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Bulldogs, Maroons look to rebound on Week 2 in football season
Flag football set for home games; check in with cross country, volleyball, golf
Butte High and Butte Central will be looking for bounce-back performances as we turn to Week 2 of the high school football season.
Butte High dropped a 44-13 decision to Gallatin Friday night, while BC went on the road and fell 27-0 to Lockwood.
The Bulldogs hit the road on a short week to close out their non-conference schedule for a 6 p.m. Thursday game at Billings Skyview. The Maroons will play their home opener, taking Hardin at 7 p.m. Friday on Montana Tech’s Bob Green Field.
Friday’s score was not exactly indicative of how close the Butte High-Gallatin game was. The Bulldogs trailed 23-13 in the fourth quarter before the Raptors broke the game open.
Gallatin star quarterback Carter Dahlke showed why he is an early commit to the Montana State Bobcats, rushing for 100 yards. He joined Samuel Litzen in passing for a TD.
On defense, Dahlke returned an interception for a touchdown. The Raptors also got a back-breaking kickoff return for a touchdown from Bobby Gutzman.
Butte High’s defense was strong most of the night, despite being put in tough positions all game long. Senior defensive back Mitch Verlanic had a monster night to lead the Bulldogs. He registered 16 total tackles, 11 of which were solo. He also broke up a pass.
Senior Gunner Bushman added eight tackles, while Jaeger Hansen, Reece Cunneen, Hudson Luedtke and Kasen Snyder each got in on five take downs.
Hansen picked off a pass that was tipped by noseguard Grady Foley. Bushman recovered a fumble, and Bradey Doyle, Raeder Grey, Bridger Brancamp, Sawyer Casey and Kodye Kjersten each got in on multiple tackles.
Senior receiver Caleb Celli was a major highlight for an offensive team that struggled to move the ball. He caught TD passes from Brooks Vincent and Grey, who took snaps at quarterback while Vincent was briefly out after taking a vicious hit.
Luedtke joined Preston Jensen and Koda Schleeman with three receptions, while Brady Walsh grabbed two. Miner Lee, Peyton Johnson and Grey each caught one.
Skyview fell 28-20 at Helena High on Friday night. Junior quarterback Jaxon Zagata passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. He was picked off twice.
Senior quarterback Ryan Peoples passed for 112 yards to lead the Maroons. Jack Nagel, Joshua Sutton, Danny McCarthy, GG Fantini, Trey Hollow and Jaxon Hiatt all caught passes.
BC stats vs. Lockwood
RUSHING (9-13) — Danny McCarthy 2-(-5), Ryan Peoples 6-(-3), GG Fantini 1 (-2), Jaxon Hiatt 1-9, Henly Mansanti 1-14.
PASSING — Ryan Peoples 10-17-0-112.
RERCIVING (10-112) — Jack Nagle 1-13, Joshua Sutton 2-38, McCarthy 2-10, Fantini 2-34, Hiatt 1-14, Trey Hollow 1-3.
Butte High girls open flag season
Butte High’s flag football team showed improvement as the day went on Saturday at a season-opening jamboree in East Helena.
Bulldog fans will get the chance to see that improvement firsthand Wednesday when the Bulldogs play at Naranche Stadium.
After a 2 p.m. junior varsity game at the storied stadium, the Bulldog varsity team will take on Kalispell Flathead at 4 p.m. That will be followed by a varsity game against Missoula Big Sky at 6.
At Saturday’s jamboree, Butte High fell 13-6 before bouncing back with a 12-0 victory over Three Forks. Butte High’s JV fell 19-0 to East Helena.
Butte High coach John Stenson said the Bulldog offense started to get going in the second half against Boulder. He said freshman quarterback Rylee Erickson played great and ran for Butte’s lone touchdown. He also sighted junior Mackenzie Reed for her great play at running back and cornerback.
Stenson said Johnson Junior Brooke Johnson played an exceptional game to lead the way as the Bulldogs pitched the shoutout against Three Forks. Freshman Elli Carey showcased her speed while catching a short pass and burning into the end zone for the score. Erickson added a score on a quarterback keeper.
An interception by freshman Willow Rose highlighted Butte High’s effort in the JV game. Lilyi Malone played tough on run defense, and Bella Schrapps played a hard-nosed game at center and linebacker.
After Wednesday’s home action, the Bulldogs will play Boulder and Three Forks Saturday in Boulder.
Bulldog boys first, girls second in Boulder meet
Butte High’s cross country runners opened the season in impressive fashion Friday at the Jefferson Season Opener in Boulder. (Results)
Butte High’s boys ran to the team title in the six-team event. The Bulldog girls place second.
Bulldog seniors Camden Houchin and Levi Wiltsie placed first and second to lead the Butte boys to the team title. Houchin finish the 5-kilometer race with an impressive time of 16 minutes, 11 seconds. Wiltsie took second in 16:52.
Senior Lincoln Zell placed fifth for Butte, crossing in 17:32. Sophomore Isaac Zell took eighth in 17:49, and junior Bridger Luebke placed 13th in 18:19.
Also running for Butte were junior Johan Theiszen (19:27), freshman Jason Real (19:30), junior Colton Yoakum (19:39) and senior Ryan Hanson (20:12).
As a team, the Bulldogs scored 29 points. Helea Capital was second at 40, followed by Ennis at 76.
Capital won the girls’ crown with 36 points, finishing two points better than Butte High. Ennis was third at 70.
Butte freshman Sophia Houchin placed second to lead the Bulldogs. Townsend’s Kyla Meissner won with a time of 19:38. Houchin finished in 20:46. Butte freshman Elsa Theiszen took sixth in 21:50, while sophomore Penelope Luebke placed eighth in 22:02.
Also for Butte High, sophomore Adelaide Thomson finished in 24:01, and senior Kellie Jo Carpenter crossed in 24:27.
The Bulldogs will be back in action Fridah when they compete in Belgrade. The Butte Invitational is Sept. 25 at the Highland View Golf Course.
Butte Central’s cross country team began the season Friday at the Seamus Camp Invitational in Livingston. (Results)
The Maroons do not have enough runners for a team score. Junior Jack Holmes led BC’s boys with a time of 24:07. Junior Conan Holmes crossed in 26:27.
Freshman Ashley White was the lone BC runner on the girls’ side. She finished in 25:48.
The Maroons will host the BC Invitational next Tuesday at Fairmont Hot Springs.
Bulldog volleyball team drops thriller to Panthers
The Bulldogs thrilled the crowd in their volleyball season opener at the Ross J. Richardson Gymnasium Thursday night. Butte High, though, came out on the wrong end of a five-set battle with Belgrade.
No set was decided by more than five points as the Bulldogs fell 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25 15-11 (Stats) in the non-conference battle.
Senior Gracie Jonart tallied 15 kills, while junior Allie Becker added 13 to lead Butte High’s attack. The Bulldogs also got nine kills from senior Audry McClafferty, eight from freshman Ellison Grham and seven from senior Avery Barsness.
Graham, the setter, also registered 38 assists and 21 digs. Junior Cadence Graham led the Bulldog backcourt with 26 digs. Jonart dug up 19, and Becker dug 14.
Two days later, the Bulldogs went to Billings and dropped 3-0 decisions to Billings Senior and Billings Skyview.
Senior topped the dogs 25-21, 25-16, 25-14 (stats), while Skyview beat Butte 26-24, 25-18, 25-13 (stats).
The Bulldogs will be back in action Saturday for a crossover tournament in Belgrade. The Bulldogs will play the Panthers and the three Billings Class AA schools. They play their Western AA opener Tuesday at home against Missoula Sentinel.
Mickelson era gets ‘decent’ start
Butte Central’s volleyball team is under new leadership.
Former Montana Tech star Karina Mickelson steps in to fill shoes of Becky Hancock. After playing at the Western AA tipoff tournament Friday and Saturday in Polson, the new coach liked what she saw, for the most part.
BC swept Browning and split with Libby. Mickelson said the Maroons also took a set from Whitefish, too.
“It went decent,” Mickelson said. “We didn’t win a ton, but they were doing a lot of the right things. We got a ton of compliments from the other coaches saying how much they’ve improved already in so short a time.”
The Maroons will play in another tipoff tournament this Friday and Saturday. This time, though, BC will host the Southwest/Southeast Tipoff at the Maroon Activities Center.
Butte High soccer drops two at Helena High
Helena High’s boys’ and girls’ soccer teams swept the Bulldogs Saturday in the season-opening matches for both schools.
The Bengals won the girls’ match 10-0 and the boys’ battle 7-1.
“It was a learning experience with a group of girls without much experience,” Bulldog girls’ coach Geno Liva said. “They played hard and battled them. We did get a ton of girls experience on the field so that was good.”
Information for the boys’ match was not provided.
Liva is in his first year coaching the Bulldog girls. He also coaches Butte High’s girls’ wrestling team. Adam Colvin is the first-year boys’ coach.
The Bulldogs will play at home Saturday against Helena Capital. The boys play at 10 a.m., and the girls will follow at noon.
Butte High golfers second, third after Day 1 of Belgrade Invite
After the first day of the Belgrade Invitational, Butte High’s boy’s golf team sits in second place. The Bulldog girls are currently in third.
Butte High’s girls shot a 421 Tuesday at the Riverside Country Club. Great Falls Russell leads the way at 351, and Missoula Big Sky is third at 395. Missoula Sentinel sits in fourth at 425.
Bulldog junior Kate DeShaw fired an 85 on the par 71-course and sits in third place at the halfway point. CMR golfer Quincy Weymouth leads the way at 78. Teammate Brooklyn Hageman is second at 84.
Butte senior Keeley Johnston carded a 94, and that is good for ninth place after the first round. Bulldog Sage Leber shot a 105 and sits in 14th place.
Also for Butte, Julia DeShaw shot a 137, and Baely Norris hit 141.
Missoula Sentinel’s boys shot a blistering 280 Tuesday to take a commanding lead in the team race. Butte High is second at 312, and CMR is third at 314.
Sentinel’s Jack Schaefer and Missoula Big Sky’s Kellen Currie each shot a 4-under-par 67 to take the lead in the medalist race. Hudson Goroski and Joseph Meusey are next at 68 and 79.
Butte High senior Chase Choquette is tied for fifth place with CMR’s Jack Piski at 75. Bulldog teammate Teagan Yelenich one back at 76, which ties him for seventh place.
Jack Muhlestein hit a 79 for the Bulldogs, while Lane Lisac hit an 82 and Brandon Donnelly shot an 89.
The tournament concludes at 9 a.m. Wednesday with 18 holes at the Cottonwood Hills Golf Club.
Butte Central’s golfers will play at the Dillon Invitational on Wednesday. Butte High will send junior varsity golfers to compete in that meet.
Follow the Belgrade Invitational on the Golf Genuis app. The password is “BELGRADE25.”
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Podcast No. 287: Mark Durham
Nobody on the planet has more fun living life than Mark Durham. Nobody is more positive, either.
Durham grew up in Three Forks excelling at sports and idolizing his big brother, Mick. Mark still holds the pole vault record at Three Forks, where he describes his football days as being the “best non-tackling safety in the state.”
While Mick played and coached at Montana State University, Mark played and coached at Montana Western, which was called Western Montana College in his playing days. He took over as the third head coach in the history of the Western men’s basketball program, replacing the legendary Casey Keltz.
After a long, successful run with the Bulldogs, Durham moved to the role as the school’s athletic director. It was a move he made to try to help the Bulldogs compete with Montana Tech and Carroll College. With Joe McClafferty at Tech and Bruce Parker at Carroll, Western was behind the 8-ball trying to keep up with the Joneses. In that role, Durham hired Steve Keller and Lindsay Woolley as basketball coaches and Ryan Nourse as football coach. So, his legacy is a lasting one with the Dawgs.
After moving to Bozeman to work in the insurance industry, Mark learned of his cancer diagnosis on Jan. 1, 2018. Mark, of course, tackled the battle with cancer they way everyone expected he would. And, like we knew he would, Mark beat it.
Today, at 60 but going on 36, Mark is the director of Name, Image and Likeness for the Montana State men’s basketball program. What he does for the Bobcats would have had him portrayed as a villain in a sports movie years ago. He does not always like it, but it is such an instrumental job to help the Bobcats compete.
Mark is also close to his two daughters, and he is now a grandpa. Well, he doesn’t call himself that. Instead, he is the “G-Dawg,” and he is still living life to the fullest every day.
Listen in to this episode as Durham talks about his job as the NIL guy for the Bobcats. Listen as he talks about his playing and coaching days and the relationships he still has with his former teammates and players.
Listen in as he talks about fighting cancer and how he kept that positive attitude through it all.
This is one you do not want to miss, and Mark swears that most of what he said is true.
Today’s episode of the ButteCast is presented by the Jewelry Design Center. Let Brian Toone and Co. be your jewelers for life.
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Inaccurate ‘text-message journalists’ shine positive light on Tommy Mellott
Mike Florio calls it “text-message journalism.”
I don’t know if he coined that phrase, but Florio, the founder of the website Profootballtalk.com, has used it when criticizing ESPN reporter Adam Schefter. Schefter’s body of work as a sports journalist mostly consists of tweets that allow him to be the first person to “report” something going on in the NFL.
Schefter does not often add much to the tweets, and he does not write many stories or file many reports. Mostly, he tweets and then goes on one of the ESPN channels to repeat what he had just tweeted, usually adding unnecessary additional words like, “at this particular point in time.”
Schefter is hardly the only “text-message journalist.” In a lot of ways, that practice has replaced traditional journalism. Even people still writing for newspapers tend to put more stock into their tweets than they do their stories.
Today, many local sportswriters seem to focus more on “live tweeting” during games than they do writing about the game.
We even see that with reporters who cover the Montana Legislature. Reporters “live tweet” as the votes are tallied instead of writing about how the bill will affect the people.
This process bugs the heck out of me.
When Butte native Colt Anderson first took a job as an assistant special teams coach with the Cincinnati Bengals in early 2020, I spent a several hours working on a story about the move, which was very hush-hush on Colt’s end. Then, out of respect for Colt, I waited until he officially signed the contract before I posted that story on ButteSports.com.
About the same time I posted the story, which was a scoop, as they say, Field Yates of ESPN used “text-message journalism” to post the news on Twitter.
I assume he got a text message from one of his sources in the league, and he tweeted that news. While I worked hours on the story, doing interviews and writing background information, Yates spent about 15 seconds to “break” the news.
Then, I sat back and watched other media outlets report the Anderson hiring, using Yates as their source for their stories. In today’s journalism, it seems that being first is way more important than adding context to the news. It seems to be more important than being right.
That, I suspect, is why Florio does not like Schefter, whose name is in just about every NFL story on ESPN for “first reporting” the news.
Florio, I assume, does not like it when Schefter spends 15 second to “beat” him to a story when Florio actually writes more than one sentence about the news. Florio knows what Schefter is doing is not really “reporting.”
The thing about Schefter, though, is he is usually right with his “text-message journalism.” If he says it, you can pretty much take it to the bank that it really happened. If Joseph Pulitzer is the “father of journalism,” then Schefter is the “father of text-message journalism.”
Thousands of wannabe Adam Schefters, on the other hand, are not always right. They just want to be first.
We saw that first hand last week when former Butte High Bulldog and Montana State Bobcat Tommy Mellott was waived by the Las Vegas Raiders. Sadly, I fell for the inaccurate reporting of wannabe “text-message journalists” two days in a row.
But I was hardly alone.
As much as I would like to blame the Raiders and Peter Carroll, their known cheater of a coach, for reporting their cuts hours after the rest of the league, I instead blame it on the wannabe “text-message journalists” who reported rumors and guesses as if they were facts.
On Tuesday, I saw what I thought was a credible report that Tommy made the Raiders 53-man roster. Since I had so many people asking me if he made it — as if I was a Raiders insider — I posted on Facebook that, “It looks like Tommy made it.”
Of course, that was incorrect, and I was told about it immediately from one of his family members. So, I removed the post and said that Tommy was waived, but I suspected that the Raiders were going to sign him to their practice squad once he cleared waivers.
The next day, I saw that the Skyline Sports Twitter feed quote tweeted a report that Tommy signed with the Raiders practice squad. I know that Skyline Sports is a credible source. Those reporters do a great job covering the Big Sky Conference.
So, I took a screen shot of their tweet and posted it on Facebook to tell people that Tommy signed to the practice squad. At least five people on my timeline beat me to the story, but I was not in a race. I just wanted to spread the happy news, and everyone was thrilled.
Within minutes, though, I got word from another family member of Tommy that the news was not true. The Raiders were not signing Tommy to their practice squad.
Like I did, Skyline Sports got fooled by a wannabe “text-message journalist.”
So, much to the disappointment of my Facebook friends, I took the post down and added another one with the bad news. Some people laughed at me, but we all felt the same way. We were sad.
Now, I worry about a lot of things. Tommy Mellott is not one of them.
We all knew he would eventually sign with an NFL team’s practice squad, and we were right. The New Orleans Saints picked up Tommy on Monday, three days after he watched the Butte High Bulldogs play at Naranche Stadium.
Even though the news first broke on Twitter, it was right this time.
Even if he did not get picked up, though, I would still have no worries for him. Tommy is one of the smartest people to ever walk the planet. He earned a degree in financial engineering with a 4.0 GPA at Montana State.
He is also a kind and caring person who has a boatload of karma on his side. Tommy will be fine, no matter what.
As much as those inaccurate reports had to sting Tommy’s family, I think there is one good thing about them. If nothing else, the fiasco about Tommy’s future with the Silver and Black illustrated how much the people of Butte and Montana care about him.
Everyone wanted to know about his roster status, and they wanted to know yesterday.
Tommy was, after all, the guy who turned most of the state into Bobcat fans the last several years. He might be the one player of the 21st Century who transcended the disgusting FTC and FTG culture.
Ever since he emerged as a star with the Bulldogs, Tommy has showcased everything that is right about sports. He inspired future generations of athletes and non-athletes alike. He inspired the older generations, too.
In Montana, you will not find a more popular figure in a kindergarten classroom or a nursing home.
Now, we are all waiting for the day that Tommy shows Pete Carroll just how wrong he is. We are waiting for the day when “Touchdown Tommy” is back in the end zone.
When that day comes, however, it will not change the way we all feel about Tommy. The anticipation to the roster news and the reaction to the social media meltdown certainly proves that his legacy has long been cemented in these parts.
Still, it would be great if these wannabe “text-message journalists” would knock it off.
— Bill Foley, who is still a little peeved at Field Yates, 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: Brooke Johnson and Kaleb Celli
Butte High football players Brooke Johnson and Kaleb Celli are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Johnson takes home the girls’ honor after a strong showing as the Bulldog flag football team opened the season Saturday at a jamboree at East Helena.
The junior is a team captain. Bulldog coach John Stenson calls her a “great leader” and an “absolute workhorse,” adding “her motor runs hot on every play.”
Johnson registered double digit rushing tackles to lead a dominant Bulldog defensive performance against Three Forks. Butte High pitched a shutout with a 12-0 victory to cap the day that saw the Bulldogs play three games.
Celli receives the boys’ honor after catching a pair of touchdown passes in Butte High’s season-opening loss to Gallatin Friday night at Naranche Stadium.
On the first TD, Celli caught a short pass on the sideline from Brooks Vincent, made a nice spin move and raced 21 yards for the score. Later, he made another nice move to get open to grab an 8-yard TD strike from Raeder Grey.
On the night, Celli hauled in four passes for 68 yards.
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 of Johnson and Celli provided by Alycia Holland Photography.
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KC League pushed back one week
The start of the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s Fall Basketball League will be pushed back until Monday, Sept. 8.
More teams are needed to have enough for the league, which will feature four-man teams playing games twice a week, Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Felix Madrazo Gymnasium. The league will run 10 weeks with a double-loss tournament at the end.
Cost is $125 per team, and teams can sign up at the bar or by contacting Dan Boyle at (406) 491-2529.
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Podcast No. 286: Jim McBride
Lt. Col. James McBride recently retired after a 25-year career in the Marine Corps. Of course, in Butte, we call him Jim or Jimmy.
McBride is a 1992 graduate of Butte Central High School. He attended the Hawthorne and Hillcrest elementary schools in Butte before going to Butte Central Junior High and then Butte Central High School.
Six days after graduating from BC, he began boot camp in San Diego.
By becoming a Marine, Jim followed in the footsteps of this father, Bill, and older brother, Sean. He said he reluctantly became a Marine after his plans for the Naval Academy fell through. In high school, though, we all assumed Jim would be a Marine. He just always looked like one.
Jim played football at Butte Central, wearing No. 72 as he played both ways on the line for the Maroons. As a senior, he earned first-team all-conference and second-team All-State honors.
While enlisted in the Marines, Jim earned a degree in economics from Tulane University in New Orleans. Later, he earned a pair of master’s degrees.
Jim served in many different countries around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, before retiring.
Today, Jim is a member of the city council, representing Johns Island in Charleston, South Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Lynn.
Listen in to this episode as Jim as he talks about his days in the Marines, which includes a bit of mentoring to fellow BC graduate Rob O’Neill.
Listen as he talks about why he decided to run for city council and how he never even paid attention to local politics until he retired. Listen as he talks about some of his friends from high school and why he was reluctant to join the Marine Corps in the first place.
Listen in to hear that boot camp turned out to be just like the movies.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the local’s eat.
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Mya McGree second in Frenchtown
FRENCHTOWN — Eighth grader Mya McGree finished runner up at the Frenchtown Invitational Tuesday at the King Ranch Golf Course.
McGree tallied a total of 100 for the second-place finish. She shot 47 on the front nine and 53 on the back. Frenchtown’s Marissa Patch won the tournament with a 94.
Missoula Sentinel’s Willy Nowlen won boys’ medalist honors with a 3-over-par 75. He beat Ronan’s Oliver Rowan by one shot. Frenchtown’s Clayton Mitchell and Sentinel’s Cole Jenkins tied for third at 77.
Butte Central’s Beau McGree tied for seventh place at 79 to lead the Maroons. Teammate Connor Kachmarik tied for 13th at 84. Also for BC, Will McGree shot 91, Drew Kachmarik carded a 92, and Kelton Berger shot a 95.
The Maroons placed fourth behind Frenchtown, Sentinel and Ronan.
Central’s golfers will head to the Dillon Invitational next Wednesday. Complete results from the Frenchtown Invitational are available on the Golf Genius app with the passcode “25BRONCS.”
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Johnston registers ace, places third at Missoula Invitational golf
MISSOULA — Keeley Johnston hit the shot of a lifetime Tuesday at The Ranch Golf Club.
The Butte High senior stroked a hole-in-one on the way to tying for third place at the Missoula Invitational, highlighting the two-day tournament for the Bulldog golf teams.
Johnston used her pitching wedge to ace the 115-yard No. 8 on her way to a 92 on Tuesday’s final round. That came after she carded an 85 at the Larchmont Golf Course on Monday. She tied for third place with Missoula Big Sky’s Zoey Loberg, who followed an 82 with a 95, at 177 overall.
Kendall Tkachyk won medalist honors at 172, following a 79 with a 93. Teammate Maggie Milton placed second at 175. She hit an 86 and an 89.
Butte High senior Kate DeShaw placed seventh overall at 186. She hit a 93 both days of the tournament.
Teammate Sage Leber placed 19th at 212 after following a 99 with a 113, and Baely Norris finished at 26th with a 244, improving 12 shots for a 116 on Tuesday. Also for the Bulldogs, Julia DeShaw finished at 291.
Butte High placed fourth overall. Glacier took the team title, followed by Helena High and Missoula Big Sky. Eight teams played in the tournament.
Missoula Sentinel won the boys’ team title. Glacier took second, and Helena Capital finished third. The Bulldogs came in at fourth place.
Hudson Gorski of Sentinel won medalist honors, following Monday’s 67 for a 72 for a total of 130. Glacier’s Torren Murray and Sentinel’s Jack Schaefer tied for second at 141. Murray hit a 70 on the final round, while Shaefer followed a 69 with a 72.
Butte senior Chase Choquette led the Bulldogs with a 13th-place showing. He followed a 78 with a 76 for a 154. Teammate Teagan Yelenich tied four 14th place at 156. He improved eight shots for a final-round 74.
Butte High’s Jack Muhlestein tied for 19th at 159 after a final-round 79. Lane Lisac placed 22nd at 166, following his 79 on Monday with an 87. Also, Braden Donnelly followed an 89 with an 87, which was good for 30th place at 176 for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldog golf teams will be back in action next Tuesday for a two-day event in Bozeman.
Complete results are available on the Golf Genius app with the passcode “MISSOULA25.”
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She broke my heart, and then she helped fix it
Lisa Billteen was the first girl to break my heart.
In the late 1970s, Lisa and her family lived down the alley from my family in Butte’s Centerville neighborhood. It is what they used to call “Corktown,” but we never heard of that in those days.
A pretty girl with long blond hair, Lisa was my first best friend. From what I remember, we played together just about every day. Her brother Tom, who is now the drummer/eye candy for the Butte heartthrob cover band “High Ore Road,” was my older brother’s best friend.
Often, it was the four of us playing. Other times it was just Lisa and me. Our family photo album still includes photos of the four of us together.
I remember when we would pretend that we were in a band, singing Elvis Presley songs. I remember when we covered ourselves in bed sheets and ran around the yard pretending that we were ghosts.
I used to run down the alley to her house at least 10 times a day. That probably doubled on the days when Lisa wasn’t home. I just had to go and check to see if she was back yet.
Lisa was a year ahead of me in school — before I had to repeat the third grade — and I think her family moved out of the neighborhood about the time I was starting kindergarten. So, I was around 5 when she moved.
That move was devastating. It was also back when people moved out of your lives when they left the neighborhood. There was no Facebook or Snapchat to help us keep in touch. If we could not walk or ride a bike to each other’s house, then we just did not see each other.
When the Billteen family moved all the way to the bottom of the hill, they might as well have moved across the ocean. We never saw them, but I thought about Lisa all the time.
When I thought about the friend I lost, it made me sad. It still does.
Lisa was never a part of my life again. She went to Butte High when I was at Butte Central, and I had no idea where she went after high school. I did not know where she was living or what she did for work. I really did not know anything about her at all.
She just disappeared.
That heartbreak, though, is not the reason I was in St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula last week for a procedure on my heart. I was there for an ablation to try to end my string of atrial fibrillation episodes. AFib, as they call it for short, has been something I have been dealing with for years.
For the last 15 to 20 years, I would often feel my heart start beating faster for a split second. But then it would stop before I had time to put my hand up to feel it. I knew something was probably wrong, but I kept telling myself it was nothing.
After all, I was an avid runner, and my resting heart rate was usually 60 beats per minute or below when this started. I figured my heart was better than most.
Then one Wednesday night in September of 2020, I sat down on my recliner after taking part in the KBOW sports radio show “Overtime” at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill.
Suddenly, like someone pulled the cord on a lawnmower, my heart took off. It was nearly bouncing out of my chest. It was beating at nearly 180 beats per minute, but at a very erratic pace.
It would be like 180. Then 55. Then 130. Then 85.
At first, my wife and I laughed about it as we pulled out our phones to Google what the heck could be going on. But when I started to feel like I was going to pass out, my wife called 911. I laid back on the recliner with my head below my feet and waited for the ambulance to come.
I told my wife and kids that I love them, thinking it might be my last chance to say it.
Firefighter and paramedic Matt Pokorny, one of the best high school basketball players I ever watched play, rushed through my door and started checking my vitals.
“You look terrible,” he said.
After a minute, though, he told me it was probably just an AFib episode. I was not going to die.
After a few hours at the emergency room at St. James Hospital, my heart was zapped back into rhythm with a defibrillator.
The next month featured a ton of tests. I wore a heart monitor for a few days, and I had to take a stress text on a treadmill. Eventually, a local cardiologist said that the incident would probably never happen again. If it did, he said, it likely would not be for at least six years.
He was off by two years.
I would still feel the heart about to take off sometimes, more and more all the time. But it did not jump out of rhythm again until last October. Then it did it again this past Mother’s Day, and my wife sat by my side for 4 hours in the ER on her special day.
That led to more tests, and I eventually found myself at St. Pat’s last week to hopefully put the issue to bed. Dr. Melissa Robinson inserted a catheter into my groin and guided it up my veins to my heart. Then, she zapped the abnormal heart tissue so it can no longer send out the faulty signals.
Or something like that.
I am told Dr. Robinson is like the Michael Jordan of this procedure. She travels around the country to teach other cardiologists how it is done.
An ablation is a minimally evasive procedure, and I should be back on my mountain bike later this week or next. Hopefully, I will never have another heart issue again, and I can already feel that my heart beat is better.
The staff at St. Pat’s is also incredible. It is full of friendly professionals who are the best at what they do. As they prepped me for the procedure over a couple of hours, I must have been introduced to 20 different people.
Of course, many of them talked about Butte’s alleged dirty water. When you’re from Butte, people always want to talk about your hometown when you go to other cities in Montana.
One nurse talked about the time one of her coworkers from Butte took her to the Mining City. It was almost as if she was talking about visiting Kiev and somehow surviving. She stayed at the Finlen Hotel and watched her friend’s brother play in a band at the Party Palace.
“What’s her brother’s name?” I asked. “I’m sure I know him.”
“Oh, I’ll have to ask her,” she said. “She is here today.”
Not only was she in the hospital, she was part of the team to work the procedure. Among other things, she was going to help put on the nearly 50 stickers on my chest and back to hook me up to the machines to monitor my heart.
A handful of more people came in, introduced themselves and told me what they were doing before that nurse came back with her nurse friend from Butte.
“This is the Butte girl I told you about,” she said.
I was not wearing my contacts or my glasses, so I could not make out the face of the woman peaking her head around the curtain. Plus, she was wearing a hat for surgery and some glasses. Her blond hair is no longer long.
“What’s your brother’s name?” the other nurse asked her.
“Tom Billteen,” she said.
I tried to squint my eyes to make her face come into focus. My heart skipped as I rhetorically asked, “Lisa?”
The full-circle moment almost felt like a dream.
Some 45 years after Lisa Billteen broke my heart by moving away, she was part of the great team that fixed it.
— Bill Foley, whose heart has also been repeatedly broken by the Chicago Bears, 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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Lerum, Vicevich, Hislop reach perfection during Week 2
Justin Lerum, Dave Vicevich and Mark Hislop each posted a perfect score of 50 to lead the way during Week 2 of the Butte Trap Club’s Fall League.
Tim Cassidy shot a 49, while Mark Powers, Doug Rentz and Seth Duclos each broke 48 targets. Gillian Clark’s 47 topped women’s standings. Jen Hislop shot a 46, and Kim McClafferty, Dawna Raiser and Colleen Fink each shot 43.
Ryan Moodry’s 46 topped wobble shooting, and Amara Vicevichshot a 33 to lead junior shooting.
Through two weeks, Cooney’s Locksmith leads team scratch standings at 379. Wolverine Systems is second at 376, followed Arc Electric at 371 and Baker Auto at 370.
Butte Trap Club – 2025 Fall League – Week 2 Standings
Team Scratch Standings
Cooney’s Locksmith – 379
Wolverine Systems – 376
Arc Electric – 371
Baker Auto – 370
Lost Art Builders – 364
S & S Plumbing – 363
Burn – 362
Triple S Construction – 362
Lockmer Plumbing – 349
Poker Montana – 341
Northwest Clay Busters – 339
Sundance Plumbing – 327
Superior Title – 322
Bar D-M Ranch – 306
In Control Wildlife Services – 300
WET 2 – 299
Daddy’s Girls – 289
Maloney’s/Harrington’s Pepsi – 265
WET 1 – 186
Archibald Co. – 181
PMS – 180
Clay Howery Construction – 171
Shotgun Shenanigans – 168
12 G Girls – 141High Individual Scores
Justin Lerum – 50×50
Dave Vicevich – 50×50
Mark Hislop – 50×50
Tim Cassidy – 49×50
Mark Powers – 48×50
Doug Rentz – 48×50
Seth Duclos – 48×50High Lady Scores
Gillian Clark – 47×50
Jen Hislop – 46×50
Kim McClafferty – 43×50
Dawna Raiser – 43×50
Colleen Fink – 43×50High Wobble Trap Scores
Ryan Moodry – 46×50
Ken Rustad – 41×50
Marcus Tenney – 38×50
Drew Duncan – 37×50
Brad Rutherford – 37×50High Junior Trap Scores
Amara Vicevich – 33×50
