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Podcast No. 158: Pat Prendergast
The year 1984 was a magical one in the Mining City.
Much of that was thanks to the Butte High and Butte Central boys’ basketball teams. In March of that year, the Bulldogs and Maroons won state titles a week apart.
In December of 1983, the Bulldogs edged the Maroons in a classic overtime game at the Civic Center. On the same floor three months later, the Maroons knocked off Billings Central in overtime of the Class A title game. The next week, on St. Patrick’s Day, Butte High beat Great Falls High in Missoula for the Class AA crown.
Pat Prendergast was the coach of those Maroons. He led BC from three seasons ending in 1985. He left the school with a 51-22 record, which was the highest winning percentage in school history at the time.
Listen in to this podcast as Coach Prendergast talks about his days as a student at BC and playing on a team that won three straight state titles. Listen to him talk about the teammates and friends he had at BC and Carroll College.
Listen as he talks about going up against the great Matt Buckley during boxing practice at Carroll.
Listen as Coach Prendergast talks about winning the state title and being a part of perhaps the greatest title game ever played in 1985. The Maroons dropped a 99-97 double-overtime thriller to Livingston in Bozeman.
Listen as he talks about how well he worked with assistant coach Scott Salo, an old nemesis from Butte High, and listen as Coach Prendergast talks about leaving BC and then returning as its principal. Listen as he talks about what he saw as his No. 1 job as a coach and his work with Butte Cares.
We will catch up with 1984 Butte High coach Pat Foley in the coming days.
Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Sign up for the TLC app and start saving today. Everybody deserves a little TLC.
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‘Skubie’ was one of the good ones
They had access to the head coach that most college football boosters could only dream about.
After Montana Tech home football games, they would visit with Oredigger head coach Bob Green in his office. They would get to the office long before the coach, and they would be there ready to ask questions.
I was lucky enough to cover Green’s Orediggers for The Montana Standard for a decade, and going to his office for a postgame interview was always one of my favorite things. Almost every time, I could count on seeing Chas Jeniker, Jack Ferriter and Ed Skubitz.
Sometimes other people were there to see the coach. Chas, Jack and “Skubie,” tough, there more than most. It was like a press conference in the cramped office, but I was the only member of the media present.
Sometimes an out-of-town writer would crash the party, but usually it was the four of us interrogating Coach Green about his latest win or, God forbid, loss.
I never had to ask Green a tough question after a home game because Chas, Jack and Skubie would always be there to grill the coach.
We lost Chas at the age of 88 in the fall of 2013, and Jack passed at 80 the following spring. Skubie died at the age of 83 on Dec. 16, and news of his passing brought me back to those postgame conversations in Coach Green’s office.
Chas, Jack and Skubie were not there to harass the coach. They were three of his best friends. They loved Coach Green. If you ran into Coach Green at an establishment around town, there was a good bet that at least one of those three were with him.
Those three would have run into a burning building for the coach.
But when his team lost, they wanted answers. They wanted to know why he didn’t run the ball on that short-yardage situation. They wanted to know why the heck he would attempt a field goal that long.
They wanted to know why he deferred to the second half instead of taking the ball when winning the coin toss.
Coach Green was known for his many sayings. One of his best was about how people dealt with winning and losing.
“Victory has a thousand fathers,” Green would say. “Defeat is an orphan.”
There might not be a truer statement. After an Oredigger game, fans would proclaim that “we won.” If the Orediggers did not win, they would say “they lost.”
Green was the exact opposite of that as a coach. He owned every loss, whether it was his fault or not. He always deflected the credit to the players, assistant coaches and even the fans when the Oreidggers were victorious, which they were way more than not when Green was coaching.
Win or lose, Chas, Jack and Skubie were there to ask why.
There intentions were always good, and they were always nice. But they wanted answers.
Sometimes Green would just humor the guys when they asked questions. Other times, he would take their questions and comments to heart and admit he was wrong.
A football coach has the option to be wrong on every play. If he calls for a play-action pass on third and short, he is an idiot of the quarterback throws an incomplete pass. If the same play goes for a big gain, then the coach is a genius.
So many play calls have the same 50/50 ration of idiot/genius. Fans do not always acknowledge that, but Green did. He would admit when he was wrong, partially because Chas, Jack and Skubie made him.
Fittingly, the obituaries of those three men each mentioned the Orediggers. Skubie’s mentioned Coach Green by name. The obituary called Skubie a “huge fan.”
That is a bit of an understatement. Skubie never missed a game when Green was in charge of the Orediggers. He never even missed a scrimmage, usually catching those practice games with his Golden Retriever by his side. He watched a lot of regular practices, too.
Skubie was always kind and gentle. He was always positive, and he was always looking out for others. He didn’t grill the coach as much as Jack, who would implore Coach Green for more “Ball control, Big Boy.”
We saw Skubie’s dedication to his community in the mid 1980s. After his 26-year career working for the Anaconda Co., Skubie was instrumental in the construction of the Our Lady of the Rockies stature.
We saw it when he served as a heavy equipment instructor at the Anaconda Job Corps for 15 years. He shared his skills and knowledge with all the students.
Skubie was known for his mastery of cranes, and he was always willing to pass that down to others.
Skubie, a 1958 graduate of Butte High School, played football for Ed Simonich at the School of Mines. The last time I talked to Skubie, he was thinking about one of his teammates with the Orediggers.
Three years ago this month, Skubie called me to tell me about his teammate and longtime friend Ray Goldsworthy. Ray passed away two days before Christmas in 2020, and his obituary was not published until Jan. 10.
Because it was in the middle of the COVID pandemic, so there was no immediate funeral service. That meant no chance for guys like Skubie to say goodbye to their old friend.
So, Skubie called me to see if I would write something about his friend, and I did.
Before he was a professor in Las Vegas, Ray was an accomplished boxer, baseball player and bowler in the Mining City. Skubie pointed out that his old pal also perfected the art of setting the pins in a bowling alley.
Back before automation took over, setting pins used to be a great way for kids to make money.
“He could set pins in two lanes at the same time,” Skubie said. “The good bowlers wanted a good pin setter, and nobody was better than Ray.”
One thing that really stood out to Skubie was Ray’s memory. Skubie said Ray was like an encyclopedia. He was Google before there was Google.
“He was just a guy who knew everything,” Skubie said. “If I wanted to know who played in the 1960 bowl game or something, he could tell me.”
Ray’s obituary started with an old, but great line: “You can take the boy out of Butte, but you can’t take the Butte out of the boy.”
“He was just a great guy,” Skubie said. “He was one of the good ol’ boys in Butte.”
Now we have to say goodbye to Skubie. We will get the chance during a summer memorial, and the date of that service will be set at a later time.
Just like he said about Ray, Skubie was unquestionably one of the good guys in Butte. He was quite simply one of the nicest men you could ever know.
He was even pretty nice during those rare occasions when Coach Green’s Orediggers lost a game.
— Bill Foley 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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KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of Jan. 1.
Teams will play just one game this week because of the shortened week. Teams will also play just one game next week because the NCAA National Championship football game will be played on Monday, Jan. 8, and no games will be scheduled that night.
Tuesday
7 p.m. — Parish vs. Poi Time
8 p.m. — Baer vs. Pulaski ElectricWednesday
7 p.m. — Baer vs. Cook
8 p.m. — Alley Oopsies vs. JellyfamThursday
7 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Hoopin Heathens
8 p.m. — ButteSports vs. City Bois
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Drive-In concerns worth listening to
When you watch a movie at the Silver-Bow Drive In, it is kind of like traveling back in time.
Decades ago, going to drive-in movie theaters was something everybody got to go to. Today, it is something that is unique to the people of Butte and Southwest Montana.
It is also something that Butte folks do not take for granted. During the drive-in season, the place is packed. People line up hours before the movies even start.
People watch the movies in the rain and even the snow. On beautiful summer nights, you see people sitting in chairs outside their cars or in the back of their trucks.
I cannot think of a better way to spend a summer night.
Just about everywhere else in the world, the only place people can see a drive-in theater is if they watch an old movie or an episode of Happy Days.
The Silver Bow Drive-In is the only genuine drive-in in Montana. You hear all the time about the things we do not have in Butte — like the big box stores and certain restaurants. Well, when it comes to the drive-in, the rest of the state is jealous of us.
We need to make sure that we keep it that way.
We lost the Columbia Gardens. We lost the Butte Copper Kings. We cannot also lose the Silver Bow Drive-In.
Some of my most special nights growing up came at the Silver Bow Drive-In. Some of my most special nights being a dad were there, too.
When my oldest daughter was young, she loved to go to the drive-in. My wife and I would take her early, get some popcorn and Swedish Fish. Then she would fall asleep before the end of the previews, so we could watch any movie we wanted.
Later, we could only go when there was a movie appropriate for a child.
A few years ago, my son and I went to the drive-in to watch one of the Star Wars movies. We got their super early, so we could get a good spot. We brought our mitts, and we played catch with a baseball before the movie started.
If we tried that at the Butte Plaza, they would ask us to leave.
You can do that at the drive-in. The drive-in is just such a special place where your experience cannot be rivaled by a trip to an indoor theater.
The family that has operated the drive-in since 1977, though, fears that a proposed gas station and convenience store right next door could put the future of the drive-in in serious jeopardy. They think it would kill the drive-in.
The Hansen family has already been through several scares that could have potentially put them out of business in recent years. Several years ago, they were forced to spend a ton of money to change to a digital system because sticking with film was not an option.
They spent the money to preserve the business, and a community was thankful.
Then, of course, came COVID. It took some creativity and hard work to make sure the drive-in survived that difficult time.
We learned about the latest potential threat earlier this month. Arizona based Ronning Development and Maverik, a convenience store operator based in Salt Lake City, want to build a 6,000-square-foot convenience store and a gas station on 7 acres right next to the drive-in.
The light pollution, noise and possible omissions problems that a gas station could present could spell the end of the drive-in, the Hansen family says.
Fans of the drive-in joined the family to pack the Dec. 14 zoning board meeting to express their concerns about the gas station and what it means to the drive-in.
One local contractor spoke in favor of the gas station, and others spoke out for it on social media.
I saw one Facebook poster refer to people outraged by the threat to the drive-in as “crybabies.” He said the developer owns the property, and thus can do what he wants with it.
That is true, but only to a point. Property rights only go so far. When your actions infringe on the property rights of others, there is a problem.
The bigger problem is the lack of transparency behind this whole ordeal. The Hansen family found out about the plans almost by accident. Somehow, a neighbor noticed the small sign posted on the property in question and notified them.
They did not see any small notices in the back pages of The Montana Standard because hardly anybody sees those. Now that the Standard publishes a paper only three days each week, not nearly as many people subscribe to a physical paper as they did in the past. Such a notice is very difficult to find on line, if it is available at all.
If a neighbor did not notice the very small sign, the Hansen family might have learned about the gas station when the developer broke ground.
It reminds me of how my dad found out about plans to dump toxic waste from Superfund cleanup in the old Dublin Gulch neighborhood, which is dangerously close to many houses, back in August. He saw the chief executive and other officials looking at the abandoned and fenced-off neighborhood that has been ignored for half a century, and he asked a question.
He saw past the hemming and hawing that came with the answer, and we started asking more questions. Otherwise, we probably would have just noticed that trucks were suddenly dumping on the hallowed ground next summer.
That is the kind of stuff that happens when our public officials keep us in the dark. That is why we need real transparency in our local government.
Maybe there is a chance that the gas station and the drive-in can co-exist. Maybe there isn’t.
Maybe some kind of a land swap could be orchestrated so the gas station can be built in a different location nearby, allowing the drive-in to still operate.
After all, we do not want to turn down the construction jobs and long-term employment the gas station would provide.
The one thing that is for sure, though, is that the concerns of the drive-in owners should be listened to and taken into consideration as a zoning decision is made. Their concerns are real.
So are our concerns about the lack of transparency our local government has shown time after time.
The owners of the adjacent property should not have been the last people to hear about these plans. Residents of Centerville should not have found out by happenstance that the county planned to allow the dumping of toxic waste near their homes.
Nobody should have to go and beg the local government to stop making decisions that could kill their business or potentially endanger their health.
In Butte, we say we care about historic preservation. When you remodel your house or business, you might have to face restrictions on how you can do it.
Having people looking out for that history is a great thing. Preserving that history is important.
We should also strive to preserve the living history that is the Silver Bow Drive-In. That history is important, too. It is important to the business owners, and it is important to the thousands of people who visit the drive-in each year.
Without it, we will have no other avenue to take those magical trips back in time.
— Bill Foley, who is running to be the next chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow, 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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Hall of Fame forum moved to Jan. 9
The public forum for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame has been moved back one day to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at the McQueen Club.
The move is being made so sports fans can watch the NCAA national championship football game that night. It will also allow fans attending the Montana Grizzlies national title football game in Frisco, Texas a better chance to attend. The forum will be an hour later than originally planned because Butte High is hosting a wrestling dual that night.
People will be asked to keep their comments to 3 minutes as they speak on behalf of candidates before the Butte Sports Hall of Fame selection committee.
Selection committee members are Jim Street, Anna Keltner, Mike Hogart, Jason Alexander, Phil Madrazo, Dave Dunmire, Michelle Shea, Gina Evans, Cathy Tutty, Ray Jay Johnson, Matt Vincent and Krystin Mengon Lee.
The deadline to nominate a candidate is Sunday, Dec. 31. People must be nominated to be considered for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame, and late nominations will not be accepted.
Candidates previously nominated are still under consideration, and they do not have to be nominated again. More information, however, can be sent in to support the candidacy.
To nominate an athlete or to provide more info, call or text Bill Foley at (406) 491-3022 or email him at foles74@gmail.com.
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Podcast No. 157: John McKee
Since high school, I always knew John McKee would go on to great things. He was always wicked smart with a great sense of right and wrong. He had a lot of fun, too.
He calls himself a nerd, but a nerd with calluses.
John is a fellow member of Butte High’s Class of 1993, which science tells us is the greatest in school history. Who are we to argue with science?
Today, John is the owner of Headframe Spirits in Butte. He employes 33 people, making whiskey in the Kelley Mine yard and selling it his taste room on Montana Street in Uptown Butte.
They also ship that whiskey and the stills they produce all around the world.
When he is not perfecting the taste of whiskey, John is looking for ways to better his community. Recently, he could have sold out for more money than he could have ever hoped for. That, however, would have meant his employees would have all lost jobs as he parachuted to Easy Street.
If you know John, you know that was not an option. Instead, he has plans to take Headrame Spirits well into the future, keeping the interest of his employees at heart. More business owners should be like John.
Listen in to hear just how much money John turned down. It will probably shock you.
Listen in as we talk about our high school and college days and how he ended up getting in the whiskey business. Listen to hear how we share some grand plans for the Kelley Mine yard.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by another great Butte business, Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Talk about a restaurant that is always looking out for the community. Eat where the locals eat.
This podcast is labeled explicit because of a few swearwords.
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Resurrecting Holy Savior the subject of Wednesday’s Brown Bag Lunch
A showing of the 2023 documentary “Resurrecting Holy Savior” and a question-and-answer session will highlight Wednesday’s Brown Bag Lunch at the Butte-Silver Bow Archives.
Jim Michelotti, Don Petritz and Fritz Daily were featured in the film directed by Jody Franich and Dan Fulton. They will answer questions following the film.
The presentation begins at noon at the Archives, 17 W. Quartz, and will run an hour and a half to two hours.
This movie centers on the burying of Holy Savior Church, the end to the Columbia Gardens and the demise of McQueen and Meaderville neighborhoods.
Research for the film included interviews with people who lived in Butte from the first days of the Berkeley Pit through its expansion. That includes Michelotti, Petritz and Daily. It also includes a truck driver who sadly dumped rock on the now-buried church.
Guests are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. Coffee and water will be provided. Brown Bag Lunches are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month. For more information, contact the Archives at (406) 782-3280.
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Bulldogs and Maroons push each other to the edge of greatness
There is nothing like the Butte Central Maroons to bring out the best in the Butte High Bulldogs.
I wrote that same sentence following a great Butte High-Butte Central basketball game back when John Thatcher was still coaching the Bulldogs, and it might be the truest statement I ever made.
The Maroons bring out greatness in the Bulldogs. And vice versa.
You can usually see that in the games following the Butte-Central game. Even though BC coach Brodie Kelly is 8-13 all time against the Bulldogs, his Maroons probably have a better than .900 winning percentage in the games immediately following the “City Championship Game.”
The greatness by both teams was on full display three nights before Christmas as the Bulldogs beat the Maroons 76-67 in front of a large crowd at the Civic Center.
Sophomore Hudson Luedke scored 32 points to lead the Bulldogs. His legendary night tied Butte High’s record for the most points in a game against BC. Luedke now shares the mark with Scott Ferguson (in 1986) and Micah Downs (in 2003).
Freshman Josh Sutton scored 18 of BC’s first 20 points on his way to a team-leading 22 points.
The list of heroes on both sides, however, was much, much longer than that.
Tocher Lee (13 points) and Dylan “Bobby” Bache (12) joined Luedtke in double figures scoring for the Bulldogs. Owen McPartland (17) and Jack Keeley (15) did the same for the Maroons.
But Bo Demarais, Rueso Battermann, Toree Temple, Trey McCarthy, Braylon Larson, Tyson Zeren and Spencer Callaghan all had big moments for the Bulldogs in the win.
The same could be said for Ryan Peoples, Zane Moodry, Patrick Stimatz, Parker Robertson and GG Fantini for the Maroons.
While the Bulldogs led most of the game, the Maroons were always within striking distance. The outcome of the game was very much in doubt until the final seconds ticked away.
I have watched most of the Butte-Central games since 1984. That year was one of six times the game that went to overtime over the last 40 years. The rivalry needed double overtime in 2015, 2010 and 1996.
Maybe it was the fact that I wasn’t watching it as a reporter, like I did for so many years. Or maybe it was where I was sitting. But I think the latest game just might have been the best since 1984, which I will forever remember as the greatest game the Bulldogs and Maroons played since I was old enough to pay attention.
That is because of what happened after that classic game, which was played 40 years and 8 days before the latest edition of the Butte-Central game.
On Dec. 14, 1983, Butte High outlasted BC 59-55 in an overtime thriller. Three months later, both teams hoisted state championship trophies.
Butte Central beat Billings Central 76-73 in overtime in the Class A title game in Butte on March 10. The next Saturday, which was St. Patrick’s Day, saw Butte High beat Great Falls High 53-50 in the Class AA championship game in Missoula.
Starting the season with a game that was even better than the state championship games certainly helped propel a couple of Butte teams to greatness.
I was just a little short of my 10th birthday when the Bulldogs and Maroons captured titles. To this day, guys like Tom Kenney, Marc Murphy, Mickey Tuttle and Chris Rasmussen still walk on water in my eyes.
To me, they still trump Bird, McHale and Parrish because those two Butte teams have been legendary in my eyes for four decades.
Years from now, some of the young kids watching the latest edition will probably feel the same way about today’s Bulldogs and Maroons.
The 1984 Bulldogs are planning a reunion to celebrate their team in March. So far, there is no word on whether the Maroons will do the same. How cool would it be to see both teams, back-to-back, in the St. Paddy’s Day parade in March?
That really needs to happen.
Is that possible for 1984 to repeat itself in 2024? The way both teams played three nights before Christmas sure looks like that is not out of the realm of possibility.
Without question, though, the game will make both teams better as we head into the January portion of the schedule. The game also had me thinking a lot about that 1984 classic.
It didn’t hurt that I ran into Murphy for a short chat just before the boys tipped off. I also sat in a similar location as I did 40 years ago.
In 1983, I sat behind the where Butte High’s bench was this year with my dad and brothers. I can’t remember if that was Butte High’s bench then, but I think it was.
Back then, I cheered like crazy for the Maroons, but I still respected the heck out of the Bulldogs as I watched Mike Ogrin hit two free throws to send the game into overtime and Scott Paffhausen hit two more to ice the win.
In 2023, I again took a seat behind the Bulldog bench, but up near the back of the arena this time. I cheered for both teams as I sat back and enjoyed the incredible action. I was for the Bulldogs, and I was for the Maroons.
My little brother used to say he was for the “team that wins” when we used to go to the Butte-Central football game. Then he would stand up and clap in victory when the final buzzer sounded.
I was legitimately for both teams because both teams are Butte teams. That is easier to do when you attended both schools, like I did.
I am happy for the Bulldogs and coach Matt Luedke. While Butte High has qualified for the Class AA State tournament in each of Luedke’s first four seasons as coach of the Bulldogs, I contend that this is his biggest win at Butte High.
If he’s being honest, he will probably agree with that statement.
As happy as I am for the Bulldogs, I am sad for the Maroons. They played well enough to beat just about any team in the state, but they had to head into the Christmas break with a tough loss.
In the end, though, I am happy for both teams because I know that game is going make them both better down the road.
The same will definitely be true for the girls’ teams, even though that game wasn’t as close as the boys’ game this year.
If Butte Central’s boys play that well at the end of the season, the Maroons could very well hoist their third Class A State championship banner since 2020.
If the Bulldogs play that well, they could be partying like it is 1984, and Tuttle will boost his grandson, Hudson Luedtke, to sit on top of the rim and celebrate like Mickey did in Missoula.
In the end, the greatness of the game will be determined by the outcome of the season for the Maroons and Bulldogs. If both teams fizzle out, which they won’t, the game will still be remembered for a while.
If both teams go on to do great things, like I suspect they might, then we will be talking about the Dec. 22, 2023 game for generations to come.
We will long remember the night that the Bulldogs and Maroons once again pushed each other to the edge of greatness.
— Bill Foley, who can’t wait for the next Butte-Central game, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Tocher Lee and Ashlinn Mullaney
Butte High juniors Tocher Lee and Ashlinn Mullaney are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after both players helped the Bulldogs beat Butte Central in basketball games Friday at the Butte Civic Center.
Lee takes home the boys’ honor after scoring 13 points to help Butte High pick up its 100th win against the Maroons, a 76-67 decision. He scored six of those points to help the Bulldogs pull away in the fourth quarter. He had a picture-perfect pass to Rueso Batterman for a key bucket down the stretch.
Lee also got off to a hot start, tossing in seven points in the first quarter as Butte High busted out of the gates for their first win against the Maroons since the 2018-2019.
Mullaney receives the girls’ nod after tossing in 15 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 52-26 win over Butte Central. Mullaney hit three 3-pointers, scoring eight in the first half and seven in the second.
She also had a big game passing the ball and playing defense. Mullaney missed much of her sophomore sports season with an injury. She was All-State pitcher on the Bulldog softball team as a freshman, but missed her sophomore campaign.
Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, teamed 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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Schleeman, Moodry get the call to Montana East-West Shrine Game
Bulldogs Demarais, Stenson named alternates
Kade Schleeman of Butte High and Zane Moodry of Bute Central have been selected to play in the 77th Montana East-West Shrine Game.
The rosters for the game, which will be played June 15 in Billings, were released on Christmas morning.
Butte High’s Bo Demarais and Kyler Stenson were named alternates for the West team.
The 6-foot, 230-pound Schleeman will play guard for the West Side. Schleeman, who is off to a strong start as a heavyweight wrestler for the Bulldogs, also signed to play football for Montana Tech.
As a senior, Schleeman was the leader of Butte High’s offensive and defensive lines. He paved the way for a Bulldog offense that averaged 197.6 passing yards and 124.9 rushing yards per game.
On defense, Schleeman racked up 41 total tackles. He registered three tackles for a loss and a sack.
The 6-5, 195-pound Moodry will play receiver for the West. His selection comes just days after he committed to play football at Montana Tech.
While playing on a BC team devastated by injury, Moodry caught 45 passes for 688 yards in nine games. He averaged 76.4 yards per catch and scored five touchdowns.
Demarais is listed as an alternate at quarterback, while Stenson is listed as a defensive end.
The 6-5, 180-pound Demarais passed for 2,227 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Bulldogs last season. He also ran for 244 yards and nine touchdowns. He has received multiple offers to play at the next level, but has yet to announce a commitment.
The 6-3, 220-pound Stenson registered 26 total tackles and two tackles for a loss for Butte High as a senior. He totaled three and a half sacks. Stenson has signed to play football for the Orediggers.
Class A State champion Dillon placed four players on the West roster. Representing the Beavers will be Kale Konen, Kee Christiansen, Max Davis and Cooper Anderson. Dillon’s Landon Peterson is listed as an alternate.
Tavan McMaster and Dalton Noble will represent Jefferson High from Boulder. Teammate Parker Wagner is an alternate.
Shane Williams and Colton Hayder will play for Three Forks. Ennis’ Jeremya Mauch and Vance Wingard are on the alternate list.
Pat Duchien of Florence-Carlton will serve as the head coach of the West Side. Duchien graduated from Canby Union High School (Oregon) and Montana Western. He began his coaching career in 2012 as an assistant at Florence, becoming the head coach in 2017. The Florence Falcons have won State Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Rob Stanton of Billings West will coach the East Side. Stanton completed his ninth season and led the Bears to the Class AA State championship in 2018. Stanton’s teams were runner up in 2020 and 2021. Stanton’s teams have made nine consecutive quarter final appearances
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. Every year since 1947 (except for the pandemic year of 2020), 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 and burn care available at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Spokane, Washington. Expert care is provided regardless of the family’s ability to pay.
The Montana game is the top Shrine Game in the nation for hospital donations. In recent years, this game has contributed several million dollars to the Shriner’s Hospital in Spokane, and the Montana Shrine Game is the top contributing game in the country.
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 77th 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 all the players selected.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 