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Podcast No. 299: Dr. Jim Barry
Dr. Jim Barry was — and I suppose will always be — a “Muni Kid.”
That means, like a lot of us, Jim grew up golfing at the Highland View Golf Course in the Jack Crowley days. He would get dropped off early in the morning and play golf at the Muni all day long.
The 1989 Butte High graduate was a very good golfer, too, playing for legendary coach Ed Yoe on a Butte High golf team that specialized in having fun. Jim raced on skis, and he was a receiver for the Butte High football team. As a junior in 1987, Jim caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Todd Paffhausen in Butte High’s 29-6 win over Butte Central.
Today, Jim is a doctor in Denver. Of course, that statement does not even begin to describe what he does. He is the medical director of the University of Colorado Hospital, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He is a professor with the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology at the University of Colorado Medicine.
He has been on the cutting edge of treating very sick infants for a quarter of a century.
Every day, Jim learns more about his profession, too. He is currently working to incorporate AI into the practice of medicine, and he is excited about the possibilities.
Before all that, though, Jim grew up on the Big Hole River in Divide, where he attended a two-room school house. The went to West Junior High School before attending Butte High, Montana State University and Creighton University Medical School. His education has never really stopped.
Listen in to this episode as Jim he talks about growing up on the river and at the Muni. Listen as he talks about how he cheered for his former Butte High teammates at the University of Montana, even though he was a student at MSU.
Listen in to hear Jim talk about his family, career and how he is still as excited about medicine as he has ever been. Listen why Jim is not ready to retire, and we are all glad that he did not listen to a high school test result and become a garbage man. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Today’s episode is presented by the Jewelry Design Center. Let Brian Toone and Co. be your jewelers for life.
This episode is available on YouTube.
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Peoples, Yotes play in Helena, Dillon
COI battles Saints, Dawgs
Butte native Dougie Peoples and the defending NAIA national champion College of Idaho men’s basketball team will play the first two games of its title defense an hour away from the Mining City.
The Yotes will be in Helena Saturday to take on Carroll College in a 6 p.m. game at the P.E. Center. COI will then play Montana Western in a 5 p.m. game Monday at Straugh Gymnasium in Dillon.
COI dropped a 111-63 exhibition game Saturday at NCAA Division I University of Wyoming Saturday. Peoples led the Yotes offense with 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He sank three 3-pointers and grabbed four rebounds.
The 6-foot-5, 175-pound Peoples won the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023, the year he graduated from Butte Central. In March of 2022, Peoples hit a 27-foot shot at the buzzer to give the Maroons a 61-58 win over Lewistown in the Class A State championship game in Missoula. He scored 37 points in that title game.
During his prep career, Peoples scored more points than any high school boy in Mining City history. Without tossing in a single varsity point as a freshman, Peoples closed his career with 1,683 points for the Maroons. Only Butte High’s Lexie Nelson, who scored 1,696 from 2007 through 2010, scored more points playing high school basketball in Butte.
Peoples also owns BC’s single-game record for points scored in a game with 44.
In the 2025 NAIA national championship game, Peoples scored 21 points in 15 minutes of the Yotes’ 93-65 win over Oklahoma Wesleyan. He shot 5 for 7 from 3-point land in the March 25 game, which was played at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The win capped a 35-2 campaign for the Yotes.
The College of Idaho will host the Taco Bell Shootout Nov. 7-8 in Caldwell.
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Maroons, Dogs hit the road for playoffs
The football teams from Butte Central and Butte High will hit the road for the Montana football playoffs Friday.
Central plays at Whitefish in the Class AA playoffs (bracket), while Butte High will head to the Electric City to take on Great Falls Russell in the Class AA playoffs (bracket). Both games kickoff at 7 p.m.
The Maroons are making their first playoff appearance since 2019 after knocking off nemesis Dillon 38-27 Friday night on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field. They are facing Whitefish in the playoffs for the first time since Marcus Ferriter and the Maroons terrorized the Bulldogs in a 37-13 semifinal win in 2014.
The winner of the first-round game will play at Central A champion Laurel next Friday.
Whitefish finished the regular season at 6-2 and placed second in the Northwestern A at 4-1. The team’s lone conference loss was a 19-18 home decision to league champion Columbia Falls on Oct. 10.
The Bulldogs closed the season with road wins over Libby and Bigfork.
Whitefish enters the game with a strong rushing attack, led by junior dual-threat quarterback Luke Dalen. He has completed 61 percent of his passes for 861 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. On the ground, Dalen has racked up 450 yards and 12 scores.
Senior Cole Moses has parted the opposing defenses for a 6.8 yards-per-carry average for 745 yards and six touchdowns.
Junior Vlad Shestak is Dalen’s go-to receiver. He has hauled in 27 receptions for 470 yards and two touchdowns.
The Whitefish defense has picked off 14 passes, with Shestak, senior Cooper Akey and junior Sam Ranford each hauling in three
Senior quarterback Ryan Peoples leads the BC offense into the playoff tilt. He passed for 1,618 yards and 19 touchdowns in the eight regular-season games. He was picked off six times.
Peoples has some serious weapons on his side, led by junior GG Fantini’s 26 receptions for 26 yards. Senior Jack Nagle caught 21 passes for 291 yards, and junior Joshua Sutton grabbed 20 passes for 476 yards.
Fantini, Nagle and Sutton have each scored four receiving touchdowns. Sutton and Fantini have both returned kicks for touchdowns.
Freshman Henly Mansanti leads the team with 130 yards rushing. He and Peoples have each scored a pair of rushing TDs behind an offensive line made up of seniors Colt Hassler and J.J. Taylor, and juniors Burkley Lakkala, Jack Nylund and Bobby McCarthy.
Sutton’s three interceptions leads the team. Sophomore Jaxon Hiatt has picked off two, while junior Noah Sutton, seniors Tony Stajcar and Manny Weang joined Fantini and Mansanti with one.
The Butte High Bulldogs woke up in a big way, winning their last two games in convincing fashion to qualify for the playoffs as the No. 6 seed from the Western AA. CMR is the No. 3 seed from the Eastern AA.
The winner of the battle at Memorial Stadium will head to Missoula to take on Western AA champion Big Sky.
Eight days after thumping Missoula Hellgate 36-10 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the Bulldogs celebrated Senior Night with a 17-0 win over Helena Capital, ending the season for their old nemesis.
Junior quarterback Raeder Grey has performed well since taking over behind center in the fourth game of the season. He has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,033 yards and nine touchdowns. He has been picked off twice.
Grey is also a threat on the ground, where he has picked up 250 yards (with sacks factored in) for three scores.
Senior Peyton Johnson leads the team with 454 yards rushing behind an offensive line made up of Keegan Swischer, Kadyn Sommer, Gannon Sullivan, Waylond Hicks and Grady Foley, and junior Mason Swanson. Foley saw his first time at right tackle in place of Swanson, who left the Capital game with an injury.
Senior Gunner Bushman has emerged as a short-yardage threat for the Bulldogs. He has punched in four touchdowns.
Senior tight end Hudson Luedtke, who has positioned himself for a fourth straight All-State selection, has caught 69 passes for 748 yards and six touchdowns.
Senior Kaleb Celli added 25 catches for 291 yards and three scores.
Juniors Brady Walsh and Koda Schleeman and sophomore Kodye Kjersten are also threats in the passing game for the Bulldogs.
Senior defensive back Mitch Verlanic leads the Bulldogs with 93 total tackles. Junior Jaeger Hansen flows with 68, while Bushman has 61.
Junior backer Finn Wortham has racked up 47 take downs since stepping into the starting lineup for injured classmate Miner Lee.
Luedtke, junior Bradey Doyle, Grey, Kjersten, senior Bridger Brancamp, senior Jacob Galle, Foley, Sommer and junior Kason Snyder have racked up double digits in tackles. Brancamp leads the team with six sacks, and Verlanic has a team-best three interceptions.
Hansen picked of two passes, while Kjersten, Hicks, Doyle and Luedtke each grabbed one.
Doyle also handles place kicking duties for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Tegan Duffy kicks off, and senior Brooks Vincent, who doubles as a receiver, handles the punting.
CMR enters the game after closing the season with a 16-3 loss to Great Falls High last week. That loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Rustlers, who bounced back from a 40-0 loss at Billings West with a 25-0 win over Billings Senior, a 27-21 victory at Bozeman, and a 32-8 home win over Billings Skyview.
Senior quarterback Caleb Taylor is completing 58 percent of his passes. He racked up 1,512 yards and eight touchdowns. He was picked off five times.
Drew Etcheberry’s 37 receptions for 448 yards leads the CMR receiving crops. Blake Herda has 25 grabs for 244 yards, and junior Ben Cunningham added 21 grabs for 358. Senior Jaxon Dixon joined Herda and Cunningham with two receiving TDs.
Junior Donavin Scribner has 468 yards on the ground, while senior Hunter Lee has scored eight touchdowns on the ground.
Lee leads the team with 70 total tackles, and classmate Damon Montano picked off three passes.
Butte High won a first-round game on the same field last Nov. 1, beating Great Falls High 21-17. This is the first meeting between the Bulldogs and Rustlers since Butte High toppled CMR 52-21 Sept. 6, 2019 in Great Falls.
Bengals stop Dogs in four
Senior Night started off on the right foot for the Butte High volleyball team Tuesday night at the Richardson Gym.
The Bulldogs honored seniors Makenzie Dayhuff, Audrey McClafferty and Gracie Jonart, and their parents, before taking the first set 25-21 from Helena High. The Bengals, though, stormed back with wins of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-21 to win the Western AA match. (Boxscore)
The loss ends Butte High’s chances of qualifying for the Class AA playoffs.
Junior Allie Becker tallied 14 kills to lead Butte High’s attack. Jonart spiked 10 kills, while junior Avery Barsness followed with six, and freshman Ellison Graham killed four.
Juniors Cadence Graham and Ellie Yates each served three aces. Becker, who served two aces, led five Bulldogs in double figures with 23 digs. Cadence Graham collected 15 digs, Ellison Graham followed with 14, and Jonart and Yates each dug 10.
The Bulldogs will close the season Thursday with a Western AA match at Helena Capital.
Central puts season on the line
Butte Central’s volleyball team closed the regular season with a trio of three-set losses in the last week. The Maroons fell 25-5, 25-6, 25-10 Thursday at Frenchtown before returning home and dropping a 25-7, 25-13, 25-9 decision Saturday to Hamilton. Then, BC fell 25-18, 25-17, 25-15 Tuesday night in Dillon.
Now, the Maroons will put their season on the line Thursday in a Western A Divisional play-in match at Corvallis. First serve is set for 6 p.m. for the battle, and the winner will play in another play-in match on Saturday.
Saturday’s winner will advance to the Western A Divisional in Libby Nov. 6-8.
Before Saturday’s match, the Maroons honored seniors Arika Stajcar and Logan LeProwse and their parents. Other members of the BC varsity team are juniors Rylee Forbes and Presli Smith and sophomores Kodee Badovinac, Braelynn Schelin, Jaedyn Maldonado, Kenzie McQueary, Zayonna Otherbull and Natalie Osterman.
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Senior Night turned out to be special
Senior Night is for the moms. That is something I have said for years.
The mothers make a huge deal out of the last home game for their senior players, and the fathers kind of uncomfortably go through the motions.
As I walked through the blowup Bulldog onto Naranche Stadium with my senior son, his mother, grandmother and two sisters Friday night, I realized that I might have been wrong about that.
As we walked, I was filled with pride that my son was a Butte High Bulldog. Not only was it an honor to watch my boy play for the home team at Naranche Stadium, it was something that I did not think was possible just a few years ago.
In 2021, we thought he might be headed to a life in a wheelchair because he was showing some real signs of having muscular dystrophy. We drove around the state and took him to children’s hospitals in Salt Lake City and Seattle before we finally got some good news.
Instead of an irreversible genetic disorder, Grady was suffering from side effects from the heavy doses of medicine he was given during severe asthma attacks that required Life Flights to Missoula in 2015 and 2019.
In July of 2021, a little more than a month before he started eighth grade, a Seattle neurologist told us that Grady would grow out his problems. The high doses of steroids destroyed his leg muscles and made him gain weight. He needed physical therapy to learn how to run again.
During his physical for his freshman year of football, Grady was 5 feet, 4 inches and 225 pounds. During his physical for his senior year, he was measured at 6-1, and 190. He grew 9 inches and lost 35 pounds.
That was all fueled by his desire to win football games with the Bulldogs. When he wasn’t lifting with the team early in the morning, he was spending his Saturday nights working out at the Knights of Columbus. So, every snap he takes for the team makes me beam with pride.
But that pride does not stop with my son. As we walked onto the field for Senior Night Friday, I thought about so many of the other seniors who were walking with their families at Naranche and with Butte Central on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field.
I coached or coached against many of them in baseball and grade school basketball. Others I just know from watching them play with my son. I couldn’t help but get a little emotional when I thought about them playing their last football games on their home turf, too.
Because of health reasons, Cayde Stajcar did not play football his senior year, but he is very much a part of the team, wearing his No. 0 to every game. I knew Cayde was going to be something special the first Saturday morning I took my son to play in the Knights of Columbus Little Kids Hoops Program.
Not only was Cayde an incredible athlete at a young age, he went out of his way to make sure the other boys and girls got to shoot and have fun.
As a Little League coach, I never beat one of Cayde’s team. The same could be said for Brooks Vincent, who just seems to be so dang good at every sport he tries.
I have photos of a tiny Kaleb Celli and Grady with Montana Tech stars like Zach Bunney, Quinn McQueary and Nolan Saracini. I’ll never forget throwing him passes from our deck to the trampoline as Kaleb gave me instructions to “Odell me” so he could make a one-handed catch like Odell Beckham Jr.
Now Kaleb is making those tough catches for the Bulldogs, and in the playoffs, nonetheless.
Hudson Luedtke will go down as one of the greatest Butte High athletes of all time. He is the all-time leading scorer for the basketball program — with one year left to play — and should earn All-State honors in football for the fourth straight year.
I have followed the career of Gunner Bushman since his mother and I were competing sixth-grade basketball coaches. I thought baseball was his best game until I saw him play defense for the football team this year.
College coaches should be beating down his door.
That goes for Mitch Verlanic, too. For the past two years, he has proven to be one of the best Butte High defensive players of the century.
I coached Bridger Brancamp in baseball, and he did not like baseball too much. Football and wrestling are more his game, and nobody on the team works harder than him in the weight room.
Jeremiah Johnson used to walk into my house, grab the remote control and turn Netflix to “Quarterback.” He told me he was going to play for Oregon. He’s not, but he is one of my favorite Bulldogs of all time, even though he doesn’t play a ton.
Just hearing his name, or nickname “Niner,” makes me smile.
Peyton Johnson has some blazing speed, and he turned out to be one heck of a running back, just like his cousins Kameron and Kobe Moreno.
I feel like I know Kadyn Sommer, Gannon Sullivan, Waylon Hicks and Keegan Swisher because I always focused so much on the trenches. That is something parents of linemen do.
Over at BC, Ryan Peoples taught my son how to climb a fence. They were climbing into the baseball field while their older siblings played in a coach-pitch game.
A year or two later, Ryan was Grady’s first fight. I’m not sure who won that fight at the Stodden Park playground. But Round 2 nearly started when they argued about the outcome.
I knew the name Colt Hassler long before Grady played with him on the Dirt Ballers baseball team. He could hit the baseball out of sight by the time he was 11 years old.
Everyone calls Kelton Keane “Stewie” or “Stew.” He was primed for a big senior year. Unfortunately, he injured his knee on the first kickoff off the season this year. I truly hope he will be back in time to play baseball.
I’ve known Tony Stajcar’s parents for nearly 40 years. While he probably gets his speed from his dad, Mark, I know he gets his toughness from his mom, Annette, whom I still call “Gert.” Tony is almost as tough as his twin sister, Arika, who plays volleyball and basketball for the Maroons.
I got to talk to Jack Nagle after he booted a last-second field-goal to lift the Maroons to a win over Hardin earlier this season. It was the only BC game I got to watch this year because the Maroons and Bulldogs always play at the same time, and not against each other. I wish I could have seen him play a few more times.
Those are just some of the senior football players I feel like I know pretty well. I also followed the careers of so many seniors who play volleyball, soccer and golf. For instance, volleyball player Gracie Jonart smacked at least 200 hits off me when I was the pitcher in her coach-pitch games.
I also knew Mattie Stepan was a tough competitor when, as a first grader, she delivered the hardest foul of Grady’s basketball career at the KC.
As her dad pointed out, though, Grady missed the free throws, so it was a good foul.
So, I did not hear much of what the public address announcer was saying about Grady as we took the arm-in-arm senior walk. The PA system at Naranche leaves much to be desired, plus I was thinking about all those seniors.
That is about the time I realized that Senior Night is not just for the moms.
— Bill Foley, who is usually uncomfortably going through the motions, 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 Sports Hall of Fame now accepting nominations for 2026
The nomination period for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be open from now until the end of the year.
Athletes must be nominated to be considered for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame, and only those nominated before the deadline will be considered. No exceptions will be made.
Those nominated in the last several selection processes do not need to be re-nominated. Re-nominations, though, can be made for the purpose of providing more information on a nominee.
Candidates who are 15 years or more removed from high school and have finished competing at their highest level of their sport are eligible for selection into the Hall. Categories are also available for head coaches, old timers (50 plus years) and contributors.
A public forum will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26 at the McQueen Club. The forum will allow people to make a presentation on behalf of nominees in front of the selection committee. All presentations will be strictly limited to 3 minutes. Letters of recommendation and/or short videos of support can be submitted to the Hall of Fame selection committee.
The 2026 inductees will be named in February, and the Green Jacket and Induction ceremonies will be held July 24 and 25 at the Butte Civic Center.
To submit a nomination, email as much information as possible to Bill Foley at foles74@gmail.com.
For more information, call or text Foley at (406) 491-3022.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Avery Barsness and GG Fantini
Butte High volleyball player Avery Barsness and Butte Central football player GG Fantini are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Barsness takes home the girls’ honor, while Fantini receives the boys’ award.
Barsness, a 5-foot-7 hitter, smacked a team-leading 14 kills Thursday as the Bulldogs knocked off Kalispell Flathead in a four-set match at the Richardson Gym. She added two blocks and five digs in the home victory.
The next day, Barsness spiked eight kills and registered a pair of blocks in a 3-1 home loss to Kalispell Flathead. Barsness is ranked second on the team with 139 kills on the season. She ranks fourth with 19 blocks.
Barsness also plays basketball and softball for the Bulldogs.
Fantini, a 5-11, 185-pound junior receiver/linebacker, had a monster game to help the Maroons pick up perhaps their biggest win of the last decade, a 38-27 playoff-clinching win over Dillon. Fantini hauled in six passes for 102 yards. That includes a 67-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Peoples.
Fantini also got Central’s scoring started with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The victory was the first for BC over Dillon since the 2014 regular-season, and it sends the Maroons to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
For the third year, Leskovar Honda 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 Barsness courtesy of Alycia Holland Photography. The photo of Fantini was provided by Jalen “Hollywood” Foley.
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Year 10 of Rock League is underway
Five teams opened the 10th season of the Rock 3 on 3 Youth Basketball League with a pair of victories Sunday at the Maroon Activities Center.
The Lil Ballers, Mining City Heat and Butte Buckets went 2-0 in the division for boys in the third and fourth grade, while the Belmont Ballers and Pit Crew won both games in the division for boys in fifth and sixth grade.
Kasen Carpino, Jaxon Bair, Case Chambers and Logan Regan make up the Lil Ballers. Beau Samson, Kellen O’Brien, Cooper Ralph and Luke McHugh play for the Mining City Heat, and Rhett Johnson, Vince Connors, Hugo Sorenson and Finn Cook play for the Butte Buckets.
In the older division, Tucker McIntyre, Brody Evenson, Conner Gallagher and Hunter Liston make up the Belmont Ballers, and Cashton Schneider, Hunter Boyle, Blake Vaira and Lucas Godbout play for the Pit Crew.
Each team will play two games on Sunday afternoons through Nov. 23. Click the link below to see Week 1 scores, standings and the Week 2 schedule.
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KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of Oct. 27.
Monday
7 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. RanchmensTuesday
7 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Everett-Cook Law
8 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Jellyfam
9 p.m. — Poi Time vs. ParishWednesday
7 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. Parish
8 p.m. — Poi Time vs. Rosary Rattlers
9 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. RanchmensThursday
7 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Hoopballas
8 p.m. — Rosary Rattlers vs. Someday Starters
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Camden Houchin runs to fourth place at MHSA Cross Country meet
Wiltsie 19th; Sophia Houchin 29th
MISSOULA — The Mining City has its first All-State cross country runner in 14 years.
Butte High senior Camden Houchin pulled off that feat Saturday, running to a fourth-place finish in the Class AA boys’ division of the Montana High School Association State Cross Country Meet on the University of Montana Golf Course. (Results)
Houchin completed the 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 59.9 seconds. Bozeman senior Miles Halvorsen won the race with a time of 15:34 Bozeman junior Taylor Neil took second in 15:42, and Helena junior Milo Kauffman finished third in 15:54.
Missoula Hellgate junior Miles Miller was just behind Houchin in 16:01.
The top 15 runners in each race earn All-State honors. The last Butte High boy to stake that claim came in 2011 when Josh Panasuk placed seventh in 2011. The fourth-place finish was the best for Butte High since Ethan Shrader placed second in 2008.
Fellow Butte High senior Levi Wiltsie placed 19th with a time of 16:36, missing All-State honors by just 14 seconds. That would have been the best Butte High finish since 2011 had it not been for Houchin’s great performance. Houchin placed 21st a year ago.
As a team, the Butte High boys placed ninth, and the Bulldogs put together their best team time in the 5K era, beating their second best by almost five minutes.
Bozeman won the team title with 41 points. Helena High took second with 85, and Hellgate placed third at 101. The Bulldogs score 223 points, one point more than eighth-place Gallatin.
“We made a huge leap forward this year with the boys’ team — especially the seniors,” Bulldog coach Guy Wadas said. “We talked about leaving a legacy. Hopefully the younger runners see what’s possible for next year.”
Also for the Butte High boys, senior Lincoln Zell placed 44th with a time of 17:19, senor Charles Killebrew placed 77th 17:55, senior Bridger Luebke took 79th in 17:58 senior Ryan Hanson took 87th in 1817, and sophomore Isaac Zell placed 92rd in 18:22
Freshman Sophia Houchin paced the Butte High girls. She placed 29th with a time of 20:07. That came one year after she placed 40th as an eighth grader.
The last Butte High girl to earn All-State accolades was Keli Dennehy, who placed third in 2008 and 2009
Freshman Ada Thiel of Glacier won the girls’ Class AA race in 18:21. Junior teammate Lauren Bissen took second at 18:22, and Bozeman freshman Phoebe Maixner placed third in 18:27.
Bozeman won the girls’ team title with 49 points. Gallatin was second at 63, followed by Helena High at 88 Butte High finished 11th at 329.
“The girls are young and did a lot of good things this year, too,” Wadas said. “I hope we can build momentum with both the boys and girls through track and into next fall. Everything achieved this year was a team effort. I’m thankful for the team we had and my assistant coaches who got us to this level. “
Freshman Elsa Theiszen placed 54th for Butte High, finishing in 21:06. Sophomore Penelope Luebke took 58th in 21:15, and sophomore Wakely Burleson took 85th in 22:32. Also for the Bulldogs, senior Kellie Jo Carpenter finished in 23:53, sophomore Adalaide Thomson finished in 24:14, and sophomore Cambree O’Neill crossed in 25:45.
Two runners competed for Butte Central’s boys in the Class A race. Junior Jack Holmes crossed in 22:12, and classmate Joe Bradshaw finished in 22:57.
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Dogs, Maroons punch playoff tickets
The Butte High Bulldogs and Butte Central Maroons punched their tickets to the football playoffs Friday night with home victories.
Those wins came over some old nemeses, too.
Butte High beat Helena Capital 17-0 in a Western AA game at Naranche Stadium. That win coupled with Missoula Sentinel’s 21-7 win over Kalispell Flathead secures a spot for the Bulldogs in the Class AA playoffs. They will most likely play at Great Falls Russell next Friday night.
Butte Central beat Dillon 38-27 on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field. The win sends the Maroons to the Class A playoffs. It was the first win by BC over Dillon since the 2014 regular season, and the first trip to the postseason for the Maroons since 2019.
Junior quarterback Raeder Grey ran for 123 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs in their win. He also passed for 85 yards and a score.
Butte High took the lead for good on a 21-yard field by Bradey Doyle early in the second quarter. The Dogs made it a 10-0 game when sophomore Kodye Kjersten made a great grab for a 27-yard TD reception from Grey.
Grey capped the scoring late in the third quarter with a 3-yard run.
Senior Peyton Johnson added 73 yards on the ground, and classmate Gunner Bushman ran for 17 as the Bulldogs amassed 212 rushing yards behind an offensive line made up of seniors Keegan Swischer, Kadyn Sommer, Gannon Sullivan, Waylond Hicks and Grady Foley, and junior Mason Swanson.
Foley filled in at right tackle after Swanson left the game with an injury.
Brady Walsh caught three passes for 45 yards. Johnson added two grabs, and senior Hudson Luedtke joined Kjersten with one.
Luedtke and junior Jaeger Hansen led the Bulldogs with eight tackles. Bushman got in on six, while seniors Mitch Verlanic and Bridger Brancamp joined Foley with five. Grey and junior Finn Wortham got in on four.
Butte High registered five sacks. Foley and Junior Max Pearston each got in on two, while Luedtke, Brancamp, Wortham and senior Jacob Galle all got in on one. Galle and Sommer each also recovered a fumble.
Butte High closes the regular season at 3-6 overall and 2-5 in conference. Their two wins to end the regular season mean the Bulldogs will be still playing next week.
The Maroons close the regular season at 5-3 and 3-2. Bruce Sayler will have a full boxscore and game story at ButteSports.com.
Click the link below for complete stats from Butte High’s win over Capital.
