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Osborne, Salo shoot to district titles
DILLON — Three girls and three boys, ages 8-13, were crowned champions at the Elks South District Hoop Shoot free throw contest Saturday at the Straugh Gymnasium on the Montana Western Campus.
Those winners include Butte’s Tenley Osborne and Clay Salo. Osborne won the girls’ 12-13 age group, making 20 out of 25 shots. Salo captured the boys’ 8-9 title. He sank 22 free throws.
Butte’s Jace Graham placed second in the boys’ 11-12 age group. He made 20 free throws. Anaconda’s Tre Estes won with 23.
Caitlyn Jo Gallagher of Butte took second in the girls’ 8-9 group.
Other Butte contestants who won the Butte Lodge No. 240 competition in November were Taylor Benski, Bridger Smyth, and JJ Hardy.
First and second place trophies were awarded to each boy and girl in three categories: ages 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. The contestants who participated at the District Hoop Shoot Contest were crowned Champions at their local Lodge Contest within the Montana South District, comprised of Anaconda No. 239, Butte No. 240, Deer Lodge No. 1737, Dillon No. 1554.
The three first place boys and girls in age categories 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13 will advance to the Montana State Contest at Park County High School in Livingston on Feb. 14. They will compete against the Districts Champions from the other four Montana districts. With continued success, the six Montana State Champions will advance to the Regional Contest in Rapid City, South Dakota, on March 7and the National Finals in Chicago on April 18. The names of all the national winners will have their names digitally displayed in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
This program is totally sponsored by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the U.S.A. It is endorsed by hundreds of school systems around the country. The Elks fund the program primarily through its National Foundation and the support of the local lodges and state associations.
The Elks Hoop Shoot” began as a local program by Corvallis Oregon Elks in 1946, is in its 54th year of national competition. In the past, Montana has crowned several National Champions.
Age group winners (scores out of 25):
Girls 8-9
1st – Kasey Staley, Dillon 20
2nd – Caitlyn Jo Gallagher, Butte 11Girls 10-11
1st – Aspen Gibson, Dillon 11, 3/5, 3/5
2nd – Adeley Kenny, Anaconda 11, 3/5, 2/5Girls 12-13
1st – Tenley Osborne, Butte 20
2nd – Kansas Keller, Dillon 18Boys 8-9
1st – Clay Salo, Butte 22
2nd – Emmett Holbrook, Twin Bridges 18Boys 11-12
1st – Tre Estes, Anaconda 23
2nd – Jace Graham, Butte 20Boys 12-13
1st – Austin Blando, Dillon 17, 4/5, 4/5
2nd – Jack Grinolds, Anaconda 17, 4/5, 3/5 -
KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball league for the week of Jan. 5. Only one game will be played on Monday because the Montana State Bobcats are playing in the FCS National Championship Game that night.
Monday
9 p.m. — Poi Time vs. Someday StartersTuesday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Everett-Cook Law
8 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Everett-Cook Law
9 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Someday StartersWednesday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Kenworthy
8 p.m. — Poi Time vs. ButteSportsThursday
7 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. Washington Generals
8 p.m. — City Boys vs. ButteSports
9 p.m. — City Boys vs. Hoopballas
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Hunt captures title at Tom LeProwse
BOZEMAN — For the second straight year, Butte High senior Keegan Hunt is a Tom LeProwse champion.
On Saturday, Hunt defeated East Helena wrestlers Eli Erdahl 6-4 in the championship match of the 110-pound division of the Tom LeProwse Invitational at Gallatin High School.
A year ago, Hunt won the 103-pound title in the tournament named after the Butte native who turned out to be a Bozeman coaching legend. Hunt then won a state title at 103 pounds in February.
In all, six Bulldogs placed in the tournament. Crew O’Connor took second at 103 pounds. Teammate Renzy LeProwse placed third in that division.
Reveles McEwen took third at 118 pounds, while Bridger Garrison captured fifth at 157 and Bode Hazlett placed sixth at 150.
Billings West won the team title with 247 points. Hardin took second at 229, and Huntley Project finished third at 183. Butte High placed seventh in the 50-team tournament with 161.5 points.
Butte High’s girls’ program competed in the Belgrade Invitational at the Belgrade Special Events Center.
Senior Mattie Stepan led the Bulldogs, placing third at 155 pounds. Cheyanne Robinson took sixth at 235, and Peyton Liva placed sixth at 100.
The Bulldog boys and girls will be back at home Tuesday, taking on Missoula Hellgate and Missoula Big Sky at the Butte High old gym. Action begins with extra matches at 5 p.m.
Results for the tournaments in Bozeman and Belgrade can be found at trackwrestling.com.
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Graham reaches 1,000 points in loss, Bulldog boys dunk on Raptors
It was a night of milestones, 3-pointers and slam dunks Friday at the Butte Civic Center.
Butte High junior Cadence Graham became just the second Bulldog girl to join the 1,000-point club in a 68-47 loss to defending Class AA State champion Gallatin. Then, the Butte High boys scored from deep and up high to roll their record to 5-0 with a 75-60 beating of the Raptors in the night cap.
The Bulldogs will be back in action next Friday and Saturday when the boys and girls travel to Kalispell to take on Flathead and Glacier. Those will be the first two Western AA games for Butte High.
BOYS
Butte High 75, Gallatin 60If Butte High fans did not believe their boys have the look of a serious state title contender before Friday night, they sure as heck do now.
The Bulldogs connected on 11 shots from 3-point range, and 6-foot-9 sophomore Brady Hanson electrified the crowd with four thunderous two-handed dunks to lead the Bulldogs in the win.
Hanson scored Butte’s first bucket on a dunk in traffic. He added three more slams and a 3-pointer. The prettiest basket of the night came on a break when Hudson Luedtke lobbed a pass off the backboard and Hanson threw it down.
Luedtke, the reigning scoring and assist champion of the Class AA, tossed in 22 points to lead the Bulldogs. Fellow senior Rhett Arntson had the best game of his varsity career, knocking down five 3-pointers and scoring 19 points for Butte, which led wire to wire.
The Dogs led 15-11 after one and 40-24 at the half. Butte took a 55-47 edge into the final frame.
Hanson scored 13 points for Butte, which got eight points and some tough defense from Cayde Stajcar. James Pearston sank a pair of threes and score six, Mitch Verlanic netted five, and Ryan Hanson tossed in two.
Kendel Noctor, Koda Schleeman and Kaleb Celli also contributed for the Bulldogs.
GALLATIN (2-2) — Ethan Waldo 3 0-0 9, Bobby Gutzman 2 0-0 4, Austin Bishop 3 0-0 6, Sam Litzen 2 0-0 5, Aidden Brown 5 2-2 12, Caden Flanigan 0 1-2 1, Brett Sonju 6 1-3 18, Joey Padilla 0 0-2 0, Zach Lockwood 1 2-2 4, Matthew Phillips 0 1-2 1, Wyatt Ford 0 0-0 0, Hudson Burke 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 7-13 60.
BUTTE HIGH (5-0) — Cayde Stajcar 3 2-2 8, Rhett Arntson 7 0-0 19, Hudson Luedtke 5 10-12 22, Mitch Verlanic 2 0-0 5, Brady Hanson 6 0-0 13, James Pearston 2 0-0 6, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Kaleb Celli 0 0-0 0, Ryan Hanson 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 12-14 75.
Gallatin 11 13 23 13 — 60
Butte 15 25 15 20 — 75
3-point goals — Gallatin 9 (Sonju 5, Waldo 3, Litzen), Butte 11 Arntson 5, Luedtke 2, Pearston 2, Verlanic). Fouls — Gallatin 19, Butte 15. Fouled out — Brown. Technical — Brown.GIRLS
Gallatin 68, Butte High 47
Jada Davis poured in 29 points for the Raptors, who pulled away with a 23-6 advantage in the third quarter.Davis was one of three Raptors in double figures. Makayla Coleman scored 12 points, and Avi Odegard tossed in 10. Amelia Hunter came off the bench to score eight.
Allie Becker’s 15 points paced the Bulldogs. She scored 10 of those points in the first half. After Cadence Graham’s 12 points, Butte got six from Autumn Clary, five from Emma Johnson, four from Saege Grey, three from Kendallyn Schad and two from Ellison Graham. Franki Salusso, Avery Basness, Ellie Yates, Stella Callaghan and Reese Johnson also contributed for the Bulldogs.
GALLATIN (4-0) — Jada Davis 8 11-13 29, Avi Odegard 4 2-2 10, Saydey Perry 2 0-1 4, Lorelei Bear Before 2 0-0 4, Makayla Coleman 4 4-5 12, Lydia Stewart 0 0-0 0, Ameilia Hunter 2 2-2 8, Auna Litzen 0 0-0 0, Kate Nansel 0 1-2 1, Taylor Thigpen 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 20-25 68.
BUTTE HIGH (2-3) — Allie Becker 4 7-5 15, Cadence Graham 2 7-8 12, Autumn Clary 0 6-8 6, Franki Salusso 0 0-0 0, Emma Johnson 2 0-0 5, Ellison Graham 0 2-4 2, Saege Grey 2 0-1 4, Kendallyn Schad 1 0-0 3, Stella Callaghan 0 0-0 0, Reese Johnson 0 0-0 0, Avery Barsness 0 0-0 0, Ellie Yates 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 20-28 47.
Gallatin 18 13 23 14 — 68
Butte 17 10 6 14 — 47
3-point goals — Gallatin 4 (Hunter 2, Davis 2), Butte 5 (Becker 2, C. Graham, Johnson, Schad). Fouls — Gallatin 24, Butte 16. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none. -
Podcast No. 313: Mitch Verlanic
Mitch Verlanic was an All-State safety for the Butte High Bulldogs this past football season. Last week, he was picked to play for the West Side in the 2026 Montana East-West Shrine Game in Butte.
He would be a steal if a college team took a chance on him, but so far, the coaches have not been calling. Montana Western did, but Mitch plans to be an engineer.
I’ve been watching Butte High football for a long time. I watched as a fan, as a writer and as a parent. Mitch is one of the best defensive players I have seen play for the Bulldogs. He isn’t going to wow you with his size on the roster, but he is ever bit as big as Colt Anderson.
This past season, Mitch unleashed the fury for the Bulldogs, chalking up 104 total tackles. That includes 77 solo tackles. He just has a nose for the ball. He is super smart, as is evident with his 4.0 GPA and 31 on the ACT.
He also works harder than most. He did not miss one morning weights workout in his four years playing football for the Bulldogs.
After two seasons not playing hoops, Mitch returned to the Butte High basketball team this season. He and classmate Cayde Stajcar were heavily recruited by teammate Hudson Luedtke, and so far the Bulldogs are undefeated.
Hopefully the college coaches come around, too. With his combination of ability, smarts and instinct, I would bet anything that he will be a star at the next level if he is given a chance.
Listen in to this episode as Mitch talks about playing football, lifting weights and spending so much time watching film. Listen as he talks about what it is like to play with a great player like Luedtke — on the gridiron and on the hardwood.
Listen to hear why he is Mitch on the football roster and Mike in basketball.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today. The episode is also available on YouTube:
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Bulldogs jump back into action
Wrestlers head to LeProwse Invite
While Butte Central’s basketball teams have an extended break following Christmas, the Butte High Bulldogs are wasting no time getting back into action.
The Bulldog boys’ and girls’ teams will take on Gallatin Friday in a doubleheader at the Butte Civic Center. The girls play at 5:30 p.m., and the boys will tip off around 7.
We could see a milestone reached in the girls’ game. After scoring 14 points in Butte High’s 62-24 Dec. 23 win over Butte Central, junior guard Cadence Graham is just 11 points shy of joining the 1,000-point club.
That will make Graham, who first cracked a sport on the varsity team when she was in the eighth grade, just the second Butte High girl with 1,000 points or more on her career, joining the great Lexie Nelson.
Nelson holds Butte High’s record — for a boy or girl — with 1,696 points. Senior Hudson Luedtke, who led the Bulldog boys to a 4-0 December, could make a run at that mark. Last year, Luedtke passed John Dawson to become Butte High’s all-time leading scorer on the boys’ side.
Luedtke averaged 29.5 points per game during the first four games, and he sits at 1,287. That leaves Luedtke 409 points, so if he stays on that pace, he would pass Nelson late in the regular season.
Of course, staying on such an insane scoring pace is much easier said than done. Luedtke led the state in scoring and assists last year with 19.2 points and 6.1 assists per game. Realistically, Luedtke would likely need to lead the Bulldogs on a deep postseason run to pass Nelson.
While Graham led the Bulldogs in scoring in the win over Central, she is not the only player with a big performance in the rivalry game. Butte High got contributions from up and down the bench.
Senior Emma Johnson scored nine points in the win. Freshmen Ellison Graham and Saege Grey each scored eight points apiece, junior Allie Becker tossed in seven, senior Franki Salusso scored six and junior Kendallyn Schad netted five. Butte High also got three points from sophomore Stella Callaghan and two from junior Avery Barsness.
The win lifted Butte High to 2-2. The Bulldogs opened the season with a win at Bozeman before falling at home to Dillon and on the road to Billings West.
Butte High’s boys will be looking to go to 5-0 after their 71-30 win over the Maroons.
Luedke scored 32 points to lead the Bulldogs, who shot 57.6 percent from the field (19 of 33). That includes a 10-for-20 performance from the 3-point line.
While the Bulldogs could not miss, Butte Central had a frigid night shooting, thanks in large part to a tough Butte High defense. The Bulldogs held the Maroons 21 percent shooting (10 of 47). That includes a 2-for-22 performance from behind the 3-point line.
BC entered the game as a hot-shooting team, jumping out to a 4-0 start to the season.
Senior Cayde Stajcar, who returned to the team after not playing as a sophomore or junior, was key on the boards, where the Bulldogs held a decided advantage. Stajcar led the team with 12 rebounds, including nine on defense.
Senior Josh Liston scored eight points, Stajcar and seniors Rhett Arntson and Mitch Verlanic each scored six, 6-foot-9 sophomore Brady Hanson scored five, senior James Peterson scored four, and junior Brady Walsh and senior Ryan Hanson each tossed in two.
The showdown with the Raptors will be the only action of the week for Butte High. The Bulldog boys and girls will head to Kalispell to take on Flathead and Glacier Jan. 9 and 10.
Butte Central’s break will end up more than two weeks. The Maroons don’t play until Jan. 8, when the boys’ and girls’ teams will head to Anaconda for a doubleheader with the Copperheads.
The Maroons will open Southwestern A play Jan. 10 against Stevensville. The girls will play at home, while the boys head to the Bitterroot Valley.
LeProwse Invite is Friday, Saturday
Butte High and Butte Central’s wrestlers will get right back at it, too, competing in the Tom LeProwse Invitational Friday and Saturday at Gallatin High School in Bozeman.
The tournament is named after the Butte High and Bozeman legend. The late Tom LeProwse, played football at Butte High and MSU before becoming a Montana coaching icon with the Bozeman Hawks. He was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
Action begins at 11 a.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Butte is coming off a 7-1 performance at the Pat Weede Memorial dual tournament in Gillette Wyoming.
Junior Bridger Garrison (at 157 pounds) and senior Ryder McEwen (144) led the Bulldogs, going undefeated in their eight matches on the weekend. Senior Darryn Rossiter won seven matches at 132 pounds.
Junior Bradey Doyle (138), senior Keegan Hunt (120) and sophomore Reveles McEwen (144) picked up six wins for the Bulldogs, while Junior Bode Hazlett (150) and freshman Renzy LeProwse (106) both win five matches. Senior Caden Phillips (215), junior Cameron Fleege (165) and eighth grader Crew O’Conner (113) won four.
Butte High’s girls will compete Friday and Saturday at the Belgrade Invitational. The Bulldogs closed out their December schedule at the CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls.
Wrestling for that tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and 8:30 on Saturday.
Senior Mattie Stepan led the way for the Bulldogs, placing fifth at 155 pounds. Eighth grader Adalie Hazlett (125 pounds) and senior Peyton Liva (105) took seventh, and junior Chyanne Robinson (235) and senior Jessic Blow (125) finished eighth.
Swimmers have week off
The swimming teams from Butte High and Butte Central will also get an extended break from competition.
Next up is the Jan. 10 Butte Invitational at the Butte Family YMCA. The Bulldogs and Maroons will compete in that meet.
Butte High’s girls will be coming off a team title at the Dec. 20 Big Fork Invitational in Polson.
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No need to worry about the Maroons
Wednesday, Jan. 3, 1990 was a rough day for the Butte Central boys’ basketball program.
It started with high hopes for three hard-working teams that expected to upset the powerful Butte High Bulldogs at the Butte Civic Center. It ended with three losses, including a 67-36 blowout in the varsity game.
Butte High’s junior varsity team beat the Maroons 81-55 thanks to a 21-point performance from Chris Toivonen. That came after my freshman team lost 66-53 to the Bulldogs.
After looking at the boxscore, that freshman game was apparently way closer than I remembered. It really felt like a brutal beating at the time.
That was one of the many games I did not get into that year. I could only watch from the end of the bench as Josh Holdsworth, Kevin Stenson, Josh Paffhausen and Chad Roesti scored in double figures for the Bulldogs. John Keeley and Mike McLaughlin were the double-digit scores for us.
Two memories stand out from that game. The first was that Stenson and his ridiculous perm. He made at least a couple of 3-pointers, and smiled at his friends on the BC bench after each one. I swear one time he gave us the Michael Jordan palms up with a shrug of the shoulders on his way down court, with those curls bouncing on top of his head.
The second was that our coach, Don Peoples Jr., was really, really mad at us for what he said was a lack of effort in that loss. I think that was the game when he broke a dry-erase board, but I could not swear to it. So, I was not about to point out that I gave a hall of fame effort sitting on the bench.
Coach was so ticked off that he told us we had to practice at 6 o’clock the next morning. Just before the start of the varsity game, though, we learned that he changed his mind about that. We just had to practice after school the next day, and let me tell you, none of us were looking forward to that.
We would have rather gone to a root canal.
Then Curtis Smith and the Bulldogs really rubbed salt in our collective wound during the varsity game. They beat the heck out of the Maroons.
Corey Dunstan scored 19 points, and Curtis scored 18 points to go along with probably just as many assists. Curtis looked like a combination of Magic Johnson and John Stockton as he brilliantly ran the offense for the undefeated Bulldogs.
Every assist was a spectacular one, too. Each one was a highlight reel.
They could have made a full music video out of Curtis’ highlights from that one game. You know, like they did in “NBA Superstars,” the video that we all got for free that year with our paid subscription to Sports Illustrated.
Butte High led 15-4 after the first quarter, 38-13 at halftime and 52-24 after three quarters. In the BC student section, we just quietly sat on our hands and took the beating. The players were distraught. The fans were distraught. The coaches were distraught.
It did not feel like we were ever going to win another game. The beatdown was just too much.
Of course, it was not the end of the road for the Maroons that night. Not even close. BC ended up playing in the last game of the season, dropping a 69-49 decision to Dillon in the Class A State championship game in Bozeman.
Even though the Maroons did not capture the state title, that was still a magical run by the team that beat Anaconda in the Central A Divisional championship game the week before. That Anaconda team included Cory and Tony Huot, too.
Oh, and the Bulldogs did not beat Central again until 1995.
While that loss to the Bulldogs that night probably still stings the varsity players, it also seemed to help start turning the fortune of the team. Well, that and the great Sean Walsh joining the team for the stretch run.
That 1990 game and the season that followed are what I thought about after Butte High rolled BC 71-30 two nights before Christmas in the Civic Center.
Since it was a smallish crowd for the Butte High-Butte Central game, my phone kept going off with text messages asking about the game. Was Butte High that good? Or, did BC just shoot that poorly.
The answer was a little of both, but mostly because the Bulldogs are that good. The game said more about the Bulldogs than it did the Maroons.
Butte High played an incredible game right from the start. Senior Hudson Luedtke played what will go down as at least one of the best performances by any player in the rivalry that dates back to 1916.
Luedtke tied the Butte High record for points against the Maroons with 32. He previously shared that mark with Scott Ferguson (in 1986) and Micah Downs (in 2003). Luedtke also finished with nine rebounds and five assists — though none of his dimes were as fancy as the ones Curtis Smith dished.
Luedtke did that while playing just 21 minutes. He did not step on the court once in the fourth quarter.
Luedtke wasn’t the only player making shots for Butte High. No matter what kind of shot the Bulldogs took, it went in. They just couldn’t miss.
The Bulldogs made 10 of 20 attempts from 3-point range. Luedtke hit four, including a contested one to start the game. Mitch Verlanic, Josh Liston and Rhett Arntson each hit two.
On the flip side, the Bulldogs used their decided size advantage to stymie the BC offense. But even when BC got open shots, they just did not fall.
That is how the ball bounces some times. Even the greatest shooters have an off night, and BC will probably not shoot like that again this decade.
If we can learn anything from Butte High and Butte Central basketball over the decades, it is not to worry about the Maroons after a game with the Bulldogs. That goes the other way, too. For the boys and for the girls.
When the Bulldogs play the Maroons, both sides get better. The Butte High-Butte Central rivalry is like playing a state championship game in the middle of the season. Or, in this case, early in the season.
The atmosphere, the stage and the historic significance is uplifting, and even the team on the wrong end of the scoreboard gets a boost moving forward into the season. This has been the case for decades.
Not too long ago, BC beat Butte High four games in a row, and that included a couple of blowouts. The Bulldogs ended up going to the Class AA State tournament in each of those seasons.
Butte Central won one game against Butte High in 1957 and then beat the Bulldogs two out of three times in 1958. Those Bulldogs won back-to-back Class AA State titles.
You better believe being battle tested by the Maroons helped the Bulldogs when push came to shove late in those title runs.
Likewise, that 1990 blowout loss made Central a better team, and the recent losses will end up making the BC boys and girls better.
That is something you can take to the bank.
As long as they don’t show up with ridiculous Kevin Stenson perms, they are going to be more than fine.
— Bill Foley, one of the only people to get cut by the Butte Central and Butte High basketball teams, 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: Franki Salusso and Hudson Luedtke
Butte High senior basketball players Franki Salusso and Hudson Luedtke are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after the Bulldog girls and boys swept Butte Central in a doubleheader last Tuesday at the Butte Civic Center.
Salusso takes home the girls’ honor after helping lead the Bulldogs to a 62-24 win over the Maroons. The 5-foot-6 guard scored eight points in the win, but that was only the beginning of her big night. She also grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and collected four steals.
Bulldog coach Bryan Arntson pointed out that the Bulldogs were plus 36 on the point differential when Salusso was on the court.
The 6-2 Luedtke takes home the boys’ honor for his role in Butte High’s 71-30 victory. Luedtke played just 21 minutes in the game, yet he tied the record for most points scored by a Bulldog against the Maroons with 32. He previously shared that mark with Scott Ferguson (in 1986) and Micah Downs (2003). Luedtke also scored 32 points against BC in 2024.
Luedtke, who was picked to play in the Montana East-West Shrine Game on Christmas morning, also dished five assists and pulled down nine rebounds in the win.
For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back, 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 Salusso and Luedtke were provided by Alycia Holland Photography.
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Butte Sports Hall of Fame nominations close at the end of 2025
Nominations for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026 are due by the end of Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Athletes must be nominated to be considered for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame, and only those nominated before the deadline will be considered.
Those nominated in the last several selection processes do not need to be re-nominated. Re-nominations, though, can be made for the purpose of providing more information on a nominee.
Candidates who are 15 years or more removed from high school and have finished competing at their highest level of their sport are eligible for selection into the Hall. Categories are also available for head coaches, old timers (50 plus years) and contributors.
A public forum will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26 at the McQueen Club. The forum will allow people to make a presentation on behalf of nominees in front of the selection committee. All presentations will be strictly limited to 3 minutes. Letters of recommendation and/or short videos of support can be submitted to the Hall of Fame selection committee.
The 2026 inductees will be named in February, and the Green Jacket and Induction ceremonies will be held July 24 and 25 at the Butte Civic Center.
To submit a nomination, email as much information as possible to Bill Foley at foles74@gmail.com.
For more information, call or text Foley at (406) 491-3022.
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Luedtke, Verlanic, Peoples named to 2026 Montana Shrine Game
Anaconda’s Galle called to game; Dye named alternate
The 2026 Montana East-West Shrine Game will be played June 20 in Butte.
The game will also include a trio of players from the Mining City. Butte High seniors Hudson Luedtke and Mitch Verlanic were named to the West roster along with Butte Central senior Ryan Peoples.
The rosters were sent to the media Tuesday night for the release on Christmas morning.
Butte’s players will be joined by Anaconda receiver Brody Galle and possibly Copperhead Travis Dye. Galle will be the first Anaconda player to participate in the game since Sean Gallagher in 2016, and Dye was named as an alternative.
Luedtke, a two-way starter and four-year All-State player, will play receiver for the West Side. That comes after he hauled in 73 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns this past season.
Verlanic will play safety for the West. He registered a team-leading 104 total tackles in 2025. That includes 77 solo take downs.
Peoples will play quarterback. He passed for 1,705 yards and 19 touchdowns while leading the Maroons to the playoffs for the first time this decade.
Galle caught 43 passes for 840 yards and five touchdowns for the Copperheads, who advanced to the Class B playoffs. He also ran for two TDs.
The alternate players are not listed by position, but Dye could help the West side on both sides of the ball if he is elevated to the roster. He passed for 2,170 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Copperheads. He also registered five sacks and three interceptions on defense.
The West roster will also include at least two more players with deep ties to the Mining City. Missoula Hellgate quarterback Vince Paffhausen was named to the team as an “athlete.” He is the son of former Butte High quarterback Todd Paffhausen.
Helena High’s Riley Schulte was named to the West roster as a cornerback. He is related to the Butte Schulte family, which just might be the “First Family” of the Shrine game.
Kalispell Glacier coach Grady Bennett will serve as head coach of the West Side. The 2026 season will be Coach Bennett’s 23rd year as a head coach and 20th year at Glacier High School, where he’s led the Wolfpack to six state championship games in the past 13 seasons, winning the Class AA State Championship in 2014 and 2025. The Wolfpack have made 16 playoff appearances in 19 seasons.
Bennett played in the Montana East-West Shrine Game in 1986, was an assistant coach for the West in 1997 and 2007, and was the head coach of the 2012 West Team. He is honored to have a role in the Shrine Game for five decades.
The East Team will be coached by Hunter Chandler. He is entering his sixth season as head coach at Gallatin High School in Bozeman. Under his leadership, the Raptors have reached the state semifinals in each of the past four seasons.
Before taking over at Gallatin, Chandler served five years as the defensive coordinator and assistant coach at Bozeman High School. He began his coaching career at Havre High School under longtime coach Mark Samson.
The Montana Shrine Game is the premier all-star game in Montana and has a long history of distinguished players and coaches. It is also one of the oldest high school all-star football games in America. Since 1947, Montana high schools’ finest players are selected to compete in a game to raise money and to help make the public aware of the expert orthopedic care available at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Spokane, Washington. Expert care is provided regardless of the family’s ability to pay. In recent years, the Montana game has become the top Shrine Game in the nation for hospital donations.
In the last ten years this game has raised more than $1,000,000. Forty of Montana’s finest are selected to compete on each team and two players from Canada will join them, one for the East and one for the West.
These players were nominated by their schools and coaches across the state and finally selected as the “best of the best” to participate in the 79th Montana Shrine Game. They join an elite fraternity of players, many of whom have gone on to distinguished collegiate and professional careers.
Click the link below to see the full rosters for both teams.
Pictured above are, from left, Hudson Luedtke, Mitch Verlanic and Ryan Peoples. Photos of Luedke and Verlanic provided by Alycia Holland Photography. Photo of Peoples courtesy Josie Trudgeon Photography.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 