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Rock League starts Sunday
Year No. 10 of the Rock 3 on 3 Youth Basketball League will begin Sunday at the Maroon Activities Center.
The league will run every Sunday afternoon through Nov. 23. Click the link below to see the team rosters and Week 1 schedule.
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Podcast No. 298: Dan Lacey
Dan Lacey was an all-conference receiver for Butte High as a senior in 2002.
He played for Butte High head football coaches Steve Schulte and Greg Salo before coaching under Arie Grey as a student teacher. He also played basketball for coach John Thatcher with the Bulldogs.
Today, Lacey is on his way to writing his own legend as a high school coach in the Smelter City. Lacey is in his third year coaching the Anaconda High School football team, and the Copperheads are headed to the Class B playoffs for the first time since 2015.
First, the Copperheads have a rivalry game to close out the regular season Friday night in Deer Lodge.
Lacey took over the Copperhead program in 2023. That came after a successful nine-year run as head football coach in Whitehall, where he also coached basketball and track while serving as the activities director of the high school.
He moved to Anaconda for a change in scenery and a new challenge. Boy was it a challenge. In the five seasons before Lacey arrived in Anaconda, the Copperheads won a total of three games. The coach worked to change the culture, and now the wins are finally starting to come.
Listen in to this episode as he talks about playing for the Bulldogs and getting into coaching. Listen to how he worked on the attitude and culture before he worked on the wins and losses.
Listen to some of the coaches who influenced him along the way, and get a look at how the Copperheads are going to do when the postseason arrives in the Smelter City next week.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the local’s eat.
Photo above is courtesy Melissa Hempstead. Watch the episode on YouTube:
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It’s do-or-die time for Dogs, Maroons
Teams set to honor seniors, runners eye State success
The playoffs effectively start Friday for Butte High and Butte Central’s football teams.
Both teams will close out the regular season with Senior Night games in Uptown Butte. Butte High will play defending State champion Helena Capital in a Western AA game at Naranche Stadium, while Central will take on Dillon in a Southwestern A tilt on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field.
No so conveniently for Butte sports fans, both games kick off at 7 p.m.
While these games are not part of a bracket, they are very much do or die for the Bulldogs and Maroons. So, for all intents and purposes, these are playoff games.
A win by the Maroons would send BC to the Class A playoffs for the first time since 2019. Butte High can qualify for the Class AA playoffs with a win over the Bruins coupled with a loss by Kalispell Flathead at Missoula Sentinel.
The Bulldogs and Bruins both enter the game at 2-6 overall and 1-5 in conference. They are vying for the No. 6 playoff seed from the West.
Butte High, which has not missed the playoff since 2017, is coming off last Thursday’s 36-10 win over Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula.
Junior quarterback Raeder Grey threw for two touchdowns and ran for one more to lead the Bulldogs in the victory that halted a five-game losing streak. He threw touchdowns to senior Hudson Luedtke and sophomore Kodye Kjersten.
Butte High got the running game going for the first time in several weeks behind the offensive line comprised of seniors Gannon Sullivan, Keegan Swisher, Waylond Hicks and Kaydyn Sommer, junior Mason Swanson and sophomore Sawyer Casey. Senior Peyton Johnson picked up 98 yards on 24 carries. Grey scrambled for 63 yards on 14 carries, and senior Gunner Bushman added two touchdowns on the ground.
Per usual, senior defensive back Mitch Verlanic led the Bulldogs with eight tackles, all of Whicher were the solo variety. Junior linebacker Finn Wortham, who has been one of Butte High’s best defenders since injury forced him into the lineup early in the season, followed with eight. Bushman, senior Bridger Brancamp and junior Jaeger Hansen each got in on four takedowns.
Brancamp also was credited with three or Butte High’s season-best six sacks. Luedke had two, and senior Jacob Galle registered one.
The Bruins come to town with wins over Belgrade and Flathead. They beat Flathead 27-20 Oct. 3 in Helena. That win was followed by a 35-14 loss at Hellgate and a 35-0 home loss to Sentinel.
Junior quarterback Carson Toivonen, whose parents were both standout athletes at Butte High, is completing 60 percent of his passes for the Bruins.
Senior Brit Linder leads a formidable Capital rushing attack. He is averaging 7.1 yards per carry for 870 yards and 12 of Capital’s 17 total touchdowns.
The Bulldogs will honor their seniors and their parents before the game. The seniors are Cayde Stajcar, Johnson, Kaleb Celli, Bushman, Jeremiah Johnson, Verlanic, Luedtke, Brooks Vincent, Preston Jensen, Cole Coyne, Galle, Brancamp, Caden Phillips, Hicks, Sommer, Grady Foley, Sullivan, Swisher, Carlos Navarro and Drew Henson.
Stajcar missed the season with a medical issue, while Jensen suffered a season-ending injury early in the campaign.
The Maroons have suffered a pair of lopsided road losses to Frenchtown and Hamilton the past two weeks. That came after BC ripped off four straight victories.
Dillon comes to town at 2-5 overall and 2-2 in Southwestern A play. BC is 4-3 and 2-2.
Junior quarterback Canin Christiansen lead the Beavers into action. He has passed for 1,309 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has been picked off just two times. He has also run for 182 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior Hank Hagenbarth averages 4.8 points per game. He has scored twice.
Senior quarterback Ryan Peoples has passed for 1,270 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games. Senior GG Fantini and junior Joshua Sutton each caught three of the TD passes. Senior Jack Nagle caught two, while sophomores Jaxon Hiatt and Treigh Hollow and freshman Henly Mansanti each caught one.
Mansanti joined Peoples with two rushing TDs. Hiatt scored one.
Mansanti, Hollow, senior J.J. Taylor and sophomore Palmer Kellicut share the team lead in sacks. Kellicut was named the BC Player of the Week.
BC will honor their seniors and parents before the game. The seniors are Nagle, Peoples, Keltan Keane, Manny Weang, Tony Stajcar, Fantini, Taylor and Colt Hassler.
Keane missed all but the first play of the season with a knee injury.
BC spikers set to honor seniors
Butte Central’s volleyball team did not pick up a victory Saturday in Corvallis. The Maroons, though, continued to show improvement and a competitive attitude in a 25-16, 29-27, 25-21 Southwestern A loss to the Blue Devils.
The Maroons will be back on the road Thursday to take on Frenchtown in a Southwestern A battle. Then, BC will celebrate Senior Day Saturday when Hamilton comes to town.
Central’s seniors are Arika Stajcar and Logan LeProwse.
The Maroons will close out the regular season Oct. 28 at Dillon.
Butte High’s volleyball team, meanwhile, has not played since the Bulldogs beat Missoula Big Sky 3-1 Oct. 14 in Butte. Butte High will play host to Kalispell Flathead and Kalispell Glacier this Thursday and Friday.
Thursday’s varsity action begins 6 p.m., and Friday’s varsity match begins at 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs will celebrate Senior night Oct. 28 against Helena High. They will then close the regular season Oct. 30 at Helena Capital.
Butte High soccer closes season
The Bulldog soccer season came to an end Friday with losses to Kalispell Glacier Friday at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.
Butte’s boys fell 6-0, while the Bulldog girls dropped a 10-0 decision. Neither Butte High team qualified for the Class AA playoffs, which start this week.
Butte High, though, saw steady progress as the season went on, and the Bulldogs are looking forward to good things to come in the near future.
On the girls’ side, Butte High will lose seniors Jessie Trudgeon, Peyton Liva, Mya Murphy, Jessica Blow, Chloe Salusso, Lydia Revenaugh and Mattie Stepan.
The team, though, will return juniors Elly Rumler, Sapphira Walking Child, Alaina Grochowski and Rory Trafford; sophomores Madi McGee, Clara Sigler, Ava Williams, Mattison Neighbor and Katie Breitmeyer; freshmen Irelynn Cullen, Frankie McNichols, Adelyn Cloonan and Adalie Grochowski; and eighth-graders Bella Salusso and Kynley Willaims.
Butte High’s boys will say goodbye to seniors Ziggy Okrusch, Obi Breeton, Josh Liston, Tino Riojas, Darryn Rossiter, Josh Schrader, Philip Russo, Jaxon Jonart, Cohen Andrews, Kyler Carpenter and Ben McAdams. The Dogs will return juniors Aiden Maesar, Kato Kuusisto and Timothy Revenaugh; sophomores Kellen Williams, Daniel Schaible and Liam Boese; and freshman Cian Irons.
State cross country set for Saturday
The prep cross season will come to an end Saturday at the MHSA State Cross Country Meet at the University of Montana Golf Course. (Schedule)
The busy day begins with the Class A boys’ race at 11 a.m. A new race is started every 30 minutes. The Class A girls run at noon, the Class AA boys go off at 1:30 p.m., and the Class AA girls close out the day with a 2:30 p.m. race.
Butte High seniors Camden Houchin, Levi Wiltse and Lincoln Zell lead the Bulldogs boys into action. Both are looking to be the school’s first All-State runner since Josh Panasuk took seventh in at the State meet in 2011. The top 15 earn All-State distinction, and Houchin placed 21st last year.
Freshman Sophia Houchin, sophomore Penelope Luebke and freshman Elsa Theiszen lead the Butte girls.
As an eight-grader last year, Houchin placed 40th, which was the highest place for a Butte High girl since Hailey Nielson took 22nd in 2020.
The last Butte High girl to earn All-State accolades was Keli Dennehy, who placed third in 2008 and 2009.
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Football has a common-sense problem
Back in my college days at the University of Montana, one of my roommates and I came up with a great idea we called the “Nacho Booth” for football games.
The idea spawned from us laughing at some of the comments made by a woman Kirk brought to a Grizzly football game with us one Saturday. This woman was well versed in soccer and lacrosse, but she had never seen a football game before.
She called it “American football.”
As she was trying to understand the game that can be quite confusing, she made us laugh with some questions that were 100 percent serious. When a Grizzly player was flagged for a late hit, she said, “So, does he get a yellow card or something?”
It was a fair question since there are no penalty yards in soccer, but it still made us spit out the beverage we snuck into the stadium.
Really, it was refreshing to hear such an honest take on the sport that everyone else always just pretends to understand. It was refreshing to hear so much common sense, and there is a serious shortage of such thinking in the sport.
Football is not always easy to explain to people. There are so many goofy things. Like, why does an offense get rewarded with the stoppage of the clock because a pass falls incomplete? Why do you get a “free kick” after a “fair catch?”
Why do they call it “football” when the game is played mostly with hands, and why can’t anybody figure out exactly what a catch is or is not?
I’ve been married for more than 21 years, and my wife still does not understand the concept of a “first down.” I have not even tried to begin to explain the “tuck rule” that screwed over the Raiders and launched the most annoying dynasty in the history of sports.
The funniest moment of the woman watching the football game with us came after one of the teams unsuccessfully ran the ball up the middle a few plays in a row.
“Why are they going up the middle?” she asked. “All the defensive players are there.”
It did not occur to her that those defensive players can move side to side. She figured if the running back decided to run around the end, the 11 defensive players would just stand in the middle like, “Awe, you got us.”
Still, why did they keep calling the same play that did not work?
That is when Kirk and I decided that we needed someone with some common sense with a hotline to the head coach. That person would sit in the “Nacho Booth,” where he or she would watch the game while snacking on food and, possibly, a few beers.
When the coach needed a verbal smack across the head, the person in the booth would buzz down and say something like, “Hey dummy, could you throw the ball on first down for a goof?”
Or, “That receiver can’t catch, so get him out of the game.” Or, “Quit running up the middle. That’s where all the defenders are.”
The beauty of the “Nacho Booth” is that you do not even have to be a football expert to offer some good advice. It might actually be better if you do not know the game all that well. Sometimes the most obvious solutions can come from what others perceive as ignorance.
We saw that with Krik’s friend, who did not have any preconceived notions going into the game.
While that concept might not go over well with most football coaches, it could be exactly what we need to fix our referee crisis in football.
No, I’m not talking about the shortage of football officials because parents like me keep yelling at the men in stripes. I mean the crisis with the NFL football officials who seem to try to ruin every Sunday, Monday and Thursday.
Those calls and silly rules interpretations eventually trickle down to college and high school to ruin our Fridays and Saturdays, too.
Most of that is not on the men and women who are officiating the game. It is more of a problem with the people making and changing the rules each year.
For instance, you never used to hear of a holding penalty on a running play. Now it is called every two or three runs. That is not because players suddenly started holding on runs. It’s because they changed the rules and interpretations.
In the NFL, the most exciting thing that an announcer says is, “no flags.” That is because we are conditioned to expect to see a flag on every big play. If our team scores a touchdown or breaks up a third-down pass, the first thing we do is look and listen to see if there was a penalty on the play.
The NFL needs to decriminalize the playing of football. We could do that be rolling back most of the new rules put in place since the 1980s and ban the type of officials who do party pumps to look good in the size smedium shirts.
Too many of these NFL officials think I paid $400 plus for the NFL Sunday Ticket just so I could watch them make 47 calls into the camera every Sunday.
So, we should incorporate the “Nacho Booth” idea into officiating. We can call it the “Comon-Sense Booth.”
We could take any fan out of Buffalo Wild Wings or the Metals Sports Bar & Grill and give them a direct line to the head official of each game. Of course, it would have to be a fan who has no rooting interest in either team because the Packers already get every call.
It would kind of build on the “expedited review” that you see sometimes in games. It is when an official buzzes down to say, “That was not a completed pass.”
When an official calls a roughing the passer penalty because he barely brushes the helmet of a quarterback — or if he looks at Patrick Mahomes — then the guy in the booth could buzz down and say, “Knock it off. This is football, not Dance Moms.”
If they call a pass interference penalty when it clearly was not pass interference, the booth could buzz down and say, “Overruled.” Then the officials would wave off the flag before the bad call is even announced.
We are talking about the obvious calls that anyone with some common sense could tell you are bad calls. They are the ones that mar the games week after week.
We’re talking about a little tug on the shirt that gave the Chiefs the Super Bowl win. Or the not-so-late hit that gave the Chiefs the Super Bowl win. Or the horrible pass interference call that gave the Chiefs the Super Bowl win.
You do not have to be well versed in football — or even have watched football before — to know that the officials are ruining the NFL. It would not take much of an effort to tell these men and women to knock it off and let the players just play the damn game.
This idea would get rid of those long delays while some official in the home office in New York tries to decide which catch counts as a catch. It would end silly roughing-the-passer calls that would not even be a foul in a basketball game. It would end the phantom pass interference calls.
Adding the “Common-Sense Booth” to NFL games would put an end to so many controversies, and it would mean we could watch games without seeing the officials steal the spotlight all afternoon.
For a lot of us NFL fans, it would mean a lot less yelling at the television and a lot more time spent enjoying the games.
If I didn’t have to yell at the officials all day, I might finally have time to properly explain a first down to my wife.
— Bill Foley, who actually kind of likes Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, 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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RSVP for BC Thanksgiving Dinner
The Butte Central Catholic High School student body, administration, faculty and staff will sponsor the annual Laverne Combo Thanksgiving Dinner for the elderly and home-bound of Butte.
This event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 18th, at 5 PM in the Butte Central High School gymnasium.
Delivery is available for those unable to attend. To make dine-in reservations or arrange for delivery, call the high school office at (406) 782-6761 by Thursday, Nov. 13th, at 4 PM. There is no cost to attend the dinner or for delivery.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Grey, Liva and Mattie Stepan
Butte High Bulldogs Raeder Grey, Peyton Liva and Mattie Stepan are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Grey receives the boys’ honor, while Liva and Stepan share the girls’ accolades.
Grey, a 6-foot, 165-pound junior quarterback had a hand in three touchdowns Thursday to do something his father could never do. He won a game in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
In a 36-10 win over Missoula Hellgate at the home of the Montana Grizzlies, Grey passed for 174 yards and ran for 63 more. That includes a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down. He threw touchdown passes to Kodye Kjersten and Hudson Luedtke.
Grey also played a solid game on defense, registering a pair of tackles.
Liva and Stepan are both seniors on the Butte High girls’ soccer team. They were nominated for their outstanding play and leadership for the Bulldogs.
“Mattie’s growth through the year has been impressive,” Butte High coach Geno Liva said. “She also plays hard and physical every game. Peyton’s willingness to move positions at any time is a great benefit to the team. Her positive attitude and her ability to be a coach on the field is a help to her coaches.”
Both girls are also standout wrestlers for the Bulldogs. Stepan is a key contributor for the Butte High softball team.
For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photos courtesy Alycia Holland Photography. They are, from left, Grey, Liva and Stepan.
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Hoop Shoot set for Nov. 8 at MAC
The Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot Contest will be held Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Maroon Activity Center. The registration deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
The age groups are 8 and 9 years old, 10 and 11 years old, and 12 and 13 years old. The shooter’s age group is determined by their age on April 1, 2026. There are separate contests for boys and girls. The competition will start at 10 a.m.
The detailed schedule will be published after entries are finalized. To enter, call or text Don Foley at (406) 490-8668 or email him at dfoley71@yahoo.com. Include the shooter’s name, gender, school, birthday, and parent/guardian contact information when registering.
Click here for more general information about the Elks Hoop Shoot program.
Rules Summary
1. Each shooter gets 25 free throws, split between two rounds. This will be 10 in the first round with up to 5 warmup shots, and 15 in the second round with no warmup shots.
2. All shooters will use a 28.5-inch ball, except for 12-13 Boys, who will use a 29.5-inch ball.
3. The 8-9 age group will shoot from a line 4 feet in front of the free throw line.
4. A shooter has ten seconds to shoot the ball after the line judges give it to them.
5. Age groups are determined by a players age on April 1, 2026. So, all shooters must be born between April 2, 2012 and April 1, 2018.
6. Age group winners will advance to the district contest in Dillon in January.
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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. 20.
Monday
7 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Ramchmens vs. Rosary Rattlers
9 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. HoopballasTuesday
7 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Parish
8 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Poi TimeWednesday
7 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Poi Time
8 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Jellyfam
9 p.m. — Ramchmens vs. ParishThursday
7 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. Rosary Rattlers
8 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Washington Generals
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Sophia Houchin sets school 5K record as Bulldog runners tune up in Gallatin
BOZEMAN — Butte High freshman Sophia Houchin had a record-setting day Thursday as the Bulldog cross country team competed in the Gallatin High Invitational at the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club. (Results)
The race was Butte High’s final tune up before the State meet next Saturday in Missoula.
Houchin led the Bulldog girls, placing seventh in 19 minutes, 16 seconds. Her time is the fastest for the Bulldog girls since races were changed from 3 miles to 5 kilometers in 2017. Her time eclipsed the previous best set by Aubree Corcoran in 2017 with 19:23.
The Bulldog girls placed fifth. Gallatin won the girls’ team title. Other Bulldog runners were Elsa Theiszen 17th in 20:23, Pippi Luebke 24th in 20:49, Kherington Adams 22:14, Wakely Burleson 22:23, Kellie Jo Carpenter 22:55, Cambree O’Neill 24:06, Lainee Walsh-Hill 29:14, Evelyn Hardman 29:15, and Hayden Hiltunen 33:20.
The Bulldog Boys placed fourth, while Bozeman captured the team title. Camden Houchin led the boys team placing fifth in 15:54. He was followed by Levi Wiltse 12th in 16:31, Lincoln Zell 17th in 17:04, Bridger Luebke 28th in 17:31, Charles Killebrew 33rd in 17:43, Colton Yoakum 35th in 17:50, Nathan Knopp 38th in 18:01, Ryan Hanson 18:28, Jason Real 19:17, Johan Theiszen 19:33, Kai Schuler 19:38, Brian Moen 19:56, Sawyer Howell 20:57, Rowan Poole 21:03, Jack Taylor 21:40, Alex Cranney 21:45, Lyric Haston 22:16, Case Richardson 23:35, Emmett Hedval 25:29, Brian Poole 25:48, Caelum Moore 26:47, and Kyle Van Elsberg 26:50.
Butte Central sent three boys to run in the Western A Classic Friday at the Hamilton Golf Course. (Results)
Juniors Jack Holmes (26:04.04), Joe Bradshaw (26:05.13) and Conan Holmes (26:08.44) finished together for BC, which will also be running at the State meet next week in Missoula.
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Bulldogs pound Knights at Wa-Griz
Grey has hand in three touchdowns
MISSOULA — Raeder Grey passed for two touchdowns and ran for one more Thursday night, and the Butte High Bulldogs kept their football playoff hopes alive with a 36-10 Western AA win over Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Butte High never trailed in the victory that snapped a five-game losing streak,
Bradey Doyle booted a 33-yard field goal to cap Butte High’s opening drive to put the Bulldogs up for good.
Later in the first quarter, Hudson Luedtke returned a punt to the 1-yard line, setting up ta 1-yard touchdown plunge by Gunner Bushman, the first of two scores for the senior.
Vince Paffhausen found Evan Pyron for a 49-yard completion early in the fourth quarter. One play later, Pyron carried it in for a 1-yard TD run to cut the lead to 10-7.
Grey scored on a 1-yard run on fourth down before Jaxon Mund booted a 40-yard field goal to make it a 16-10 Bulldog lead. Then Grey hit Kodye Kjersten for a 30-yard touchdown 12 seconds before halftime, and Butte High took a 23-10 advantage into the break.
Bushman added a 7-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 29-10. Then Grey looked to scramble, stopped and hit Luedtke over the middle for a 21-yard TD in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Grey completed 17 of 24 passes for 174 yards. He also scrambled for 63 yards.
Peyton Johnson ran 24 times for 98 yards, and Bushman picked up 20 yards on 11 carries.
Luedtke caught six passes, while Brady Walsh grabbed five. Both finished with 52 yards. Koda Schleeman caught two passes.
Paffhausen ran for 80 yards and passed for 61 before leaving the game with an injury.
Defensive stats are not available, but Bridger Brancamp registered a pair of sacks, and Mitch Verlanic picked off a pass to set up a score. Jacob Galle also got in a sack. Walsh blocked a punt.
We will have more on the defensive stats once coaches go through game film.
The Bulldogs will close out the regular season next Friday night against Helena Capital at Naranche Stadium. Butte High will be celebrating Senior Night.
Butte Central beat Ronan 40-0 earlier this season at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, meaning Butte teams are 2-0 on the Montana Grizzly turf in 2025.
