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Copper City Queens will welcome in October with home bout
Highway To Hell On Wheels Welcome To The Derby Afterlife.
That will be the theme at the Butte Civic Center on Saturday, Oct. 3 as Copper City Queens Roller Derby hosts its first home bout since May.
The Queens will take on Hellgate Roller Derby from Missoula. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the first whistle at 6.
Presale tickets are $13. Price at the door is $15. Kids under 10 will be admitted for free.
Roller derby is good fun for the whole family. The Copper City Queens have proudly represented Butte and the surrounding area in Montana roller derby since 2014.
The goal of the Queens is to help individuals grow through community involvement and fair competition. They also strive to understand other people’s special qualities.
For more information on the team, go to CopperCityQueens.com or visit the team’s social media accounts.
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Butte High host cross country meet
Football teams hit the road, and Copper Sprockets are ready to Clash
The Highland View Golf Course will be a no-golfing zone for much of Thursday.
That is because the course at Stodden Park will be overtaken by runners as Butte High hosts the Butte High Cross Country Carnival.
The meet will include 24 varsity teams from around the state. It will also see 19 middle school teams running and a bunch of grade school runners from around town.
After an 11 a.m. walk through, action begins with the girls’ JV race at noon. The JV boys run at 12:40. The varsity girls’ race will start at 1:15 before the 1:45 varsity boys’ race.
Middle school boys and girls will run together at 2:15 p.m., and that race will be 2.5 kilometers. The varsity and JV run 5 kilometers.
The day wraps up at 2:40 p.m. with the 1-mile grade school race. Boys and girls will run at the same time.
For the Butte High Bulldogs and Butte Central Maroons, the race will be the second major competition a handful of days. Both teams are coming off nice showings at Saturday’s Mountain West Classic in Missoula.
Senior Bridger Luebke led the Bulldogs, finishing the 5K course in 17 minutes, 56 seconds. Junior Isaac Zell and sophomore Jason Real also broke 19 minutes for the Butte High boys, who also saw seniors Kai Shuler and Colton Yoakum run along with juniors Jack Taylor and Lyric Haston.
Senior Joe Bradshaw led the Maroons, who also got nice runs from eighth grader Ryan Byrne and freshman Roman Terry. Sophomore Ashley White and freshman Linnora Howard ram for the BC girls.
Sophomore Sophia Houchin, who missed the first part of the season while recovering from a hip injury, led the Bulldog girls. Juniors Penelope Luebke and Wakely Burelson also ran for Butte High.
The meet will be the only action of the week for Butte High and Butte Central. The Maroons will run again Oct. 1 in Hamilton, while Butte High will compete Oct. 2 in Three Forks. Both teams will run at the Capital City 7 of 7 meet Oct. 8 in Helena.
The Butte High meet comes exactly one month before the MHSA State Cross Country Meet in Billings.
Bulldogs battle Spartans
It might not be officially “must-win” time for the Butte High football team.
This, though, is the one the Bulldogs really need to get. Butte High will hit the road to take on Missoula Sentinel in a pivotal Western AA game this Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Butte High (1-3 overall, 0-2 conference) learned the hard way that football really can be a game of inches when the Bulldogs fell 22-21 to undefeated Missoula Big Sky at Naranche Stadium. The loss, which came down to a last-second field goal attempt that sailed just wide right, put a bit of a damper on Butte High’s Homecoming and Silver B’s festivities.
However, fans will be talking about that exciting game for a long time to come.
Sentinel (2-2, 1-1) is coming off last week’s 38-21 win over Missoula Hellgate. The Spartans outscored the Knights 17-0 in the second half.
Sentinel racked up 339 yards on the ground in the victory. Senior Kaden Thennis put up an All-American performance to lead the way. He ran for 231 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.
Senior quarterback Tucker Laslovich, who completed 5 of 9 passes for 58 yards, added another 104 yards and a score with his legs.
On the season, Thennis is averaging 9.6 yards per carry. He has 535 yards and eight touchdowns. Laslovich has 348 yards and five scores on the ground. He is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Two weeks ago, the Spartans fell 35-26 at Helena High. In non-conference games, they won 35-0 at home against Belgrade before falling 28-25 at Great Falls Russell.
Senior quarterback Eli Kasberg, a future Montana Grizzly, accounted for all three of Big Sky’s touchdowns last week. He also scored on a 2-point conversion run.
Kasberg passed for 240 yards and ran for 164.
Senior quarterback Raeder Grey had one of his best games as the Bulldog signal caller. He passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns, completing 10 of 14 passes.
Grey also scrambled for 38 yards. Classmate Miner Lee added 24 yards on the ground behind an offensive line made up of senior Maxximus Pearston, junior Konner Hanni, junior Sawyer Casey, junior Karter Hall, senior Mason Swanson and sophomore Colton Nasheim.
Senior receiver Brady Walsh clearly had his best game as a Bulldog varsity player. The speedster returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. He also hauled in a 78-yard touchdown pass from Grey.
Sophomore Ryan Bache continued his breakout season, catching three passes for 73 yards. Lee grabbed three passes for 44 yards. Senior Koda Schleeman and junior Troy Samson also caught passes.
After a review of the film, senior linebacker Finn Wortham was credited 14 total tackles to lead the Bulldog defense. Seven of those takedowns were solo.
Classmate Jaeger Hansen, joined him in double figures with 10 tackles, seven of the solo variety.
Senior Reece Cunneen had another big game, registering eight tackles, while Pearston, junior Colt Stenson and senior Evan McWewen each got in on six. Senior Bradey Doyle joined Grey with five tackles, Lee had four, and junior Kodye Kjersten and Bache each had three.
Grey and Bache intercepted passes. Bache returned his pick nearly the length of the field for a touchdown, but his return was called back by a penalty.
Junior Tegan Duffy averaged 33 yards on four punts. He also performed well on kickoff duty for the Bulldogs.
Butte High will be on the road again next week to take on Helena High. The Bulldogs will return home Oct. 9 to take on Flathead.
Maroons back in action
Fresh off a week off, Butte Central’s football team will jump into Southwestern A play Friday in Corvallis.
Kickoff against the Blue Devils is set for 7 p.m.
The last time out, the Maroons rolled to a 54-0 win over Ronan Sept. 11 on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field. The win capped a Homecoming week that saw BC unveil its new mascot, a wolf named Shamrock.
Central is 1-2, but just an inch or two from 2-1 after their Sept. 4 double-overtime loss at Hardin.
Corvallis is also 1-2 and coming off an off week. The Blue Devils opened with a 29-14 loss at Polson. After a 36-21 home win over Bigfork, Corvallis fell 31-0 Sept. 11 at Whitefish.
Senior Ayden Spencer leads the Corvallis offense. He is averaging 6.4 yards per carry racking up 216 yards and four touchdowns through three games.
The Blue Devils are averaging just 92 passing yards per game. Junior quarterback Branson Bucholz is completing 54 percent of his passes. He’s tossed two TDs and was picked off once.
Junior Aidan Emerson leads Corvallis with three sacks through three games.
Sophomore quarterback Noah Sutton is coming off a record-breaking performance for the Maroons. He tossed six touchdown passes in the win over Ronan. He threw three touchdowns to senior GG Fantini, one to sophomore Henly Mansanti and one to his brother, senior Joshua Sutton.
Fantini also busted loose for a 60-yard touchdown run, and freshman Braydon Armstrong added 5-yard TD scamper.
The big offensive performance came behind offensive linemen Jack Nylund, Bobby McCarthy, Grady Boyer, Hayden Salmonsen and Gunnar “Goo” O’Brien. They got some help from tight ends Palmer Kellicut and Burkley Lakkala.
Nylund, McCarthy, O’Brien and Lakkala are seniors. Kellicut, who handles kicking duties, is a junior, and Salmonsen and Boyer are sophomores.
Most of the BC players play both ways, and many of those same names led BC’s shutout performance.
The Maroons will be back on the road next week, taking on Stevensville in a Southwestern A game. BC’s next home game is Oct. 9 against Frenchtown.
Butte High volleyball hosts Bruins
The Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium will set the scene Thursday as Butte High’s volleyball team plays host to Helena Capital in a 7 p.m. Western AA match.
Butte High will head to Helena on Saturday to take on Helena High.
The Bulldogs are 2-5 overall and 1-3 in Western AA play after Saturday’s four-set home loss to Missoula Sentinel. Butte won the opener 25-22, but Sentinel battled back to win the next three sets 25-23, 25-17, 25-17. (Stats)
Senior Cadence Graham paced the Bulldog attack with 11 kills in that loss. Classmate Allie Becker added eight kills, while junior Stella Callaghan and sophomore Elli Graham each spiked four, and senior Brityn Klima hit three.
Callaghan also served four aces in that match. Becker and Elli Graham served two.
Senior Ellie Yates (24), Cadence Graham (20), Elli Graham (16) and Becker (12) also reached double figures in digs. Callaghan dug nine.
The Bulldogs will be back at home next Tuesday to take on Missoula Hellgate. They will play host to Great Falls Russell two nights later.
Butte Central, meanwhile, will head to Hamilton for a 3 p.m. match on Saturday. That comes after BC dropped a 3-1 decision to Corvallis Thursday at the Maroon Activities Center. Two days later, Central fell 3-0 at Corvallis.
Against Corvallis, the Maroons took the opening set in exciting fashion, winning 25-23. Corvallis, though, closed out the victory with wins of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-17. Stats for the Maroons are not available for that match.
Frenchtown beat the Maroons 25-16, 25-17 and 25-19. (Stats)
Junior Cambri Campbell’s four kills led the BC attack in Frenchtown. Freshman Blake Smith, junior Jaedyn Maldonado and sophomore Evyn Tippett each spiked three.
Junior Ayanna Weang got in on nine blocks, including four solo, while Junior Kodee Badovinac and freshmen Jordyn Samson and Luci Fantini each served a pair of aces.
Badovinac led the backcourt defense with 26 digs. Fantini followed with 16, and Maldonado dug 16.
The Maroons will play at Dillon on Oct. 1. Their next home action is during the Oct. 9-10 Blocktober Classic.
Soccer teams head back to Missoula
For the second time in three days, Butte High’s soccer teams will travel to Missoula for Western AA matches.
This time, the Bulldogs will take on Missoula Sentinel. The boys’ varsity match will be played at 3:30 p.m., with the girls following at 5:30. The junior varsity matches will run at the opposite times, with the girls playing at 3:30 and the boys playing at 5:30.
Butte High’s teams fell to Missoula Big Sky Tuesday. The Eagles won the girls’ game 10-0, and the Big Sky boys won 7-0.
The matches kicked off the second half of the season for the Bulldogs, who are still looking for their first win in a brutally-tough Western AA.
Bulldog girls’ coach Geno Liva pointed out that his squad was playing a little shorthanded.
“We are missing few due to concussions, including a couple major contributors,” the coach said. “Elly Rumler stepped up huge and played a different position really well. She was a bright spot on the team.”
Liva also pointed to the play of a newcomer who is a foreign exchange student from Slovakia.
“Klara Andrejcakova had her first start and played really well from the striker position,” Liva said.
Butte boys’ coach Adam Colvin said it was “just one of those days” for his Bulldogs. He added that the wheels fell of early, and the Bulldogs held the Eagles to one goal in the second half.
“We all know we are much better than 0-7,” Colvin said.
The coach pointed out that his junior varsity squad played a great game.
“They did great and deserve a bit of recognition from what they did yesterday,” Colvin said. “They scored their first two goals of the season.”Wyatt Lance knocked in an unassisted putback goal from his own free kick in the first half. In the second half, Braydin Nash scored off an assist from Max Colvin.
The final score ended up 8-2 in favor of Big Sky, but Colvin said his young players picked up a huge confidence boost.
Butte High will play at home Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 against Glacier and Flathead.
Flag teams go to Belgrade
In a late addition to the schedule, Butte High’s flag football teams will be on the road Thursday to take on Belgrade.
The varsity plays at 3:30 p.m., with the junior varsity playing at 5.
Butte High lost to Helena High and Helena Capital Saturday at Naranche Stadium.
Helena High blanked the Bulldogs 27-0. Senior Kolbie Erickson and junior Addisyn Lambrecht each pulled five flags to lead Butte High in that tough loss.
The injury-riddled Bulldogs fell 36-8 to capital.
Eighth grader Jerzi Nichols stepped up and led Butte High with eight receptions.
Sophomore Kadee O’Connor caught a touchdown pass from sophomore Rylee Erickson, who ran in the 2-point conversion.
Rylee Erickson also picked off a pass to help lead the Bulldog defense.
“Many girls had to step up in these games and play new positions because we are so beat up,” Bulldog coach John Stenson said.
The day included a standout performance on both sides of the ball by senior Brooke Johnson, who caught four passes. Junior Lilyi Malone also hauled in four passes.
“Brooklyn Hettick and Molly McGillan had big games on defense for the JV squad,” Stenson said. “Sisters Kayoni Kinard and Kaliya Kindard also had big days for the JV offense. Kaliya scored on the touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Rebekkah Hanke.”
The Bulldogs will be back at Naranche Saturday to take on Bozeman and Gallatin. Butte High plays Bozeman and noon and Gallatin at 2. The JV games will follow each varsity bout.
Butte High will be celebrating Senior Day against Bozeman. The school will honor seniors Kolbie Erickslon, Jayda Gustafson, Johnson, Alexis King and Mackenzie Read and their parents.
Crunch time for golfers
Butte High’s boys’ golf team and a pair of girls booked their trips to the Class AA State tournament, which is Oct. 1-2 in Great Falls.
On Saturday, it will be Butte Central’s time to try to do the same. The Western A Divisional tournament will be played Saturday at Polson Bay Golf Course.
Siblings Beau and Mya McGree will look to qualify for the Class A State tournament, which is Oct. 2-3 in Shelby, for the second straight year. Beau McGree, a junior, earned All-State honors last year. Mya McGree qualified for State as an eighth grader.
Both McGrees have posted tournament victories and have been in the hunt nearly every time out this season.
Also competing for the Maroon are Cohen Stajcar, Connor Kachmarik and Ganon Button. All three have shown potential and improvement during the season. Mya McGree is BC’s lone girl golfer.
Copper Sprockets host race
The Big Butte Open Space Park will be filled with young mountain bikers Saturday as the Butte Copper Sprockets host the Copper Kings Clash.
The race is the fourth of the season for the Sprockets.
Racers for the Copper Sprockets include Michael Anderson, Berlynn Bjorgum, Daegan Branam, Ryan Byrne, Ryan Draper, Camden Franklin, Casen Franklin, Lucas Henderson, Cade Irons, Paisley Jaksha, Renzy LeProwse, Conrad Luebke, Nolan Luebke, Kaspain Lutke, Rinnley Martin, Ryker Martin, Hank Mattson, Hadley McGree, Harlow McGree, Samson Myers, Luke Renouard, Grace Richardson, David Schulte, Nico Schulte, John Sizemore, Holden Smith, Charlotte Stevens, Milee Stillwagon, Christopher Stodden, Torsten Thieszen, Preston Tippett, Andrew Troutman, Cora Turner, Elise Walsh and Luke Walsh.
Racers will get to ride the course on Friday, and racing begins at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday. Racing is expected to run until 2:30 p.m.
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Episode No. 384: Jorey Thatcher
Today we are talking softball and Mariah’s Challenge with my cousin Jorey Thatcher.
You won’t see Jorey hitting any home runs Saturday when the police take on the firefighters in the Guns & Hoses softball game at Stodden Park.
He isn’t going to play in the game, probably because he got the Foley athletic gene instead of the one from the Thatcher side of his family.
But Jorey, or Officer Thatcher as I should probably be calling him, just might be the MVP of the whole event. He has been working tirelessly for months to put on this game that will raise money for the Mariah Daye McCarthy Scholarship.
More importantly, it will bring some awareness to Mariah’s Challenge as we approach the 19th anniversary of the death of 14-year-old Mariah McCarthy, who was run over and killed by an underage drunk driver while walking home with her friends.
Jorey, or Officer Thatcher, was just a young boy when that tragedy struck in the Mining City, but it clearly left a profound impact on him. Now he is working hard for an event that will bring the legacy of Mariah and the McCarthy family to the forefront of the mind of the community.
It will also be a whole lot of fun, especially with my boy Shawn Wetzel announcing the game. He’s worth the price of admission all by himself.
I should also note, that there is no charge to attend the game, which starts at 1 p.m. It will be followed by a home run derby. I will be there to keep the book and to heckle umpires Steve Bair and, mostly, Mike “Skinny” Foley.
Jorey, I mean Officer Thatcher, is predicting a mercy-rule victory by the police, but I wouldn’t count the firemen out just yet. They have a loaded lineup. This game could come down to the final inning and probably a blown call by an umpire.
Yesterday, I met with Officer Thatcher at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill for a fun conversation about the game, the players and the fun that is in store on Saturday. Listen in to see that you definitely do not want to miss this game.
Today’s episode is presented by Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back.
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Lisac ties for second, DeShaw sixth at Western AA golf
Bulldog boys finish third
A freshman and a veteran led the Butte High golf teams at the Western AA Divisional golf tournament, which concluded Tuesday at the Butte Country Club.
Freshman Lane Lisac tied for second place in the boys’ race, while senior Kate DeShaw took sixth in girls’ standings.
Butte High’s boys team placed third, meaning the Bulldogs will send Lisac, Jack Muhlestein, Teagan Yelenich, Braden Donnelly and Miles Choquette to the Class AA State tournament. The top four teams and the next eight players, including ties, advance to state, which is Oct. 1-2 in Great Falls.
Sage Leber will join DeShaw with a trip to state for the Butte High girls.
Lisac followed a 72 on Monday with a 75 for a 147 total. That tied him with Missoula Sentinel’s Cole Jenkins, who followed a 70 with a 77.
Jayce Belzer of Helena Capital shot a 71 Monday and a 72 Tuesday to win boys’ medalist honors at 143. That is 3 over par.
Jack Schaefer of Sentinel placed fourth at 148, and John Gilbert of Capital and Austin Kaufman of Helena High tied for fifth at 149.
Muhlesten, a Bulldog junior, stayed consistent with a 76 each day to finish 10th at 152.
Yelenich, a junior, and Donnelly, a sophomore, tied for 18th place at 164. Yelenich followed a 79 with an 85, and Donnelly improved two shots for a final-round 81.
Choquette, a sophomore, improved 14 shots for a 77 and a 168.
Capital won the boys’ team title at 597. The Bruins improved five shots for a 296 on the final day. Sentinel took second at 610, and Butte High improved one shot for a 309 and a 619. Glacier placed fourth at 629.
Glacier’s Maggie Mitton took home medalist honors on the girls’ side. She hit a final-round 82 for a 175 total, edging Sentinel’s Maci Reiff by one shot. Reiff followed an 87 with an 88. Mitton improved 10 shots from Monday’s 92.
Charlotte Dale of Big Sky placed third at 176, while teammate Zoey Loberg finished fourth at 181. Both hit a final-round 90. Nora Kosena of Sentinel placed fifth at 181
DeShaw, who shot an opening-round 89, hit 98 Tuesday for 187. Leber, a junior, improved six shots for a 107 and took 20th at 220.
Also for Butte High, sophomore Lilly Sandoval finished at 253, freshman Lilly Carden carded a 257, and sophomore Julia DeShaw came in at 274.
Big Sky won the team crown at 753. Sentinel was next at 794, followed by Capital at 798 and Glacier at 839. Butte High placed seventh at 915.
Complete results are available on the Golf Genius app. The GGID is WESTERNAA26.
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Don’t fall for Aaron Flint’s hate game
Quick, without using Google, name one member of the University of Montana women’s cross country team. Just one.
OK, let’s make it easier on you. Name any woman who ever ran for the Grizzlies cross country team.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.
Time’s up.
My bet is that at least 99 percent could not do it you gave them all day to think about it.
You know who does know one former member of the Grizzly women’s cross country team, though? Aaron Flint. But I will bet you a sandwich form Pork Chop John’s that he cannot name two. Milkshake included, of course.
Flint, the Republican nominee for Montana’s First Congressional District, knows the name June Eastwood.
He knows June for one reason. June was the first transgender woman to run NCAA Division I cross country. Flint also knows that selling hate is probably his best bet to win the election in November.
For whatever reason, it seems to be easy to convince people that they should hate transpeople. It is easy to hate what you do not understand.
Eastwood started identifying as a female in the middle school, but the Belgrade native did not transition until after she ran three seasons for the UM men’s team under the name Jonathan.
She made national news when she was named the Big Sky Conference’s Female Athlete of the Week after placing second at the Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale, California in 2019, and that made a lot of people who did not even know UM had a cross country team really mad.
Now Flint is trying to rekindle that anger and hatred to wrangle up some votes.
My point is not to diminish the importance of the Grizzlies women’s cross country team. I have tremendous respect for women and men who can run at that level. It just might be the hardest sport there is.
The runners on those teams, though, should not decide an election.
That is not to say that I think it was fair that a transgender woman was allowed to run against women. I do not think it is fair for any transgender women to compete in women’s or girls’ sports, and I do not know a single person who does think it is fair.
But that doesn’t make me hate the transgender people who want to compete or just want to live the life they choose. Transgender people only want the same thing you and I want. They want to be happy, and Eastwood said running brought her joy.
I am happy that she was able to find the outlet to improve her life while studying at the University of Montana. I also feel bad for any womon who might have missed on a chance to run for the team or earn a scholarship because Eastwood took her place.
It really is possible to have two conflicting feelings.
The transgender people I know have two things in common. First, seem to be happier now that they are living in what they say is their true identities, and good for them. We should all be happy trying to live our best life.
Second, none of them asked any of us to pay for their sex-change operation.
We do not have to understand a lifestyle to respect it, and I respect and support my transgender friends. But I don’t think they should be lined up against your daughter on the volleyball court.
And from my nearly 30 years of experience writing about sports, I can safely tell you that they are not. The NCAA has a population of more than 500,000 athletes. Estimates range from fewer than 10 to up to 40 of those athletes are transgender.
That does not mean “men playing in women’s sports,” as the hatemongers put it, is a non-issue. It just means that the issue is on par the number of people killed by sharks each year. You are about as likely to get eaten by a shark as you are to see your daughter lose a race to a transgender athlete in college.
Actually, you are probably more likely to suffer a shark attack. But sharks don’t swing elections. Not even in the movie Jaws, where the mayor apparently won reelection after his soft-on-sharks policy was so badly exposed.
Yet, transgender athletes — and the hatred some politicians manufactured toward them — swung the 2024 election. People like Flint are trying to make them do the same in 2026.
That is why his dark money groups are sending us 12 mailers each week telling us that Sam Forstag, Flint’s Democratic opponent, wants to use taxpayer money to fund sex-change operations.
It is why Flint is posting on Facebook that Forstag wants men to use the same restroom as your little girl — after he bounces a volleyball off her face, that is. It is why Flint brought up the name of a transgender cross country runner who hasn’t donned a Grizzly uniform since before the COVID shutdown.
When I ran for chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow in 2024, one woman told me that her No. 1 issue was transgender women competing in women’s sports. Her No. 1 issue.
I told her that I have been covering sports for decades, and I had only ever heard of one transgender athlete competing against women in Montana. I also told her that is not an issue that will ever cross the chief executive’s desk.
It didn’t matter. She was going to cast her vote based on that issue, and she was not alone. I am confident she did not vote for me.
Transgender people have been turned into the political bogyman, and it has proven to be a winning issue. It is also an issue that Flint has spent his radio career talking about, pushing for people to hate other people, particularly members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Do not fall for it this time. We are facing too many real issues to let a handful of transgender athletes — and the phony hatred for them — influence your vote.
Have you seen the price of gas lately? It is approaching $5 per gallon and showing no signs of going down. We can’t afford to drive around the state to watch our high school athletes compete.
Our two-week war in Iran is also showing no signs of stopping, and we could be invading Canada any day now.
Households with two working parents cannot afford health insurance. People are choosing between paying for life-saving medicine or buying groceries.
Some high-level artificial intelligence executives think that AI might destroy all of humanity before the end of the decade, and our governments at all levels are still pushing data centers like they are the be-all and end-all.
Our education secretary thinks AI is steak sauce.
We have masked agents snatching people off the street and taking them to concentration camps. The same agents are killing citizens. The First Amendment is under constant attack, both with late-night comedy shows and White House correspondents.
A major aquifer in the center of the country is going dry. Our ranchers are losing their shirts while the United States is importing beef from God knows where. We can’t eat a salad without getting the runs, and the measles have triumphantly come out of retirement.
On top of it all, Caleb Williams has a hamstring injury.
We literally have 99 million problems, but a former college cross country runner is not one of them.
We are all free to vote based on whichever issue we want to when we go to the polls on Nov. 3. I just hope you vote based on one that is real, not one that is made up to try to keep us hating each other.
And if you happen to see Aaron Flint before then, ask him to name one more UM runner. Just one.
Tell him you have a pork chop riding on his answer.
— Bill Foley, who will vote for the candidate who can heal Caleb’s hamstring, 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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Lisac, DeShaw lead Butte High at Western AA Divisional golf
Bulldog boys sit in third
The home course was particularly good to Butte High golfers Lane Lisac and Kate DeShaw Monday.
Both players are in the hunt for the individual title after the first round of the Western AA Divisional golf tournament at the Butte Country Club.
Both sit in third place after Monday’s first round.
Lisac, a freshman, carded a 2-over-par 72 at the historic Butte course. He followed a 35 on the front nine with a 37 on the back. He trails Cole Jenkins of Sentinel by two shots heading into Tuesday’s final round.
Jayce Belzer of Helena Capital is third at 71.
Austiin Kauffman of Helena High holds down fourth place at 74, while Kellen Currie of Big Sky and John Gilbert of Capital are tied for fifth at 75.
Butte High junior Jack Muhlestein is in the hunt. He carded a 76, which is good for a seventh-place tie with Torren Murray of Glacier and Jack Schaefer and Joseph Meusey of Sentinel.
Bulldog junior Teagan Yelenich is on the verge of the top 10 at 79, and Butte sophomore Braeden Donnelly shot an 83. Also, Bulldog sophomore Miles Choquette carded a 91.
Capital shot a 301 team score to take the first-round lead. The Bruins are one better than Missoula Sentinel. Butte High is third at 310, with Glacier sitting in fourth at 316.
The top four teams and the next eight individuals — including ties — advance to the Oct. 1-2 Class AA State tournament in Great Falls.
On the girls’ side, DeShaw, a senior, shot an 89. She is tied for third place with Zoey Loberg of Big Sky for third.
Charlotte Dale of Big Sky took the first-round lead with an 86. She sits one shot better Maci Reiff of Sentinel is one shot back at 87. Nora Kosena of Sentinel is fifth at 90, and Maggie Mitton of Glacier and Jewell Colman of Big Sky are tied for sixth at 92.
In the team race, Big Sky’s girls lead the way at 362. Sentinel is second at 377, followed by Capital at 395 and Flathead at 416. Butte High is seventh at 444.
Junior Sage Leber shot a 113 for Butte High. Freshman Lilly Carden shot 120, sophomore Julia DeShaw hit 126, and sophomore Lilly Sandoval finished at 128.
Tuesday’s final round is set to begin at 11 a.m. Follow along on the Golf Genius app. The GGID is WESTERNAA26.
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Taverna, Hafer perfect in Week 4
Jake Taverna and Kaden Hafer each shot a perfect score of 50 to lead all shooters during Week 4 of the Butte Trap Club’s fall league. (Results)
Jen Hislop and Kale Anzik broke 49 targets, and Bryce Thomas, Ryan Miller, Stephen Frazee, Justin Lerum, Will Davey, Levi Loggins and Kaden Queer each shot a 48.
Hislop’s 49 led women shooters. Gillian Clark was next at 47, followed by Kim McCafferty at 45 and Mindy McClernan at 44. Anzik led wobble shooting at 49. Mark Powers and Drew Dunkan were next at 45.
Through four weeks, Triple S Construction leads team scratch standings at 776. Wolverine Systems is second at 766, and Cooney’s Locksmith is tied for third with Baker Auto at 739.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Brady Walsh and Ellie Yates
Butte High football player Brady Walsh and Bulldog volleyball player Ellie Yates are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Walsh takes home the boys’ honor after an electrifying performance in Butte High’s 22-21 Homecoming loss to undefeated Missoula Big Sky Friday night at Naranche Stadium.
The 6-foot, 160-pound senior receiver returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown moments after the Bulldogs held their Silver B’s ceremony. In the third quarter, Walsh outran the Eagle defense for a 78-yard touchdown reception to put the Bulldogs on top 21-15.
The receiving touchdown was the second of the season for Walsh, who averaged 23.1 yards per reception as a junior.
Yates receives the girls’ honor for her defensive play for the Bulldog volleyball team, which beat Missoula Big Sky in four sets Tuesday in Missoula. The 5-6 senior libero registered a team-best 25 digs in that victory.
On the season, Yates leads the team with 134 digs. She also carries a 92 percent serving rate and a 2.1 serve receive average. She has served six aces and set 20 assists.
Butte High coach Shane Jorgenson calls “though as nails” Yates the “backbone” of the Bulldog defense.
Since the beginning of 2023, Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back, has teamed 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 of Walsh and Yates are courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.
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KC basketball Week 2 schedule
Following is the schedule for Week 2 of the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball league.
The four-man league will run for 10 weeks an conclude with a double-elimination tournament. Games will be played Monday through Thursday nights at the Felix Madrazo Gym.
Teams can still sign up and make up the first two weeks. Cost is $125 per team, and teams can sign up at the KC or by contacting Dan Boyle at (406) 491-2529.
Monday
7 p.m. — Poi Time vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Rosary Rattlers
9 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. Washington GeneralsTuesday
7 p.m. — ButteSports vs. Blue Balls
8 p.m. — ButteSports vs. HoopballasWednesday
7 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. Poi TimeThursday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Blue Balls
8 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Rosary Rattlers
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Beau McGree takes third in Hamilton
HAMILTON — Butte Central’s golfers got a rainy tuneup for next Saturday’s Western A Divisional tournament Saturday at the Hamilton Golf Club.
Beau McGree held up pretty well. Playing his third competitive round of golf in as many days, the Butte Central junior fired a 2-over-par 74 to place third at the Hamilton Invitational.
Tanner Sorensen and Dylan Wirt of Corvallis tied for first place at 73. Whitefish golfers Zach Schmid-Sommer and Ashton Taylor tied for fourth place at 75.
Whitefish won the boys’ team title at 307. Columbia Falls and Polson tied for second at 321, two shots better than Corvallis. Central shot a 342 to tie with Ronan for seventh place. The tournament saw 13 teams and 61 players compete.
Central’s Cohen Stajcar tied for 24th place with an 85. Also for BC, Connor Kachmarik shot an 89, and Ganon Button hit 94.
Hamilton standout Cameron Burnett shot a 73 to claim girls’ medalist honors. Karlee Brown of Whitefish placed second at 75. Dillon’s Skylar LaPierre tied with Jillian Wagner of Whitefish for third place at 85.
BC freshman Mya McGree shot a 99 to place 17th out of 46 players. She is the only girl on the Central team.
Whitefish won the team title at 347. Polson took second at 380, and Hamilton finished third at 391.
The tournament was the 11th for the Maroons since they opened the season with the Aug. 17 Butte Central Invitational at the Highland View Golf Course. That amounts to 12 tournament rounds of golf in 34 days.
After next week’s divisional tournament in Polson, the Class A State tournament will be held Oct. 2-3 in Shelby.
Complete results for the Hamilton Invitational are available on the Golf Genius app. The GGID is HAM26.
