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Podcast No. 171: Quinn Carter
Quinn (Peoples) Carter seemed destined to a life of coaching. It is just something that runs in her family.
First, though, Quinn was a superstar athlete for the Maroons. She played softball and volleyball, and combined to earn seven varsity letters in those sports.
Her first, love, though, is basketball. She lettered four times for the Maroons on the hardwood.
In her four years at BC, Quinn scored 1,224 points. That trailed only the great Kellie Johnson in the BC girls’ record book before Brooke Badovinac made her assault on history.
Quinn helped lead the Maroons to the Class A State title when she was a senior in 2011. That was BC’s first girls’ basketball crown since 1982.
Quinn went on to play college ball at Montana State University-Billings. She is ranked No. 2 on the Yellowjackets’ all-time 3-point list.
Making her career even more impressive was the fact that she was playing while her older sister, Mairissa, was battling for her life. Mairissa Peoples was diagnosed with cancer when she was in high school.
After a seven-year fight, Mairissa passed away in March of 2014 — while Quinn was a junior in college.
Quinn completed her career at MSUB, and she returned home to pursue her career as a teacher and a coach. She teaches resource room students at Whittier Elementary in Butte. She has also coached the Maroons since returning home, and she was an assistant to her former coach, Meg Murphy, as BC went undefeated to win the State title in 2016.
Coach Carter just finished her second season as head coach of the BC girls. The wins haven’t been there just yet, but they will be. Anyone following the BC program knows that things are looking up.
Earlier this week, I met up with Coach Carter at the Coaches Corner of the Metals Sports Bar & Grill. Listen in to hear her talk about the optimism and hard work surrounding in her program. Listen as she talks about playing for Coach Murphy and her father, Don Peoples Jr.
Listen as she talks about her family and the strength she got from watching her sister’s heroic battle with cancer.
Today’s podcast is presented by Leskovar Honda. Home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warrantee.
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KC spring league starts next week
The Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s spring basketball league will start Monday, March 4.
The four-man teams will play 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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As usual, Kelly’s Maroons are going back to State tournament
Brodie Kelly saw me at the Butte Civic Center that Thursday night of the 2012 Class A State basketball tournament, but he didn’t want to talk to me.
He didn’t even want to look at me after he read the sub headline that topped my tournament preview story in The Montana Standard.
The sub head read, “All the usual suspects in for tourney.”
There was one huge problem. Butte Central, one of the most usual suspects, was not playing in that tournament. For the first time since Kelly took over coaching his alma mater before the 2004-05 season, the Maroons were not playing at State.
For most of that time, I was the writer covering the Maroons for the paper, so I knew that there was no team that was more of a perennial Class A State title contender than Kelly’s Maroons.
I did not even see the headline in the print edition of the paper before I covered the tournament games that day. So, I didn’t know why my old classmate was giving me the stink eye.
A few days later, I got the chance to talk to Brodie and tell him that I did not write that sub headline. That was written by an unnamed page designer, and I threw him directly under the bus.
I did not want Brodie or the Maroons thinking that I was trying to slight them in any way.
Kelly’s Maroons qualified for the Class A State tournament the first seven seasons he coached. The remarkable thing about that is that the conference Central was playing in — the Central A or Southwestern A — only sent two teams to the dance each season.
Those were seven nerve-wracking divisional tournaments that the Maroons survived to make it seven straight State tournaments.
Fast forward a dozen years, and the Maroons’ run under Kelly got even better. When the Class A State tournament is played at the Butte Civic Center March 7-9, it will mark the 18th time in 20 seasons that the Maroons will play at State.
That run includes 13 trips to the semifinals, two second-place trophies, three third-place showings and two state championships. BC advanced to Saturday of state 16 times in those 18 seasons.
Central missed the big dance in 2012 and 2014, but only after coming up short by razor-thin margins in competitive divisional tournaments.
When you look at those accomplishments in his 20-year career, you have to say that Kelly is on the very short list of high school basketball coaches who could claim to be the best in the history of the Mining City.
Through 500 games, Kelly’s Maroons are 351-149. Only Butte High legend Harry “Swede” Dahlberg has won more games. Dahlberg’s Bulldogs went 407-298-1 in 29 seasons from 1923 through 1951.
The way the BC program is headed, you can expect Kelly to pass Dahlberg in victories in three or four seasons.
If you would have told me that Brodie would coach at all when I met him in 1987, I would have thought you were crazy. That is when we started the seventh grade at Butte Central Junior High School.
Brodie, the quarterback of our football team in junior high, was a leader, but he wasn’t a vocal leader. He wasn’t a vocal anything.
He sat right next to me in homeroom class, and it wasn’t until we started football practice that I heard Brodie’s voice.
He was not shy. He just did not say anything unless he had something to say. He called the plays in the huddle and then barked out the signals. That was it.
Usually, he would say it all by giving you a what-is-wrong-with-you look. By now, every basketball official in the state knows that look.
We won a lot of junior high football games in two years because Mark O’Connell was the best junior high running back on the planet. We could count on him for more than 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns every game.
But we won a lot of close games because Brodie always found speedy receiver Cam McQueary for a deep touchdown in crunch time.
While he didn’t start at quarterback in high school, Brodie was a key member of the BC team played in the 1992 Class A State championship game.
He was also a key member of BC’s 1992 Class A State championship basketball team.
In fact, Brodie was so good at both sports that he originally signed to play basketball and football at Montana Tech. He ended up focusing on basketball, though.
For my money, Brodie is still the best defensive basketball player who ever played in the Frontier Conference. While playing for Rick Dessing’s Orediggers, Brodie would guard the best player on the other team every night.
That meant he would shut down the post player one night and then stop the point guard the next.
He also specializes in stopping the opponent as a coach.
Only a handful of high school coaches in Butte can even compare to what Brodie has done at BC or what Dahlberg did at Butte High.
John Thatcher won a title at BC and took Butte High to the chipper twice. Pat Foley, who won 161 games in 12 years, led Butte High’s boys to the 1984 title. His teams also took second twice and third once.
Bob Ray won 141 games in 11 years leading Butte High’s boys. He coached the Bulldogs to the 1957 and 1958 titles. His teams came within a three-point loss to Missoula from winning three straight crowns.
Meg Murphy and Mike Thompson both won a pair of girls’ State titles with the Maroons, and Jeff Arntson had a tremendous run with the Butte High girls. Arntson’s Bulldogs won 131 games in 10 years, and Butte High played for the title three times in four years from 2006 through 2009.
Ted Ackerman’s Bulldog girls won 96 games in eight seasons in the 1980s, and Tom Berg coached the 1992 BC boys to the State title.
Brodie’s résumé certainly stacks up with those great Mining City coaches. His Maroons shared the Class A State title with Hardin in 2020, when COVID canceled the last day of the season. His Maroons won it by themselves in 2022, and BC battled back from a semifinal loss to place third at State last year.
That gave BC its fourth trophy in five years.
BC has been playing basketball since 1915, and the Maroons have won 20 games or more in a season 14 times. Brodie was the coach of five of those teams.
This year, the Maroons will take a 17-4 record into the State tournament. That comes after losing 2023 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year Dougie Peoples to graduation.
The names come and go, but the results remain the same. Kelly’s Maroons just keep on winning.
He has won with tall teams, and he has won with short teams. He has won with teams expected to be good, and he has won with teams that entered the season with low expectations.
This year, the Maroons have won while using three freshmen in key minutes.
No matter the names or numbers in the height and class columns of the roster, Brodie’s Maroons always play just like Brodie did. They are always fundamentally sound, and they are always fearless.
They always give their coach everything they have night after night and possession after possession, and they never make excuses.
For 20 seasons now, watching the Maroons play basketball is like seeing a dozen Brodie Kelly clones take the court every night.
That, more than anything, is why the Maroons are one of the usual suspects at the State tournament year after year.
— Bill Foley, the offensive tackle responsible for half of Brodie’s sacks in junior high school, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. 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: Sam Henderson and Mollie Drew
Butte High junior Sam Henderson and Butte Central senior Mollie Drew are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
Henderson, who competed in track at Butte Central his first two years of high school, receives the boys’ award after competing in the 44th Simplot Games recently at Idaho State University’s ICCU Dome in Pocatello.
Henderson placed second in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 4 inches. He also placed third in the triple jump with a personal record of 46 feet, ¾ inches. Henderson, who competed in multiple events at State for the Maroons as a freshman and sophomore, will be a huge addition to the Bulldog team this spring.
He is shown in the photo above receiving a medal from Willie Banks, a former world record holder in the triple jump.
Drew takes home the girls’ honor after closing out her BC hoops career with a solid performance in BC’s playoff game against Stevensville. Drew pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out three assists, collected three steals and scored three points for the Maroons.
Drew, who was a key varsity contributor for three seasons, closed the 2023-24 campaign averaging 8.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
“Mollie Drew has done a great job rebounding, scoring in the post and leading her team this year,” BC coach Quinn Carter said.
For the second year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest athletes from the Mining City in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
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Butte High girls’ subvarsity report
Following are the subvarsity reports, as provided by Butte High coaches, of the girls’ basketball teams games against Missoula Sentinel, Missoula Hellgate, Kalispell Glacier, Kalispell Flathead and Butte Central.
Missoula Sentinel freshmen 30, Butte High freshmen 28
MISSOULA — Butte High’s ferocious comeback attempt fell just short as the Spartans held on for the Jan. 30 victory.Millie Guay scored eight points to lead the Bulldogs in the loss. Morgan Collins scored seven, while Avery Barsness and Reese Johnson each scored five. Kyra Sullivan tossed in three.
Barsness took home Junkyard Dog of the game honors.
BUTTE HIGH — Avery Barsness 5, Morgan Collins 7, Reese Johnson 5, Kyra Sullivan 3, Millie Guay 8.
SENTINEL — Full names for the Spartans were not provided.Butte High sophomores 31, Missoula Sentinel sophomores 29
MISSOULA — Allie Becker’s 14 points led the way as the Bulldogs downed the Spartans on the Road Jan. 30.Kendallyn Schad scored six points for the Dogs. Graice Jonart added five, and Brittyn Klima tossed in four. Kate DeShaw netted two.
BUTTE HIGH — Allie Becker 14, Gracie Jonart 5, Kate DeShaw 2, Kendallyn Schad 6, Brittyn Klima 4.
SENTINEL — Full names for the Spartans were not provided.Missoula Sentinel JV 28, Butte High JV 16
MISSOULA — Five Butte High players dented the score book as the Bulldogs dropped the road game Jan. 30.Jaycee Cleveland scored five points to lead Butte High. Emma Johnson followed with four, while Gracie Ferriter and Shelby Byrnes each tossed in three, and Autumn Clary tossed in one.
BUTTE HIGH — Shelbie Byrnes 3, Jaycee Cleveland 5, Autumn Clary 1, Gracie Ferriter 3, Emma Johnson 4.
SENTINEL — Full names for the Spartans were not provided.Butte High sophomores 40, Missoula Hellgate sophomores 15
Eight Bulldogs scored points as the Bulldogs rolled to a Feb. 2 victory.Brittyn Klima’s 10 points led the way with 10 points. Reese Johnson added seven points, while Gracie Jonart and Alexxys Danielson each scored six. Avery Barsness scored four.
Lexi Cheney’s five points paced the Knights.
HELLGATE — Maria Saenz 2, Aiana Palmer 3, Kaelynn Hopfaut 2, Lexi Cheney 5, Amalie Nevarez 1, Sidney Mardsen 2.
BUTTE HIGH — Avery Barsness 4, Ellie Yates 2, Allie Becker 2, Gracie Jonart 6, Reese Johnson 7, Kendallyn Schad 3, Brittyn Klima 10, Alexxys Danielson 6.
Missoula Hellgate JV 51, Butte High JV 42
Paisley Johnson netted 15 points, and Maria Saenz added 10 as the Knights held off the homestanding Bulldog JV team.Jaycee Cleveland and Allie Becker each scored seven points to pace the Bulldogs. Sidney Whitaker and Emma Johnson each scored six, and Gracie Ferriter tossed in five.
Johnson was named Junkyard Dog of the game.
HELLGATE — Maria Saenz 10, Ella Lambert 5, Paisley Johnson 15, Sav Topp 6, Sav Shepherd 5, Lexi Cheney 3, Sidney Mardsen 1, Lucy Hutchins 6.
BUTTE HIGH — Shelbie Byrnes 3, Sidney Whitaker 6, Jaycee Cleveland 7, Autumn Clary 4, Addie Hiatt 2, Allie Becker 7, Gracie Ferriter 5, Emma Johnson 6, Madisyn Swanson 2.Butte High freshmen 39, Kalispell Glacier freshmen 31
KALISPELL — Allie Becker had herself a game, pouring in 19 points to lead the Bulldogs to the impressive road victory Feb. 9.Brittyn Klima, the Junkyard Dog of the game, scored 10 points, while Kendallyn Schad netted nine.
BUTTE HIGH — Allie Becker 19, Amelia Pearston 1, Kendallyn Schad 9, Brittyn Klima 10.
GLACIER — Names for the Wolfpack were not provided.Butte High sophomores 30, Kalispell Glacier sophomores 23
KALISPELL — An 11-point performance by Gracie Jonart led the Bulldogs to the Feb. 9 road victory.
Reese Johnson added nine points in the win that saw six Bulldogs score points. Morgan Collins netted four, while Avery Barsness, Kyra Sullivan and Alexxys Danielson each scored two.
Taylor Gable’s five points led the Wolfpack.
BUTTE HIGH — Avery Barsness 2, Gracie Jonart 11, Reese Johnson 9, Morgan Collins 4, Kyra Sullivan 2, Alexxys Danielson 2.
GLACIER — Areah Thomas 2, Taylor Gable 5, Rachel Beannon 1, Brynn Hanson 3, Zeila Wagner 4.Kalispell Glacier JV 41, Butte High JV 26
KALISPELL — Allie Krueger’s 14 points led the way as the Wolfpack turned back the Bulldogs Feb. 9.Shelby Byrnes netted seven points to lead the Bulldogs. Sidney Whitaker and Aleia Morrell each scored five points for Butte. Murphy Sullivan, Addie Hiatt and Franki Salusso each scored two.
BUTTE HIGH — Shelbie Byrnes 7, Sidney Whitaker 5, Murphy Sullivan 2, Jaycee Cleveladn 1, Aleia Morrell 5, Addie Hiatt 2, Franki Salusso 2.
GLACIER — Olyvia Anderson 2, Rylee Bigelow 5, Allie Krueger 14, Cassidy Daniels 9, Cadence Daniels 9, Alayna Hagen 2.Butte High freshmen 41, Kalispell Flathead 20
Allie Becker and Kendallyn Schad combined for 30 points as the Bulldogs rolled to the Feb. 10 home win.Becker scored 18 points, and Schad added 12 in the win. Butte High also got seven points from Kate DeShaw, the Junkyard Dog of the game. Amelia Pearston and Brittyn Klima each scored two.
FLATHEAD — Full names for the Wolfpack were not provided.
BUTTE HIGH — Allie Becker 18, Kate DeShaw 7, Amelia Pearston 2, Kendallyn Schad 12, Brittyn Klima 2.Butte High sophomores 32, Kalispell Flathead 23
Gracie Jonart’s 13 points led all scorers as the Bulldogs picked up a Feb. 10 home win.Reese Johnson added eight points for the Bulldogs, while Morgan Collins tossed in five, Alexxys Danielson scored four and Kyra Sullivan netted two.
FLATHEAD — Full names for the Wolfpack were not provided.
BUTTE HIGH — Gracie Jonart 13, Reese Johnson 8, Morgan Collins 5, Kyra Sullivan 2, Alexxys Danielson 4.
Kalispell Flatehead JV 37, Butte High JV 25
Grace Gall scored 18 points to lead the Bravette’s to the Feb. 10 win in Butte.Aleia Morrell scored 11 points to lead the Bulldogs. Emma Johnson scored six points in the loss. Addie Hiatt scored four, while Shelbie Byrnes and Murphy Sullivan scored two apiece.
FLATHEAD — Caitlin Converse 8, Ava Malmill 6, Mattie T. 3, Addison Thornsberry 3, Gracie Gall 18.
BUTTE HIGH — Shelbie Byrnes 2, Murphy Sullivan 2, Aleia Morrell 11, Addie Hiatt 4, Emma Johnson 6.Butte High freshmen 47, Butte Central freshmen 24
Butte High turned up the heat defensively to pull away for a Feb. 5 victory over the Maroons at the Civic Center.
Butte High’s defensive effort led to the Bulldogs outscoring BC 34-9 in the second half. The Maroons led 15-13 at the break.
Allie Becker scored 17 points to lead Butte High. Reese Johnson added 11 points while taking home Junkyard Dog honors for diving on the floor numerous times for loose balls.
Butte High also got four apiece from Kate DeShaw, Kendallyn Schad and Brittyn Klima.
Braelynn Schelin scored eight points to lead the Maroons. Evyn Smith and Zayonna Otherbull each scored seven.
BUTTE CENTRAL — Cambri Campbell 2, Braelynn Schelin 8, Evyn Smith 7, Zayonna Otherbull 7.
BUTTE HIGH — Avery Barsness 2, Ellie Yates 1, Allie Becker 17, Reese Johnson 11, Kate DeShaw 4, Amelia Pearston 2, Kendallyn Schad 4, Brittyn Klima 4. -
Podcast No. 170: Pauline DeBarathy
The movie “Resurrecting Holy Savior” was released in 2023.
In their documentary about the old neighborhoods of Meaderville and McQueen, rookie filmmakers Jody Franich and Dan Fulton brought us stories that many of us never heard before.
Sure, we knew the Berkeley Pit swallowed up the old neighborhoods. We knew about the Meaderville Volunteer Fire Department’s elaborate Christmas display.
Some of us, though, did not know a whole lot more than that.
The movie, which is available to purchase at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, opened some eyes. We learned about the fights to keep the neighborhood. The movie introduced us to Walkerville Mayor Jimmy Shea, who fought the vaunted Anaconda Company and won.
We also learned about the many “suspicious” fires that ruined houses and businesses. It even ruined the Meaderville Volunteer Fire Department.
The one person who stole the show, though, was Pauline DeBarathy. Pauline grew up in Meaderville, living right next to the skating rink. She told tales of playing with all the children of the neighborhood growing up, including the makeshift baseball field by her house.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the Motherload Theater when Pauline talked about learning that her childhood home was burned to the ground during the rash of fires. She got to the scene to see the trees in the back yard were still smoldering.
Through the years, Pauline has helped the younger generations learn about her neighborhood. She also helped bring some of the old neighbors together for a reunion. She helped preserve the important history that time otherwise would have forgotten.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
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Butte Sports Hall of Fame inductees
Following is a list of all 19 induction classes of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame was founded by Don Peoples Sr. and the late Pat Kearney. The first class was inducted in 1987, and a class was inducted every odd year until the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back the induction in 2021. The Hall of Fame will move forward with a class every even year moving forward.
The Class of 2024 will be enshrined July 19-20 at the Butte Civic Center.
1987 individuals
Sylvia White Blaine, Bob O’Billovich, Joe Kelly, Swede Dahlberg, Milt Popovich, Jim McCaughey, Jim Sweeney, Bob Hawke, Bill Cullen, Bob O’Malley, Judy Morstein Martz, Danny Hanley, Walter T. Scott.
1987 teams
1908 Butte High football, 1927 Butte High football, 1950 Butte Central basketball.
1989 individuals
Bob Brady, Ed Simonich, Jewel Gronley Lee, Dennis Ferriter, Matt Vucurovich, Robert Poore, Sonny Holland, Kenneth Duff, Eli Thomas, Tom Penaluna, Ed Gerry, Ed Zemljak.
1989 teams
1933 Butte High track, 1941 Butte High basketball, 1936 Butte American Legion baseball, 1945 Butte Central football.
1991 individuals
Bill Barry, Eso Naranche, Sam Jankovich, Helen Rotar Burt, George Sarsfield, Bob Koprivica, Ed Foley, Bill Hawke, Mare Bartholomew, Bob Petrino, Arthur Kiely, Tom DeSylvia, Glenn Welch, Tom Lester.
1991 teams
1917 Butte High football, 1956 Butte Central football, 1946 Butte American Legion Baseball, 1960 Butte High football.
1993 individuals
Frank Brown, Tom Mulcahy, Wilbur Johnson, Wes Dowling, Otto Simon, Bill Krum, John Good, Steve Sullivan, Charlie Judd, Georgia Byrne, Bill Roberts, Sas Keane, Connie Carelli Fisher, Bob Sparks, Sonny Lubick.
1993 teams
1949 Butte American Legion baseball; 1919, 1924, 1925, 1928, 1942, 1948 Butte Central football; 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1951 Butte High football; 1924, 1925, 1928, 1932, 1933, 1943 Butte High basketball, 1905, 1909, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1943 Butte High track.
1995 individuals
Gene Allen, Dan Sullivan, Bill Peoples, John Frankino, Jim Wedin, Bob Renz, Bill Kambich, Charlie McAuliffe, JoAnn Carle, Ron Ueland, Bob Rae, Gus Janhunen, Forrest Wilson, Rose Stosich.
1995 teams
1951 Butte High football, 1952 Butte Central football, 1955 Butte Central football, 1957 Butte High basketball, 1953 Butte American Legion baseball, 1958 Butte High basketball, 1953 Butte Central football.
1997 individuals
Joe Antonietti, Frank Spear, Bob Moodry, Lue Jean Gronley, Don Ueland, Evan Roberts, Tom LeProwse, Hudson Willse, Jon McElroy, Liza Merrifield Dennehy, Helen Sprunger, Pat Ogrin, Ron “Swede” Kenison, Glen Welch, Frank Semansky.
1997 teams
1952 New Deal Bar softball, 1961 Butte High football, 1964 Butte High football, 1964 Butte Central football, 1963 Butte High track, 1965 Butte Central football, 1964 Butte High cross country.
1999 individuals
Jack Cavanaugh, Shirley Penaluna Shea, Jerry Olds, Jack Kyllingstad, Barbara Horst Williams, Mark Schulte, Sam Leeper, George Grant, Jim Street, Bill Salonen, Evel Knievel, Norman Ygnatowiz.
1999 teams
1966 Butte High track, 1968 Butte Central cross country, 1967 Butte High football, 1969 Butte Central football, 1968 Butte High football, 1970 Montana Tech football.
2001 individuals
Ray Becky, Bill Sever, Jim Kello, Gary Carle, Buddy Walsh, Veronica O’Brien, Doc Jordan, Cathy Gallagher-Brannon, Harry Shaffer, Ed Kelly, Gene Fogarty.
2001 teams
1908 Montana Tech football, 1969 Butte High girls’ swimming, 1964 DeLuxe men’s softball, 1970 Butte High girls’ swimming, 1965 Lucky Lager women’s softball, 1971 Butte Central football, 1966 DeLuxe men’s softball, 1972 Butte High girls’ swimming, 1968 Lucky Lager women’s softball, 1972 Butte Central football, 1969 Lucky Lager women’s softball, 1973 Butte Central football.
2003 individuals
Joe Antonietti, Jim Bertoglio, Mick Dennehy, Jim Hanley, Shawna Hanley, Mike Houlihan, Len Kelly, Don McAuliffe, Charlie Merrifield, Brian Morris, Sheila Penaluna, Joe Roberts, Dave Silk.
2003 teams
1944 Mines Navy V-12, 1945 McQueen, 1946 Silver Bow Parks, 1947 North Side, 1948 Silver Bow Parks, 1948 South Side, 1950 South Side, 1951 Miners Union, 1952 McQueen, 1953 Miners Union, 1954 Miners Union, 1957 McQueen and 1960 Copper League baseball teams; 1905 Butte High football; 1971 Butte Central boys’ cross country; 1972 Butte Central boys’ cross country, 1973 Butte Central boys’ cross country, 1974 Butte High boys’ track, 1975 Butte High boys’ track.
2005 individuals
Ron Collins, Bob Schulte, Tom Kelly, Paul Dennehy, Jack Whelan, Jim Patrick, Pat Foley, Tom Davis, Steve Stosich, Meg (Haran) Murphy, John Mike Downey, Anna Wherry.
2005 teams
1942 Butte High boys’ ski, 1943 Butte High boys’ ski, 1949-52 Butte Buzzies football, 1953 Butte High girls’ ski, 1977 Butte High football, 1978 Butte Central boys’ golf, 1978 Butte Central boys’ basketball.
2007 individuals
Gary Barker, Heidi Hemmert-Skelton, Mike Judd, Jim Sullivan, Don Peoples, Tom Pomroy, Don Rae, Brendon Rohan, Pete Schonsberg.
2007 teams
1947 Montana School of Mines basketball, 1980 Butte Central boys’ cross country, 1960 Butte High boys’ and girls’ ski teams, 1981 Butte High wrestling, 1961 Butte High boys’ and girls’ ski teams, 1981 Butte Central girls’ track, 1962 Butte High girls’ ski, 1981 Butte High boys’ track, 1980 Butte High wrestling.
2009 individuals
Jim Anderson, Bob Biastoch, Vicki Brown, Gitch Combo, John Dawson, Dan Hanley, Pat Kearney, Emmett Lyons, Bob Roach, Rick Sparks.
2009 teams
1942 Butte boxing, 1963 Butte boxing, 1965 Butte boxing, 1981 Butte High football, 1981 Butte Central girls’ basketball, 1982 Butte High wrestling, 1982 Butte High boys’ track, 1982 Butte Central boys’ track, 1982 Butte Central girls’ track.
2011 individuals
Louie Bartoletti, Bill Cords, Kelly Davis, Bob Green, Don Heater, Tom Kenney, Dan Mahoney, Holly Maloney, George Paul, Larry Richards, John Thatcher.
2011 teams
1966 Butte High boys’ ski, 1968 Butte High boys’ ski, 1971 Montana Tech football, 1982 Butte Central girls’ basketball, 1983 Butte High wrestling, 1983 Butte Central wrestling, 1983 Butte Central girls’ track.
2013 individuals
Todd Ericson, Jim Janhunen, Tami Mathewson, Dave MacDougal, Jim Michelotti, Tim Mueller, Josh Paffhausen, Wayne Paffhausen, Dick Roche, Dan Ueland, Dick Wilson.
2013 teams
Butte Independent Football League champions, 1984 Butte High wrestling, 1984 Butte Central boys’ basketball, 1984 Butte High boys’ basketball, 1984 Butte High girls’ golf, 1984 Butte High girls’ track, 1985 Butte High wrestling, 1985 Butte High girls’ golf.
2015 individuals
Bert Markovich, Deann Johnson, Jack O’Billovich, Joe Simonich, John Metz, Kellie Johnson, Mick Delaney, Monte Sever, Bernie Boyle.
2015 teams
1986 Butte High wrestling, 1987 Butte High wrestling, 1988 Butte High wrestling, 1986 Butte High girls’ track, 1987 Butte High girls’ track, 1989 Butte Central boys’ golf, 1996 Butte Central girls’ softball, 1997 Butte Central girls’ softball.
2017 individuals
Randy Street, Jamie (Wolstein) Toivonen, Eric Dunmire, Rick Lyons, Marck DeVore, Joe Petroni, Mark Johnston, Anna Fabatz, Dan Hodge, Fraser MacDonald.
2017 teams
1992 Butte High softball, 1988-89 Bute High wrestling, 1991 Butte High football, 1991-2 Butte Central boys’ basketball.
2019 individuals
Tom Hauck, Tom Pomroy Sr., Krystal Ackerman-Carlson, Walter Lonner, Kathy (Bender) Means, Paul Riley, Bob Rowling, Jason Street, Barry Sullivan.
2019 teams
1979 Montana Tech football, 1981 Montana Tech volleyball, 1989-90 Butte High wrestling, 1994 Butte High volleyball.
2022 individuals
Tony Banovich, Corey Bolton, Ron Collins Sr., Don Douglas, Deanna Dugdale, the late Hoot Gibson, Bob Given, Ray Jay Johnson, Gary Kane, Julie (Leary) Nadeau, the late Don “Lefty” Orlich, Tom Roberts, Debbie Silk and the late Ed Yeo.
2022 teams
1982 Montana Tech volleyball, 1983 Montana Tech football, 1990-91 Butte High wrestling, 1995 Butte High softball, 1996 Butte Central-Anaconda swimming.
2024 individuals
Steve “Coachie” Schulte, Ron Richards, Matt Buckley, Martha (Apostel) Lonner, Wanda Jean (Matteson) Olson, Linda (Lyons) Paull, Dan Lean, Erin Popovich, Kyle Smith, Don Tamietti, Bruce Sayler, Betty Merrifield and John Rickman.
2024 teams
1983, 1984 and 1985 Montana Tech men’s basketball, 1988-89 Butte High boys’ basketball, 1991-92 Butte High wrestling, 1996 Butte High softball, 1999 Butte Central softball. -
This does not have to be the end for the Silver Bow Drive-In
One of the best things about being a dad is playing catch with your children.
While my two daughters never got into sports at all, I must have played catch with my son 10,000 times in the first 16 years of his life.
When he was first learning how to catch a baseball, we used to play a game to see how many throws we could go in a row without dropping the ball. I think our record was 89 when he 6.
Without question, my favorite time playing catch with my son was at the Silver Bow Drive-In one early-summer night in 2018. The boy was 10, and I took him to the movie “Solo,” a show the girls in the house were not interested in.
We got to the drive-in theater really early to get a good spot. The sun was a long way from going down, so I popped the trunk and grabbed a ball and our mitts. I was his Little League coach, so we always had our gear bag in the trunk.
We played catch in front of our car for a solid half hour —talking about baseball and life the whole time — before we decided it was time to head to the concession stand for some pop, popcorn and Swedish fish.
Then, we settled in and watched a movie that was OK. It was a night for the ages.
I thought about that night often over the last couple of months. In December, we learned that a company had applied for a conditional-use permit from the Zoning Board of Adjustments to open a Maverick gas station right next door to the drive-in.
The owners who opened and have operated the drive-in since 1977 feared that the granting of that permit would force the drive-in to shut down. The lights, noise and smells from a gas station could ruin their business, they said.
On Thursday night, the board voted to approve the permit after a meeting filled with passionate pleas from the public to save the drive-in.
The process is far from perfect, and the lectures the drive-in supporters got from a couple of board members, who seemed to be offended by the public questioning the decision we did not yet know they would make, was puzzling and a bit offensive.
It was also kind of sad how the concerns of the rural residents seemed to fall on deaf ears.
But I have no reason to think that the 5-0 vote was guided by anything other than the way the board members interpreted the law, even though I think there is at least a decent chance the ruling could be overturned in District Court if it is appealed.
That is not what this column is about, however. The point here is that we can still save the drive-in if a gas station is, indeed, built next door.
We do not have to lose the last drive-in theater in Montana over this. We can still make sure that the drive-in is there for our children’s children to go with their children.
We just have to go. We have to go, and we have to keep going.
Starting this May, we need to pack that place night after night to show the owners of the drive-in that it is still worth it to keep showing movies.
The vote at Thursday’s meeting was discouraging. It was heartbreaking on so many levels.
But there was one very encouraging thing about the meeting.
Maverick representative Rich Piggott was there to put on a presentation. He talked about the plans the company has to try to mitigate the potential damages the station’s existence will likely have on the drive-in.
The plans for planting non-native trees and brushes do not give us a ton of confidence, and there may be no way to eliminate all the light, noise and smells.
But I watched Piggott as drive-in supporter after drive-in supporter spoke before the board. He appeared to be listening. He often nodded his head in agreement, and he took a ton of notes.
He seemed genuine, and that should count for something.
That was a good sign that Maverick will, in fact, be willing to sit down with the owners of the drive-in to make sure that the gas station is the good neighbor it promises to be.
Maybe the station will even be willing to turn off its lights — or at least way down — during the hours movies are being played.
No matter what the gas station does, however, there will likely be some light, noise or smell distractions at the theater. Those distractions will force some people to stay away from the drive-in.
For nearly a half a century, Mark and Holly Hansen and their family has run the Silver Bow Drive-In. It is hard to imagine that the drive-in, which opens in May and closes in September, is a huge money maker for the family.
After all, the drive-in is the cheapest ticket to watch a movie you will find. The concession stand is also much less expensive than you will find in indoor movie theaters.
The Hansen family has run the theater because, well, that is just something the Hansen family does. Hansens have been running movie theaters in Montana for nearly 100 years.
They never did it to make fortunes. It was and still is a passion project.
The people of Southwest Montana — and well beyond — owe so much to that family for providing us something as wonderful as the Silver Bow Drive-In for so many years.
Now, it is time for us to return the favor.
If you go to the drive-in once or twice a year, make sure that you go once or twice more. Don’t stop at the gas station for your pop, popcorn and candy on the way. Make sure to buy it at the drive-in.
Yes, there will be more distractions while watching the movie. But there are already multiple distractions when you watch a movie anywhere.
In the theaters, you hear people talking or you see them playing on their phones.
You see traffic driving by or those annoying little dashboard lights when you go to the drive in. Then there is always that one person who doesn’t realize his headlights are on after he starts his car on a cold night.
There are even more distractions when you try to watch a movie at home — especially if you have children or a smartphone.
The drive-in, though, is about so much more than the movie. It is about being out with your family, pets, friends, significant other or the person you are auditioning to be your significant other on a nice summer night. It is about seeing the nice family and their employees as you get out of the house.
It is about playing catch with your son or daughter as you wait for the sun to go down.
Right now, the United States has less than 300 authentic drive-in theaters. People in cities around the country would kill to have the Silver Bow Drive-In where they live.
We cannot let the distraction of a gas station next door ruin that.
— Bill Foley, who is usually the distraction during a movie, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. 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: Selene Morrell and Dylan Bache
Butte High basketball players Selene Morrell and Dylan “Bobby” Bache are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come as the Bulldogs head into their final week of the regular season.
Morrell, a 5-foot-10 senior, takes home the girls’ honor four games after returning to the Mining City following stops living in California and Washington. She scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists in Friday’s 58-46 home loss to Missoula Big Sky.
Morrell hit on 11 of 14 shots from the free throw line. In four games since returning home, Morrell is averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Bache, a 6-1 junior, receives the boys’ award after scoring 16 points to help lead the Bulldogs to a thrilling 72-63 overtime victory over Big Sky at the Richardson Gym.
His big night included scoring off a nice Rueso Batterman pass for the game-tying bucket as time expired in regulation. Bache, who has been a key varsity contributor since his freshman year, is averaging 9.4 points per game this season. He holds the unofficial school record for having the student section chant his nickname.
For the second year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest athletes from the Mining City in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photo of Bache courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.
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Podcast No. 169: Russ Hansen
They call him “Big Daddy,” and pretty much everybody around Montana knows who they are talking about.
For a half a century, Russ Hansen has been running up and a down high school and college basketball courts, officiating the games. He has also been in the ring officiating boxing, mixed martial arts, bare-knuckle fights and any other kind of sanctioned fighting.
Before that, the Vietnam veteran grew up in the Mining City. He was a self-described “hood” who learned how to fight on the mean streets of Butte.
Hansen was the son of a miner who moved to Deer Lodge during the strike of 1959, and Russ excelled as an athlete at Powell County High School.
After two years in the Army, Hansen worked at the Job Corps, where he trained fighters and got his first experience refereeing basketball. Eventually, he went to barber school and moved to Missoula, where he still cuts hair today, even though he is in his late 70s.
Hansen is retiring as a high school basketball referee. His first high school game was on Dec. 12, 1974 — a date he has good reason to remember — and his last one will be this Saturday. Hansen is refereeing his final tournament this weekend in Deer Lodge.
Then, he will head to the fights Saturday night in Anaconda to referee in the ring. He has no plans of stopping that anytime soon.
Yesterday, I braved the horrible roads to meet with Hansen at the 6B District tournament, where he is officiating the girls’ action. We sat down in a table outside the gym for a fun conversation.
Listen in to this podcast as Hansen talks about growing up in Butte and moving to Deer Lodge. Listen as he talks about some of the games and athletes he has officiated in the ring and on the court.
Listen in as he talks about meeting his wife and how going to Vietnam ended up being a good thing for him. Listen to hear how he got the great nickname, ‘Big Daddy.”
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 