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Podcast No. 297: Tom Mullen
Tom Mullen is a 1994 Helena Capital graduate and former sports editor and editor of The Montana Kaimin, the University of Montana student newspaper.
Today, Tom lives in the Hollywood Hills, where he can look out his window and see part of the iconic Hollywood sign. Among other things, Tom is a screenwriter. He is known for the 2021 movie “Vacation Friends” and the 2023 sequel “Vacation Friends 2.”
Both movies are on Hulu, and I promise that I will someday watch them. I know they will be funny because Tom is the funniest writer I have ever known.
His process of his writing is also funny. I got to see that first hand when we worked together at the Kaimin nearly 30 years ago. He would do his famous 20-minute columns.
I’m proud of the career Tom has put together, and I want to show him off a bit. I also wanted to catch up with him because we really had not talked, other than a few Facebook notes, since 1997.
I first knew of Tom when he was the Kaimin sports editor who was lucky enough to cover the 1995 Montana Grizzlies on their way to the NCAA-IAA national championship. I only knew him by his byline.
A few semesters later, I got to work next him, and we had so much fun that it should have been illegal.
After college, Tom worked for The Associated Press. Then, he attended a Hollywood party while visiting his brother, and he came to the realization that he had to move to Los Angeles. It turned out to be the right move.
Listen in to this episode as Tom talks about Helena Capital and his days at college. Listen as he talks about working at the AP and some of the stories and teams he got to cover.
Listen as he talks about covering the 1995 Grizzlies and how Head Coach Don Read used to take the phone off the hook to give Tom his full attention during interviews. Listen to the photo project the late coach authorized Tom to take part in.
Listen as he talks about getting into the Hollywood scene and how he is hoping to be in Dodger Stadium for another World Series.
Today’s episode is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today. Watch the episode on YouTube:
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Bulldogs look to turn season around at Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Butte High volleyball grabs victory
The 2025 football season has seen the Butte High Bulldogs fall short on luck, to say the least.
Butte High cannot seem to get a break, a bounce or a call. That has resulted in a five-game losing streak, with all defeats coming in conference games. The latest loss was a 23-22 heartbreaker Friday night at Kalispell Flathead.
The last three Bulldog losses came by a total of 11 points.
Butte High is hoping to turn that around Thursday as the Bulldogs head to the biggest stage in the state — Missoula’s Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Bulldogs (1-6 overall, 0-5 conference) will take on Missoula Hellgate in 7 p.m. Western AA game on the University of Montana turf.
At 2-5 and 2-3, the Knights enter the game fresh off a huge victory. Hellgate senior quarterback Vince Paffhausen, whose father Todd quarterbacked the Bulldogs to the Class AA State championship game in 1987, had a hand in four touchdowns as the Knights thumped Helena Capital 35-14 in Missoula. The 6-foot, 180-pound Paffhausen passed for 139 yards and two TDs, and he ran 19 times for 131 yards and two scores.
He threw TD passes to senior Parker Link and sophomore Everett Roberts.
Paffhausen also grabbed one of three Hellgate interceptions in the win. Senior Sam Cohea and sophomore Will Petrino got the other two.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Knights, who were outscored 78-0 in back-to-back losses to Class AA powers Kalispell Glacier and Missoula Big Sky. Hellgate’s other win was a 24-17 victory at Flathead to kick off Western AA play.
The Bulldogs took a punch to the gut Friday. They battled back from a 16-0 hole to take a 22-16 lead into the fourth quarter. An hour-long lightning delay, though, zapped the momentum from the Dogs and gave it to the Braves.
Junior quarterback Raeder Grey passed for 193 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Bulldogs, who could only muster 42 yards rushing. Grey hit senior Hudson Luedtke 13 times for 80 yards.
That marked the third time in seven games that Luedtke reached double digits in receptions. He caught 15 passes for 177 yards in Butte’s 33-13 win at Billings Skyview Sept. 4. He grabbed 12 passes for 180 yards in the Bulldogs’ Oct. 3 35-28 home loss to Helena High.
Senior Kaleb Celli caught a touchdown pass before catching a pass and powering his way in for a 2-point conversion.
Rising sophomore Kodye Kjersten caught four passes, while senior Mitch Verlanic grabbed two and junior Brady Walsh caught one.
After a review of the film by coaches, Verlanic was credited with a team-best 17 tackles last week. That includes 10 solo tackles.
Senior Gunner Bushman had another huge game for the Bulldog defense, chalking up 12 tackles. Jaeger Hansen, who was bruised and battered, got in on 10 tackles. He went to the hospital and received six stitches above his eye after the game.
Kjersten is also a force on defense for Butte High. The defensive back picked off a pass and returned it 21 yards to set up a Bushman 1-yard touchdown run.
Seniors Bridger Brancamp and Jacob Galle got in on nine tackles apiece, while junior linebacker Finn Wortham registered seven and Luedtke got in on six.
The Bulldogs will be back at Naranche Stadium to close out the regular season next Friday night against Helena Capital.
BC streak snapped in Frenchtown
Butte Central ran into a buzzsaw, as they say, Friday night.
Nine different Frenchtown players carried the football as the Broncs rushed for 290 yards in a 49-7 Southwestern A win over the Maroons. (Boxscore)
The loss snapped Central’s four-game winning streak.The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter, but then the Broncs erupted in a game that was also delayed by lightning.
Jake Forthofer and Cole Johnson each ran for 83 yards in the win. Johnson scored a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Warner and Bailey Corette each punched in one.
Dawson Rodoni also passed for a pair of touchdowns, finding Jordan Warner and Cooper Michaud on scoring strikes.
The win lifted the Broncs to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Southwestern A play. BC fell to 4-2 and 2-1.
The Frenchtown defense held BC to minus 30 yards rushing. Senior quarterback Ryan Peoples passed for 96 yards and a touchdown. His scoring strike went to classmate Jack Nagle.
Nagle joined GG Fantini with three receptions. Freshman Henly Mansanti caught two, while junior Joshua Sutton and sophomore Treigh Hollow each caught one.
On Monday, BC coaches named junior lineman Jack Nylund the Butte Central Player of the Week.
More than anything, the Maroons have proven to be a resilient bunch in 2025. They will look to bounce back as they hit the road again Friday to take on Hamilton in another Southwestern A game.
Hamilton enters the game at 5-1 and 2-1. These Broncs only lost to Frenchtown, dropping a 21-14 decision at home on Oct. 13. Hamilson doubled up Dillon 42-21 last week in Dillon.
Sophomore quarterback Cooper Weston had a huge game to lead Hamilton in Dillon. He passed for 239 and a touchdown. The TD was a 68-yard pass to junior Jude Wilmer. Weston also ran for three touchdowns.
The Maroons will be back on the Bob Green Field next week to close the regular season against Dillon.
Butte High spikes Eagles in 4
Butte High picked up a four-set win over Missoula Big Sky Tuesday night at the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs dropped the first set 25-22 before battling back to win the next three 25-22, 25-21 and 25-18. (Boxscore)
Senior Gracie Jonart had a monster night in the win. She spiked 20 kills and registered three blocks to lead the Bulldog attack. Junior Allie Becker added 11 kills, while junior Avery Barsness spiked eight. The Bulldogs also got five kills and three blocks from senior Audrey McClafferty.
Freshman Ellison Graham set 36 assists in the win, and senior Cadence Graham led the backcourt with 26 digs.
Jonart also had a strong game receiving, picking up 21 digs. Becker collected 17.
Junior Ellie Yates served three aces. Cadence Graham and Becker added two.
The Bulldogs dropped a three-set match to Missoula Hellgate Thursday at the Richardson Gym. The Knights left town with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 win. (Boxscore)
Eleanor Stockman and Cady Schneider each tallied 12 kills to lead Hellgate in the win.
Barsness killed 14 to lead Butte High. Ellison Graham, Becker and McClafferty followed with six, and Jonart killed five.
Becker’s 18 digs paced the back court. Cadence Graham added 15, and Ellison Grahm dug 10. The younger graham set 33 assists.
The Bulldogs will have a little bit of a break before their next action. They play Kalispell Flathead and Glacier next Thursday and Friday at the Richardson Gym.
Butte High will host Senior Night Oct. 28 when Helena High comes to town.
Bulldogs honors soccer seniors
Butte High’s soccer teams honored their senior and parents Thursday as the Bulldogs played host to Missoula Hellgate at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.
Hellgate won the boys’ match 7-0, and the Knights won the girls’ battle 10-0. Two days later, Butte High fell at Missoula Big Sky. The score of the boys’ game was 7-0, and Butte’s girls’ dropped a 6-1 decision.
Sophomore Katie Breitmeyer scored Butte’s lone goal.
The senior girls honored by the Bulldogs are Jessie Trudgeon, Peyton Liva, Mya Murphy, Jessica Blow, Chloe Salusso, Lydia Revenaugh and Mattie Stepan.
Seniors on the boys’ team are Ziggy Okrusch, Obi Breeton, Josh Liston, Tino Riojas, Josh Schrader, Philip Russo, Jaxon Jonart, Cohen Andrews, Kyler Carpenter and Ben McAdams.
The Butte High teams will close the regular season Friday at home against Kalispell Glacier. The boys play at 1 p.m., and the girls follow at 3.
Only the top six teams in each conference advance to the Class AA playoffs.
Rams win Blocktober title
Billings Central was the last team standing at Butte Central’s annual Blocktober Classic volleyball tournament, which was played Friday and Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.
The rams beat Havre 25-16, 25-19 in the championship match.
Dillon bested Anaconda 25-18, 23-25, 15-4 to win the consolation bracket.
Butte Central went 1-6 in Pool C play. The Maroons fell 25-17 to Anaconda, 25-13 to Billings Central, 25-14 to Havre, 25-17 to Lewistown, 25-14 to Hardin and 25-19 to Polson. Central knocked off Libby 25-16.
The Maroons played in the Copper bracket following pool play, bowing out in two matches. BC dropped a 25-15, 25-21 battle to Stevensville before losing out with a 10-25, 25-10, 15-12 battle with Libby.
After the busy weekend, the Maroons played at home Tuesday night, dropping a 25-20, 25-16, 25-10 match to Stevensville at the MAC.
The Maroons will play at Corvallis on Saturday before hitting the road again next Tuesday to play Frenchtown.
Central’s last home match is set for Oct. 25 when Hamilton comes to town for Senior Day at the MAC.
BC runs at Mission Shadows Duels
Two Butte Central varsity runners competed at the Mission Shadows Duals Saturday at the Silver Fox Golf Course in Pablo. (Results)
The race came two days after they competed in the Capital City 7 of 7 races in Helena.
Junior Jack Holmes finished the 5-kilometer race in 23 minutes, 55 seconds to lead the Maroons. Eighth grader Roman Terry finished in 25:08.
John Jermyn of Plans won the race in 16:03. Teammate Cord Greer took second in 1632, and Polson’s David DiGiallonardo took third in 16:39.
Polson runners Morgan and Quinn Delaney led the girls’ field. Morgan, a junior, finished in 18:54, while Quinn, a freshman, crossed in 19:35. Libby’s Capri Farmer placed third in 19:40.
The Maroons will run at the Western A Classic Friday in Hamilton. Butte High’s runners will compete with Bozeman and Belgrade Thursday at the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club in Bozeman.
Both Butte squads will compete at the MHSA State meet Oct. 25 in Missoula.
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Podcast No. 296: Michael Glatzmaier
Michael Glatzmaier got his first name from Michael Jordan. While his parents named him after the greatest basketball player of all time, this Michael he says he does not have an athletic bone in his body.
Instead, he is a musician and comedian who specializes in improv. He plays the guitar, and some of his act includes singing songs about topics suggested by the audience.
He will bring that show to Bourbon Alley in the Butte Depot on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Tickets for the show are just $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. (Click here to buy tickets.)
Michael is a comedian based in Spokane, where he grew up the youngest of five boys. He describes himself as not being the brightest tool in the shed.
He will be filming his show in Butte as part of a documentary following a year and half of his tour around the United States. The movie is expected to be released in 2027.
Listen in to this episode in to hear how Michael got into comedy and what he does when he is not traveling and performing on stage.
Listen in to hear how his show works and how he relies on audience participation. That, though, does not mean heckling. Listen in to hear that you just might want to check out his show next week.
This episode is also available on YouTube:
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Don’t you worry about our reputation
Butte High was playing football the night the great comedian Aaron Foster performed in Butte. So, I drove to Helena to catch his show the night after.
Aaron was my guest on the ButteCast a couple of weeks before the show, and he left me a couple of tickets in Helena. During the post-show mingling period, I was talking to Aaron about his performance in Butte. He said he had good turnout.
I told him that the comedy scene in Butte had not been great, but it is now starting to gain some steam, at least in part, because Brittani Ferris founded Uptown Comedy and started bringing in great acts like Aaron.
As soon as I mentioned Butte and comedy, this guy with a hipster beard butted in to give his opinion on Butte. The guy, who seemed to be trying too hard to impress with his colored tattoos down one arm and the opposite leg, snickered as he looked at his girlfriend.
“Nothing to laugh about in Butte,” the Helena hipster muttered, intentionally loud enough for me to hear as I proudly wore my Butte Muckers hoodie.
Now, that is a very poor characterization of our town. In addition to being perhaps the most caring folks on the planet, Butte people have a very good sense of humor. Maybe it is the prolonged exposure to lead, but we really do seem to laugh a lot.
I bit my lip and held back the urge to engage with a guy who was displaying the same snobbish sentiment that we have all had to deal with from time to time. You know, the “oh, you’re from Butte” attitude.
I do not get why some people are so condescending to our town. Sure, we have an open-pit mine filled up with contaminated water. We have a poor history of our leaders giving in to the oil company that owns the cleanup responsibility.
But don’t these people who hate on us like to turn on a light when they use the bathroom?
Well, they might not be able to do that if it wasn’t for the good ol’ Mining City. The copper that was extracted from the “Richest Hill on Earth” helped light the world. It also helped save it.
As my friend Fritz Daily says, if it wasn’t for Butte, we’d all be speaking German. That is because Butte helped the good guys win a pair of world wars —with our precious minerals and the many brave men and women from the Holey City who fought for our country.
Sure, we recently had another “dirty water” scare, and so many around the state laugh at us about that. Even Missoula laughed about it, and that water is heading directly toward them. No matter the laughter, though, the contribution Butte made to the state, country and world cannot be disputed.
In recent years, Butte Rat Rob O’Neill killed the world’s most notorious terrorist. Butte cousins Robert Lester and Braxton Mitchell took a canoe from Butte to the Pacific Ocean to make a documentary, “The Columbia River Project,” which shined light on the importance of dam removal and cleaning up mine waste in the watershed.
The city that gave you Evel Knievel also produced an Olympic bronze medalist in Bryon Wilson, and it turned out a couple of football stars in Colt Anderson and Tommy Mellott.
Colt has given back to his hometown, state and beyond more than any athlete I have ever seen, and Tommy is such an incredible human that he won over Montana Grizzly fans while playing for the Montana State Bobcats.
Yet, so many people around the state still seem to dislike us. Matt Vincent calls it “Butte envy,” and that must be it. It has to be the only explanation.
We could drain the water from the Berkeley Pit, fill in the hole, build a new version of Disney Land, and let everyone in for free, and a large percentage of people around the state still would not like us.
That is why I decided to not say anything to the hipster in Helena. Our reputation precedes us, and that status seems to be cemented in stone. There was no use trying to change his mind.
However, when I see talk about the State of Montana potentially choosing Butte as the site to build a new women’s prison, I see so many people talk about what it would do to our reputation.
Really? Since when did Butte people worry about our reputation?
Now, I don’t know if building a prison in town would be a good thing. It just seems so ironic when I look at some of the people speaking out against the potential project.
When Vincent and I laughed at Destination Montana — that plan to turn Butte into Branson, Missouri with a bunch of music halls, golf courses and wide-open gambling in 2003 — we were accused of hating the hometown we love so much.
When I spoke out to try to stop Butte-Silver Bow from running the Silver-Bow Drive-In out of business by changing zoning laws to build a gas station next to the only outdoor theater in the state, I was accused of pushing jobs away.
Now, some of those same people are arguing that we do not need all the jobs that will come with building and running a 400-bed prison because it will hurt our quality of life or tarnish our reputation?
I just don’t get it. We are talking about good, union jobs with benefits, too.
One argument I have seen repeated by many is the claim that we don’t have the people to fill the jobs. Or, as they say, “nobody wants to work.”
That claim is so unbelievably shortsighted. Trust me, if you offer pay worthy of the work and benefits that a worker can raise a family on, you will never have a problem finding quality applicants for your jobs.
Another argument I have seen was that we “already have the Butte Pre-Release Center dragging us down,” and that is just completely ridiculous. In a lot of ways, that center helped save our town after the mines closed and the Montana Power Co. parachuted away.
I shudder to think where we would be if we did not have the jobs and services provided by Community, Counselling, and Correctional Services, Inc.
Others make arguments against the prison as if they don’t seem to understand that the prisoners will be locked up. It isn’t like they are going to be walking around town competing with the homeless for our spare change.
And our town is strong enough that it will not be “ruined” by the families of the prisoners moving in. I’ve seen that argument made, too.
Deer Lodge has long been home of the Montana State Prison. Not only is Deer Lodge a lovely town that is always nice to visit, the community has embraced the prison. Their high school sports teams are called the “Wardens.”
Now, I will not pretend to know if building a prison in Butte will be a good thing or a bad thing. I am not an expert in economics or sociology. Maybe the prison would push away businesses. Maybe the influx of jobs that come with the prison would entice someone to build us an indoor movie theater.
It is, after all, pretty sad that we are the only city in the state where you won’t be able to watch the new Bruce Springsteen movie when it comes out.
There are real, legitimate concerns that people have about the prison, and all those concerns should be addressed before the final decision is made. They probably will not be, but they should be. The people of Butte — and the citizens in other cities or towns also under consideration for the prison — should have their voices heard.
If it is not the best thing for Butte, then it should be built somewhere else.
But, please, do not base your opinion on whether the project will hurt the reputation of Butte. The rest of the state has been looking down on us for decades, and that has never hurt our feelings.
Part of the true beauty of Butte is that we have never cared what Helena hipsters thought of us.
— Bill Foley, who really wants to see the new Bruce Springsteen movie, 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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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Mitch Verlanic & flag football seniors
Butte High senior football player Mitch Verlanic and the six Butte High flag football senior players are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Verlanic takes home the boys’ honor. Butte High’s football team dropped a 23-22 heart-breaker at Kalispell Flathead Friday night, but Verlanic continued to be a huge bright spot for the Bulldogs. He registered 17 tackles, 10 of which were solo.
The defensive back leads the Bulldogs with 73 total tackles. That includes a team-leading 52 solo take downs, which easily leads the team. His season includes a pair of interceptions, two passes defended and a forced fumble.
Verlanic also caught two passes for 23 yards in Friday’s game at Kalispell.
Butte High’s six senior flag football players share the girls’ honor. They are Jaydyn Mason, McKenna LeCoure, Charlee Griner, Allie Ballensky, Megan Flanick and Laney Huizinga.
Those six Bulldogs led the team under first-year head coach John Stenson. The seniors were instrumental in a transition year for the Bulldogs, who appear to be set up for a bright future. Those seniors clearly left the program in better than they found it.
“They were a great group of seniors who were a huge part of our team,” Stenson said. “They will be missed.”
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. The flat football players are, from left, Mason, LeCoure, Griner, Ballensky, Flanick and Huizinga.
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Mining City FC team places second at Sleeping Giant Tournament
HELENA — The Mining City FC 12 co-ed soccer team returned from the Sleeping Giant Tournament with some hardware Sunday.
The Butte team placed second in the tournament, playing what coach Mike Maeser called “three incredible games.” The Mining City boys and girls beat Flathead Valley United 5-4 and Gallatin Elite 2-1 on Saturday. They fell in a 5-4 thriller to the Missoula Strikers in Sunday’s title tilt.
The Sleeping Giant Tournament is described as the de facto state tournament for the fall season.
Brynlee Turner scored a late game-winning goal against Flathead. Brendan Byrne chalked up a late save as time expired to secure the win against Gallatin.
Butte also got scores from Tyson Coyne, Max Davis, Liam Maeser, Ava Delong, Anna Forelli and Ryker Beardsley.
The boys team members are Maeser, Owen Conlan, Teason Vigil, Coyne, Davis, Beardsley, Byrne, Ryken Kuchtyn and Tony Lasloviach. The girls on the team are Delong, Forelli, Turner, Jaelee Devine, Oona Grogan-McCartney and Kourtney Johnson.
The coaches are Mike Maeser, Anthony Laslovich, Jen Delong and Matt Delong.
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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. 13.
Monday
7 p.m. — Poi Time vs. Rosary RattlersTuesday
6 p.m. — Parish vs. Poi Time
7 p.m. — Kenworthy v.s Rosary Rattlers
8 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Washington Generals
9 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. RanchmensWednesday
7 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Hoopballas
9 p.m. — Parish vs. RanchmensThursday
7 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Hoopballas
8 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Someday Starters
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Bulldogs cross country runners place high in Capital City 7 of 7 Cross Country
HELENA — Three Bulldog runners placed in the Capital City 7 of 7 Cross Country meet Thursday at Bill Roberts Golf Course by finishing in the top 7 of their races. (Results)
Camden Houchin placed fifth in 16 minutes, 09 in the No. 1 race, for the top runners from each team. Levi Wiltsie place sixth the No. 2 race in 16:27, and Lincoln Zell placed sixth in the No. 3 race in 17:04.
They helped lead the Bulldogs Boys to an eighth place finish in the 52-team field with 72 points. Helena won the team title with 17 points to edge Bozeman and Hellgate who scored 22 and 25. Other Bulldog boys varsity runners were Charles Killebrew ninth the No. 6 race in 18:16, Isaac Zell 20th in the No. 4 race in 18:20, Bridger Luebke 13th in the No. 5 race in 18:20, and Ryan Hansen 13th in the No. 7 race in 18:55.
The Bulldog Girls also ran well finishing 24th among 49 teams with 169 points. Bozeman edged Gallatin for the team title 19 to 23, with Glacier a close third with 25. Butte’s varsity girls were Sophia Houchin 20th in the No. 1 race in 20:35, Pippi Luebke 16th in the No. 2 race in 20:58, Elsa Theiszen 24th in the No. 3 race in 22:29, Wakely Burleson 16th in the No. 6 race in 22:55, Kellie Jo Carpenter 24th in the No. 7 race in 24:10, and Addie Thomson 34th in the No. 5 race in 24:36.
The Bulldog JV Boys finished 15th among 24 teams. Bulldog runners were Nathan Knopp 19:03, Colton Yoakum 19:18, Jason Real 19:28, Johan Theiszen 20:11, Brian Moen 20:13, Kia Schuler 21:08, Sawyer Howell 21:35, Alex Cranney 23:04, Jack Taylor 23:04, Rowan Poole 23:19, Brian Poole 23:21, Lyric Haston 23:33, Case Richardson 25:01, Emmett Hedval 27:34, and Kyle Van Elsberg 27:54.
The Bulldog JV Girls finished 21st. The runners were Cambree O’Neill 26:27, Lynn Wiltsie 30:03, Evelyn Hardman 34:12, Lannie Walsh-Hill 34:33, and Hayden Hiltunen 35:54.
Butte Central sent its three boys’ varsity runners, juniors Jack Holmes, Joe Bradshaw and Conan Holmes, and eighth grader Roman Terry.
Jack Holmes finished in 22:14 in the No. 4 race, Brashaw ran in 23:37 in the No. 5 race, Terry crossed in 22:37 in the No. 6 race, and Conan Holmes posted a time of 25:05 in the No. 7 race.
Butte Central was scheduled to run again Saturday in Polson before competing in the Western A Classic Friday in Hamilton.
Butte High will run Thursday in Bozeman. That will be the Bulldogs’ last tune up before the Oct. 25 State meet.
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Braves, Lightning stop Dogs in Kalispell
KALISPELL — Eli Coopman scored on a 2-yard run, and Brett Chivers booted the point after touchdown with just over a minute left to play Friday night, and the Kalispell Braves beat Butte High 23-22 in a Western AA football game at Legends Stadium.
The game-winning drive came after a long lightning delay that helped zap the momentum from the Bulldogs, who battled back from a 16-0 hole to take a 22-16 lead into the fourth quarter.
An 85-yard pass from Coopman to Boston Case, a 36-yard field goal by Chivers and a 7-yard Coopman run gave the Braves a 16-0 lead.
Raeder Grey hit Kodye Kjersten for a 36-yard touchdown to get the Bulldogs on the board. Then Koyde Kjersten picked off a pass and returned it to the 1-yard line, setting up a 1-yard plunge by Gunner Bushman. After PATs by Bradey Doyle, the Bulldogs trailed 16-14 at the half.
Butte High took the lead when Grey found Kaleb Celli for a 9-yard touchdown strike. Celli then broke a few tackles to score on a reception for the 2-point conversion.
The lead looked like it would last after the Bulldogs posted a goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter. After the delay, though, it was a different story.
The Bulldogs drove down field, but ran out of time before they could get into position to attempt a field goal.
Coopman ran 34 times for 134 yards in the win. He passed for 149 more.
Grey completed 23 of 39 passes for 193 yards and the two TDs. He was picked off once. Hudson Luedtke caught 13 asses for 80 yards for the Bulldogs. Kjersten hauled in four for 70, and Celli grabbed three for 29. Mitch Verlanic also caught two passes, and Brady Walsh caught one.
Starting in place of the injured Reece Cunneen, Jacob Galle led the Bulldogs with 14 tackles. Verlanic got in on 11 tackles. Bridger Brancamp registered nine tackles, while Bushman and Jaeger Hansen each grabbed seven, and Finn Wortham registered six.
The Bulldogs are back in action next Thursday when they take on Missoula Hellgate at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
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KC Little Kids Hoops starts Oct. 25
The Knights of Columbus Little Kids Hoops league will begin play Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Felix Madrazo Gym.
Games for boys and girls from pre-kindergarten through second grade go from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Games for players in the third through sixth grade go from 10:30 until noon. Hoops will be lowered for the younger players.
The league is free to all boys and girls, and players can show up to play week to week. There is no registration.
Players will be put on teams each week by Dan and Tom Boyle, who will referee the games and make sure each player is part of the action. There are no coaches.
The KC Little Kids Hoops program has been running for more than 30 years, and many of the boys and girls in the league turned out to be high school and college players.
The league will run every Saturday — except for the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years — through January. All players will receive a T-shirt on the last day.
