to be forceful with the EPA, too. It wouldn’t hurt to call and email the chief executive and tell him to do the same.
Yes, it is a battle we should never have to fight. But yet we find ourselves here again. So, let’s fight it with all our might.
Maybe someday our local government will join us.
— Bill Foley, who won’t quit fighting because he lost an election, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Butte Central girls’ subvarsity report
Following are the Butte Central girls’ basketball subvarsity reports for recent games, as provided by coaches.
Freshmen
Butte Central 28, Livingston 15
Eight BC players scored points as the Maroons picked up a convincing win over the Rangers Jan. 13 at the Maroon Activities Center.Cambri Campbell, a quick defensive leader at guard, poured in nine points to lead the Maroons in the win. Karla Reich scored five points, while Ashley White and Olivia Scott each netted three. Central also got two points apiece from Kodee Badovinac, Evyn Tippett, Lily Laronde and Jaylee Williams.
Butte Central 37, Ronan 30
Evyn Tippett went off to lead the Maroons to a tough win over Ronan Jan. 14 at the MAC.Tippett poured in 15 points to lead seven different Maroons scoring points in the win. She is also a key defense presence for the Maroons out top.
Karla Reich added six points for BC, while Cambri Campbell scored five and Kodee Badovinac and Ashley White each scored four. Central also got two points from Lily LaRonde and one from Olivia Scott.
Butte Central 68, Stevensville 8
Three Central players scored in double figures as the Maroons rolled to the big win in the Bitterroot Valley Jan. 18.Evyn Tippett scored 18 points to lead the way in the lopsided victory. Karla Reich added 16 points for BC, and Ashley White poured in 15.
Olivia Scott contributed with nine points for BC, which got six points from Harper McGree and four from Cambri Campbell.
Junior varsity
Butte Central 28, Anaconda 17
Jaedyn Maldonado shined Jan. 10 as Butte Central knocked off Anaconda 28-17 at the MAC.The freshman scored 12 points, as eight Maroons scored in the win over the rival Copperheads. Natalie Osterman scored four points, while BC got two apiece from Isla Bengston, Caden Tippett, Evyn Tippett, Karla Reich, Alex Morey and Meika Boyer.
Ronan 57, Butte Central 24
Five Central players scored points, but Ronan was too much for the Maroons Jan. 14 at the MAC.Jaedyn Maldonado scored nine points, and Meika Boyer added seven to lead BC in the loss. Alex Morey scored four points, while Caden Tippett and Evyn Tippett each tossed in two.
Butte Central 51, Stevensville 15
The Maroons bounced back in a big way with a rout of the Yellowjackets Jan. 18 in Stevensville.Evyn Tippett and Jaedyn Maldonaldo each scored 10 points, and Meika Boyer added nine in the rout. BC also got seven points from Isla Bengston, five from Karla Reich, three from Natalie Osterman and Braelynn Schelin, and two from Cambri Campbell and Ashley White.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 