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Burgman/Boyle playhouse tickets will be sold outside Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Cribbage tourney set for Sunday
The Burgman/Boyle Scholarship Fund is raffling off a one-of-a-kind playhouse/fort/she-shed to raise money for the scholarship.
Tickets are $25, and they will be on sale each night this week from 7 to 9 p.m. outside Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, 2800 Harrison Ave. A member of the Burgman or Boye family will be there to sell you your chance to win the shed that is wired for electricity and fully insulated.
A limited number of tickets will be sold, and the shed is currently on display in the Dickey’s parking lot.
Also, the annual Burgman/Boyle Cribbage Tournament will be held Sunday at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Registration starts at noon, and play begins at 1 p.m.
The blind-draw tournament will cost $40 per player, and lots of prizes are available to be won. The format will be Canadian Crib, and lunch will be provided for all players. The lunch is being donated by Metals Sports Bar & Grill.
The Burgman/Boyle Scholarship was started to honor Butte friends Kyle Burgman and Casey Boyle. The two were killed in an automobile accident on East Park Street on Aug. 10, 2015.
To mark the 10th anniversary of their passing, the families plan to bring back the Burgman/Boyle Classic basketball game. The Butte Central vs. Butte High alumni game will be played on Sunday, Aug. 10 at East Middle School.
The night will include the annual Boyle’s Buddies Special Olympics game, and this year’s scholarship winners will be recognized.
Details for the night of basketball are still being worked out.
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Butte Junior City Championship set for Aug. 20 at Highland View Golf Course
The Butte-Silver Bow Junior City Championship golf tournament will be played on Wednesday, Aug. 20 =at the Highland View Golf Course.
The tournament will feature three age divisions for boys and girls — 9 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15-17. The older two divisions will play 18 holes on the regulation course, while the youngest division will feature nine holes on the Par 3.
The entry fee is $25 for the older two divisions and $10 for the younger one. Lunch will be provide for all players.
Each division winner and runner up will be presented with a medal. For more information, contact Keith Ogolin at (406) 497-6578 or kogolin@bsb.mt.gov.
Click the link below for a registration form. Forms are also available at the Highland View Golf Course.
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Kaven Noctor wins third City golf title
Mullholand clains Senior title, Newman is top Super Senior
Kaven Noctor captured his third Highland View Men’s City Championship Sunday at the Highland View Golf Course.
The 2020 Butte High graduate fired a 69 on Saturday and again Sunday for a 2-under-par 138 total. That topped Dan Mulholland by one shot.
Mulholland opened with a 68 to take the first-round lead. He closed with a 71.
Soon-to-be Butte High senior Chase Choquette placed third at 142. He followed a 70 with a 72 on the par-70 course. Choquette placed third at the Montana State Men’s Amateur Championship at the Missoula Country Club last month.
Robert Cline, who opened with a 69, placed third at 144 after a final-round 75.
Noctor, who holds the Highland View course record with a 62 shot in 2022, also won the City title in 2021 and 2022.
Mulholland captured the City title in the Senior Division, while Brad Newman won the Super Senior Division. Newman shot a 73 and a 74 for a 147 to win the fourth flight.
In all, 66 players competed in the tournament.
Highland View Men’s City Championship
Championship Flight
Kaven Noctor 69-69 — 138
Dan Mulholland 68-71 — 139
Chase Choquette 70-72 — 142
Robert Cline 69-75 — 144
Jerry Rapp 78-72 — 150
Luke Schulte 80-75 — 155
Ty Murphy 76-79 — 155
Aaron Dewaay 80-77 — 157
Anthony O’Connor 82-79 — 161
Mike Rapp 87-WDFirst Flight
Marcus Winnings 78-69 — 147
Ed Cohlepp 76-75 — 151
Mark Hodges 74-77 — 151
Marty Reilly 74-80 — 154
Steve Fournier 82-72 — 154
Jake Johnston 78-77 — 155
Steve Colvin 79-76 — 155
Derek Burch 83-80 — 163
Lee Earhart 80-83 — 163
Ethan Edwards 82-87 — 169
Hunter Salcido 98-WDSecond Flight
Bob Johnston 83-74 — 157
Mark Noctor 79-79 — 158
Vic Duffin 83-78 — 161
Jim Solan 80-82 — 162
Larry Pericich 80-83 — 163
Pat O’Rourke 88-77 — 165
Pete Yerkich 80-86 — 166
Don Foreman 79-89 — 168
John Thurmond 88-82 — 170
Michael Regan 85-86 — 171
Michael Calvin 79-92 — 171
Nick Piazzola 90-86 — 176Third Flight
Jim Spurnger 78-81 — 159
Kadon Queer 86-76 — 162
Frank Gaul 80-85 — 165
Jeff Kreyssler 79-89 — 168
Mike Fairchild 83-86 — 169
Dan Gardipee 86-85 — 171
Billy Robinson 89-88 — 178
Steve Fournier 87-92 — 179
Steve Hepola 91-90 — 181
Rodney Johnson 92-93 — 185
Devin Kellner 91-96 — 187Fourth Flight
Brad Newman 73-74 — 147
Josh Kovenesky 86-81 — 167
Tucker Reilly 92-78 — 170
Vern Kingston 84-88 — 172
Todd Carver 87-86 — 173
Coby Lean 87-87 — 174
Jim Murray 94-91 — 185
John Gardipee 98-89 — 187
Brian Noctor 91-98 — 189
Jake Strong 101-97 — 198Fifth Flight
Scott Sweet 85-91 — 176
Dan Parish 94-93 — 187
Mike Anderson 91-97 — 188
Bryan Levengood 97-93 — 190
Mark Reilly 95-99 — 194
Jake Kovensky 99-97 — 197
Jim Bennett 94-103 — 197
Matt Garcia 101-100 — 201
Erin Goosey 99-108 — 207
Jeffrey Preston 104-104 — 208
Manny Salcido 103-105 — 208
Devin Goosey 109-110 — 219Saturday hole prizes
Closes to No. 5/14 — Frank Gaul
Long Drive on No. 7 (0-13 handicap) — Steve Fournier
Long Drive No. 15 (14 plus handicap) — Coby Lean
Closes to No. 8/17 — Chase Choquette
Longest putt on No. 9/18 — Jim SolanSunday hole prizes (8 a.m. shotgun)
Closes to No. 5/14 — Tucker Reilly
Long Drive on No. 7 — Tucker Reilly
Closes to No. 8/17 — Bryan Levengood
Longest putt on No. 9/18 — Josh Kovensky
Sunday hole prizes (1 p.m. shotgun)
Closes to No. 5/14 — Luke Schulte
Long Drive on No. 7 — Marcus WInnings
Closes to No. 8/17 — Kaven Noctor
Longest putt on No. 9/18 — John Thurmond -
Mile High boys bring up memories of that great team from 1972
Tears filled the eyes of Butte’s Mile High All-Star baseball players after they met with their coaches one final time on the left field grass of the Ron Godbout Memorial Field at Father Sheehan Park.
The dust was just starting to settle after they fell in a 6-5 thriller to the Boulder Arrowhead All-Stars from Billings in Game 2 of the Montana Little League State Championship Series Sunday afternoon. That came after the Butte boys dropped a 7-6 nail-biter to Boulder Arrowhead less than 24 hours earlier on the same field.
Mile High scored one run in the bottom of the sixth — and last — inning before Boulder Arrowhead star Dane Larson got the final out with the tying and go-ahead runs on base.
The boys from Butte led 3-0 and 4-3 in the game, and Mile High seemingly had more fresh arms for the winner-takes-all Game 3 that would have been played later Sunday night.
Butte also led 1-0, 4-2 and 7-6 in the first game of the series.
But some clutch Billing hits, some bad luck for the home team, and some Houdini acts by Boulder Arrowhead pitching ended Butte’s plans, leaving the Mile High boys only dreaming of a trip that would have been. Boulder Arrowhead advances to represent Montana in the Western Regional Tournament in San Bernardino, California.
The Butte players, though, most likely have no idea of how close they were to Butte baseball immortality. Their parents probably had no idea, either.
Some old-timers watching the games, though, knew full well that the Mile High boys were knocking on the door of joining some exclusive company.
In 1972, the Mile High All-Stars captured the state championship and advanced to San Bernardino. That was the only time a Butte team has ever won a Little League state title in the 12-and-under division. Until recent years, that was the only division for the boys.
That is the division of the Little League World Series that is played on ESPN every summer.
As far as baseball in the Mining City goes, those boys from the 1972 team are the 1985 Bears. They were legends then, and they are legends now.
On Aug. 5, 1972, Mile High beat the Lissa All-Stars from Billings 5-2 in Billings to capture the state championship. Barry Sullivan threw a three-hit gem, while Mark Bound and Mike Stajcar drove in runs with doubles to highlight the victory.
In winning the title, they became the initial team to represent Montana at the Regional Tournament.
The left-handed Bond threw a no-hitter and scored three runs as the Butte boys opened the Regional tournament with a 15-1 over the Idaho state champions on Monday, Aug. 14. Sullivan, Stajcar, Mike Maroney, Si Timberman and John Kovacich smacked extra-base hits to lead the Butte offense in the rout.
Butte’s chance of a World League World Series run, however, ended when the Mille High All-Stars fell 5-0 in the quarterfinals to Arizona two nights later.
The tournament run ended with a thrilling 15-13 consolation loss to Colorado on Aug. 17.
The great Mark Sullivan, who was later appointed District Court Judge for Silver Bow County by Gov. Tom Judge in 1980, was the manager of the 1972 Mile High All-Star team. He was assisted by Jay McCloskey. Ed Mengon was the Mile High president.
In addition to Sullivan, Stajcar, Bond, Mahoney, Timberman and Kovacich, the team was made up of Jack McCloskey, Bob Bush, Rick Lyons, Jim Anderson, Mike Carle, Dan Bosch, Dennis Secord, Mike Maroney and Joe Taras.
Most of those names should sound familiar to Butte sports fans. Many of them went on to be part of Butte High’s 1977 Class AA State championship football team. Sullivan, who was the quarterback of those Bulldogs, was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame along with Lyons and Anderson.
Carle turned out to be one of Butte High’s all-time great basketball players. His 37 points in one game in stood as the Bulldog boys’ record for 26 years.
Anderson and Timberman joined Sullivan as standouts for the Montana State Bobcat football team. Kovacich was a member of the Montana Grizzlies’ 1982 Big Sky Conference championship team.
Lyons will go down as one of the greatest golfers Butte has ever produced. He won the 1999 Montana State Men’s Amateur Championship and the 1991 and 1995 Mid-Amateur Championships. Thanks to Louie Bartoletti, Lyons was also a member of Butte Central’s 1978 State championship golf team.
Bush wrote a book, but it wasn’t about baseball.
Now, 53 years have passed, and no team has followed in the footsteps of that great team from 1972.
The Mile High All-Stars of 2025, though, made a pretty good run at history under manager Keli Renz-Coffing, who was a stellar shortstop for Butte High’s softball team in her day. She was assisted by former Triple-A first-baseman John Summers and former Butte High and Montana Western running back Jordan Clary.
Their team showed fight from the first pitch on Saturday night to the final out on Sunday afternoon.
In Game 1, Benny Donaldson and Jace Graham showed off their strong arms on the mound, while Hunter Summers tripled. Ridge Bauer hit two doubles, and Donaldson, Cole O’Connor and Kooper Conway each hit one.
Summers, Donaldson and Bauer each had a three-hit game. The trio combined to drive in six of Butte’s seven runs.
Colt Horsley pitched five strong innings in Game 2. Kale Alexander poked three hits. Cooper Coffing, Summers, Donaldson, Graham, Conway, Horsely and Cooper Phillips each added one. Mason Lowney worked a clutch walk with two out in the bottom of the sixth to keep the team’s hopes alive.
Cruz Clary was also a member of the team. He was not able to play, however, because he suffered a gruesome injury two weeks earlier. Clary was pitching during pool play in Dillon when a batter hit a line drive off his face.
That shot fracture two bones near Clary’s eyes, but that did not stop him from supporting his teammates the rest of the way.
A huge, boisterous crowd cheered on the Mile High All-Stars in both games. Even though the boys of Boulder Arrowhead ended up moving on, the Butte crowd was so incredibly proud of the Mile High boys.
Perhaps the coolest thing about their performance, though, is everyone believed that they were going to win right until the end. That meant that those boys from 1972 were the topic of conversation.
Many heard about that legendary team for the first time because of that run over the last three weeks. Because of the 2025 Mile High boys, so many asked the question: Has Butte ever won a state Little League title before?
Then, there was someone who remembered to tell them the story. Yes, a bunch of boys aged 10 to 12 brought that great memory from 1972 back to life.
Long after those tears dry up, those Mile High All-Stars of 2025 will realize what they accomplished.
Like with the 1972 team, this will not be the last we hear from the boys of the 2025 Mile High All-Star team.
— Bill Foley, who was not born yet when the 1972 All-Stars made their run, 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: Cruz Clary and Copper City All-Stars
Butte Little League baseball player Cruz Clary and the Copper City Softball 8-10 All-Stars are this Week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Clary takes home the boys’ award after the Mile High All-Stars came within two wins of representing Montana in the Western Regional Tournament in San Bernardino, California. The Butte boys dropped a pair of one-run games in the best-of-three State Championship Series to Boulder Arrowhead of Billings on the Ron Godbout Memorial Field at Father Sheehan Park.
Cruz was a huge part of the team, but he had to sit out the championship series after suffering a gruesome injury two weeks earlier during pool play in Dillon. While pitching, Cruz took a line drive off his face, and it fractured two bones around his left eye.
Still, Cruz showed up every day and did whatever he could to support his teammates on their quest for greatness.
Cruz, who turned 11 on Sunday, will be a fifth grader at Hillcrest Elementary School this upcoming school year. In addition to pitching, he played third base and the outfield.
The girls’ honor goes to the Copper City Softball 8-10 All-Stars after they played their hearts out at the Montana State Tournament in Billings July 18-20.
The team had numerous standout performances, but the pitchers and catchers worked particularly hard through the heat and adversity of playing some great teams from Eastern Montana. Taylor Benski led the team in innings pitched and threw 19 strikeouts. Kyla McEwen and Anna Yates both entered games in difficult situations and were able to get out of jams, keeping the Copper City All-Stars in their respective games.
Caelyn Comfort and Austyn Sholey shared the catching duties in the heat and dusty conditions. Comfort smacked four hits, drove in four runs and scored four times over the weekend.
The team, which took home the District 2 championship in Great Falls last month, went 1-3 at State.
Team members are Bensky, McEwen, Yates, Comfort, Sholey, Khloe Solomon, Ella Briggs, Parker Gilbreath, Cora Stosich, Shea Whitaker, Loghan Smith and Morgan Conway. Cullen Gilbreath is the manager, and Jenny McEwen and Chris Benski are coaches.
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.
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Podcast No. 279: John Stenson
Some of you known him as John Stenson, musician in iconic Butte bands like Uncle Mary, King Friday and the Berkeley Pits. (The Berkeley Pits, by the way, will be playing Music on Main on July 31.)
Others know him as Mr. Stenson, history teacher at East Middle School and now Butte High School. Some might even know him as “Johnny Blackout,” a defensive back on Butte High’s 1991 State championship football team.
Once again, he will be known as “Coach Stenson.” Butte High hired Stenson to take over as head coach of girls’ flag football program. His hire was made official by the Butte School Board Monday night.
It will not be John’s first coaching job. He coached junior high and varsity football in Whitehall, and he coached football at East. He also coaches his son Zach’s Special Olympics basketball team.
Butte High enters its fourth season playing flag football, and John looks to take the program to new heights. He currently has 26 players out for the team, and he is looking for more. He is also looking to raise the program out of anonymity.
The Bulldogs have played the last few seasons with little fanfare or media coverage. While the latter will change with the return of the ButteCast SportsCap with the fall season, John would like you to see more fans fill the sidelines when the team plays at Copper Mountain Park or the stands whey the Bulldogs play at Naranche Stadium.
With assistants Mike McGurk and Josh Hettick, senior leadership and young talent, John expects the Bulldogs to play an exciting brand of football this fall and for years to come.
Listen in to this episode of the ButteCast as John talks about his days playing football at Butte High and his career as a musician. Listen as he describes how playing for Uncle Mary at the old Brews Billiards in Butte felt like Madison Square Garden.
Listen as John talks about how he got into the education game, teaching and coaching in Whitehall, and his move back to Butte. Listen as he talks with passion about his new gig coaching flag football.
Today’s episode is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
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Podcast No. 278: Jocelyn Dodge
You might not ever find a retired person who does more work than Jocelyn Dodge.
She works with the Restore Our Creek Coalition and the Friends of Thompson Park. She serves as the president of the bard for Butte’s Center for the Performing Arts. That is just to name a few.
The Montpelier, Vermont native moved to the Treasure State in the late 1970s to attend the University of Montana. After changing her major multiple times, she graduated in 1982 with a recreation services degree.
Jocelyn worked for the Missoula city parks department before moving on to a job at Lone Pine State Park near Kalispell.
In 1991, Jocelyn moved to Butte to work for the Forest Service. She served as a recreation forester for several jurisdictions in Southwest Montana, including Butte-Silver Bow. Jocelyn retired in December of 2019, but that has hardly slowed her down.
She is busy doing something every single day. When she’s not working hard, she is playing hard. Part of the reason she is so busy is that she is taking advantage of some of the recreation opportunities that she helped create.
The legacy Jocelyn left behind from her career will long be remembered by the recreation community. She was instrumental in building the 30 plus miles of trails around Thompson Park. She worked to restore old Milwaukee Road trestle, and she helped build the Continental Divide Trail in the area.
Today, that trail is used by so many, including racers on the Tour Divide that we see in town nearly every day of the summer. It has been used for the Wolfman Continental Dive Trail Race, the Butte 100 mountain bike race and the recently-started Copper Kings 100, a 100-mile running race.
None of that would be possible without all the great work Jocelyn put in during her career and beyond.
Listen to this episode of the ButteCast as Joscelyn talks about growing up in Vermont and moving to Montana and her years at the University of Montana. Listen as she talks about her work in Missoula and how she was reluctant to move to Butte because of our reputation.
Listen as the talks about the work she did at Thompson Park and the CDT. Listen as she talks about working with so many groups and great people over the years. Listen in to hear that she has no plans of ever leaving the Mining City.
Today’s episode is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
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Ryggs, and only Ryggs, made the Country Club look easy
The article in The Great Falls Tribune leading up to the 2009 Montana State Amateur men’s golf tournament was offensive on multiple fronts.
Funny enough, I was offended on behalf of the Butte Country Club, and I grew up playing at the Muni. I was also offended on behalf of some of the best golfers from the Mining City, and I no longer played the game.
The State Am was about to be played at the Butte Country Club for the first time since 1999, when Butte Sports Hall of Famer Rick Lyons pulled off a six-shot win over 1998 champion Eddie Kavran of Dillon and Reid Lende of Livingston.
That, by the way, was the worst beating Kavran took since I thumped him by one shot to win the 1992 Butte Central Invitational at the Muni.
The Great Falls story did mention Lyons, but only to say that he was semi-retired from tournament competition and there was “no local player to carry the torch.”
After the first two days of the tournament, 18-year-old Butte player Ty Wengel was tied for the lead. He had a heck of a chance to win the thing had he not been disqualified by a silly rule during the third round of the four-day tournament.
Wengel threw his driver at his bag. Later, he noticed that the throw dented his putter, and he putted with it after it was “altered.” He reported the incident, and, golf being golf, that was a disqualifiable offense.
Ty’s father, Bob Wengel, tied with Butte’s Jon Johnstone for fifth place in the tournament.
While that might not qualify as “carrying the torch” for Lyons, who is particularly deadly on his home course, it showed that we clearly had some local talent playing.
The worst part of the story, though, was the way it ripped apart the Country Club, which will always be my one of my favorite courses.
Yes, the Butte Country Club is a short course compared to modern standards. The club was established in 1899, and that dates back to a time before it was socially acceptable for “men” to push their clubs on a cart. It was designed long before modern technology made it so any guy with goofy pants and an oversized head on his driver can hit the ball 280 yards.
The Club is a throwback, and I felt the story took some shots at that when it should have been praising the historic course.
Some players apparently took the Great Falls story to heart as they talked about somebody shooting in the 50s over the four days. The story, after all, reminded them that Billings golfer Kelbi Lee once shot a 60 on the par-70 course when playing in a Montana Tech tournament for Rocky Mountain College.
Yes, Lee did shoot a 60. You can never scoff at a round that low, no matter the circumstances.
But, with all due respect, he did not do that during a tournament in which the grounds crew was geared up to protect par. He did not do that in the State Amateur.
When the grounds crew wants to get sadistic, not many courses in the state can defend par like the Butte Country Club. They do that by growing out the rough, speeding up the greens and putting the pins in placements that can range from unfair to masochistic.
The silliness of that Great Falls story was slowly exposed as the tournament played out. The writer probably wanted to burn all copies when Missoula golfer Bill Dunn won the tournament at even par. Only 10 of the 120 or so players came within 10 strokes of par that week.
When Lyons won in 1999, he shot a 9-under-par 271 for the four days. He was one of just three players to break par — Kavran and Lende were the others at minus 3.
That is why what 18-year-old Ryggs Johnston of Libby did to the Bute Country Club in 2018 was so impressive.
Johnston, who was about to be a senior in high school, ran away with the tournament title with a three-day score of 197. That is 13 shots under par. Johnston opened with a 68, then shot a 62 and a 67.
He would have pushed 20-under had the tournament still been four days.
Bozeman’s Joey Jovell, who played a pretty dang good tournament himself, placed second at 205. He hit a pair of 69s and a 67. Lovell went on to win the State Am in 2021 and 2022, while Billings golfer Joey Moore, who placed third at 208, won the event in 2019 and 2023.
Lovell celebrated his runner-up finish in 2018 by getting a photo with Johnston because he knew that he might be playing on television someday.
That day has come. Johnston, who easily won four individual State titles (in Class B and Class A) in high school playing for the Libby Loggers, made the cut at the British Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland.
(Yes, I call it the British Open.)
Johnston shot a 74 on the first round before firing seven birdies and shooting a 5-under-par 66 on Friday to make the cut. Only seven players, including champion Scottie Scheffler, shot a better score over the four-day tournament.
Johnston, now 25, hit a 74 on Saturday and again on Sunday. He qualified to play in his first major by winning the Australian Open in Melbourne in December. That came after he earned All-American honors playing golf at Arizona State.
At the Butte Country Club in 2018, Johnston went wire to wire for the win. His 69 on the first day gave him a one-shot lead over Lovell, Moore, Sean Benson and Chris Goldan of Bozeman. Then, he buried the field with that 62 on Day 2.
One thing that seemed pretty apparent to the large number of players and fans following Johnston on Day 3 is that he could have shot much lower than 67 had he needed to on the final round. Instead, he played it conservatively as he matched the second-best score of the 333 rounds played by the tournament field.
It was not just that Johnston won the 2018 State Am at the Country Club that was impressive. It was not just the scores he shot.
What stands out is how the best players in the state all knew that they were playing for second place. Most had pretty much conceded that the high school star was going to win before they teed off.
Benson, a Billings native who is the greatest golfer in the history of the Montana Tech program, marveled at how well Johnston was playing.
As I walked up to Benson’s group during the back nine of the second round, I asked if he was making a run for the lead.
“No way,” Benson said. “It’s over. Ryggs is going crazy today.”
To Johnston, the course seemed easy. It seemed easy only to Johnston.
“On this course I think I can go low any day,” Johnston said after his 62. “It’s short. Just keep it in play, hit some good wedge shots and make some putts. I did that today, and the number shows.”
The State Am was played in Butte six times over the last 52 summers. In addition to 1999, 2009 and 2018, the state’s best golfers competed at the Butte Country Club in 1974, 1979 and 1986.
That means the tournament should be rolling back into town again in the next few years.
Johnston is now a professional, so he will not be in the field.
So, that 2018 tournament just might go down as the last time anybody makes the Butte Country Club look easy.
— Bill Foley, who never made any course look easy, 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: Mattie Stepan and Kodye Kjersten
Copper City Softball player Mattie Stepan and Butte American Legion baseball player Kodye Kjersten are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Stepan receives the girls’ honor after showing off her leadership skills by catching 44 innings over four days playing for the Copper City Senior All-Stars at the Western Regional tournament in Missoula. The soon-to-be Butte High senior hit three home runs and threw out three runners at second base over that span.
Mattie turned two double plays and won the MVP coin in two different games. She is currently hitting .519 and batting second. Mattie drove in the tying run in the seventh inning to help the Copper City Stars beat Washington.
This is Mattie’s second year playing for the Senior All-Stars. She is also a standout for the Butte High softball and wrestling teams.
Kjersten takes home the boys’ honor after a strong season with the Butte Muckers. That success led to Kodye’s promotion to the Butte Miners, and he will be a key player for the Class A team heading into the Southern A District Tournament in Dillon.
The soon-to-be Butte High sophomore batted .451 over 30 games playing for the Muckers. That includes four doubles, two triples and 21 RBIs. He worked 18 walks and struck out just seven times. He stole 54 bases and was only caught stealing twice.
Kodye also stood out in centerfield with his speed, range and cannon for an arm. He plays football, basketball and baseball at Butte High.
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 Stepan and Kjersten provided by Alycia Holland Photography.
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Podcast No. 277: Jake Olson
Jake Olson is a 2021 Butte High graduate who is gearing up for his senior season playing football for the Montana Grizzlies.
He is following a legacy with the Griz. His father, Bob, played basketball for the Grizzlies in the 1990s. Jake figured he would do that, too. But then he had a breakout season playing tight end for the Butte High Bulldogs during their run to the 2019 Class AA State Championship football game. Jake scored the first touchdown of that game, hauling a long TD pass from Tommy Mellott, but the Bozeman Hawks won the game.
Jake committed to the Grizzlies in September of 2020, and he officially signed while sitting at a table at the 50-yard line of Naranche Stadium on the first day of the early signing period that December.
Jake was a standout for the Bulldog basketball team, too. He earned four varsity letters on the hardwood, and he helped lead the Bulldogs to two trips to the Class AA State tournament.
Now, he is a senior for the Grizzlies. The 6-foot-7, 258-pound tight end caught his first touchdown pass last season. He also threw blocks — or at least he says he attempted to — for legendary Griz return man Junior Bergen.
This year, Jake is looking for a big season as he closes the chapter on his college football career. The Griz play eight home games, starting with a Sept. 6 battle with Central Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The regular-season will wrap up Nov. 22 at home against Montana State.
Jake said he is looking forward to the season, and he expects big things from the Grizzlies. He is working extremely hard to get ready for the season, but he is also finding some time to work on his golf game.
Oh, and he is doing his part to keep the streets of Missoula passable.
When I called him yesterday for this fun phone conversation, Jake had just finished clearing the street of a downed tree. He said it gave him flash backs to last year’s huge storm that paralyzed the city and left football players sleeping in the parking lot outside the weight room so they were not late for morning weights.
Listen in as Jake talks about growing up in Butte, where he lived in the same house that produced a pair of Olympic skiers. Listen as he talks about that 2019 season and some of his coaches and teammates at Butte High.
Listen as he talks about running out of that tunnel at Washington-Grizzly Stadium and playing for the Grizzlies. Listen in as he talks about getting engaged to his high school sweetheart.
Today’s podcast is presented by Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty.
