BUTTE — First we start with college football. The Montana Grizzlies opened up the 2019 season with a road win against South Dakota. Q-B Dalton Sneed completed 37 passes on 52 attempts for 430 yards and three touchdowns in the Griz’s 31-17 win.
The Montana State Bobcats didn’t fare as well in their road loss to Big-12 powerhouse Texas Tech. Casey Bauman completed seven passes on 19 attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown. Running back Isiah Ifanse chipped in for 77 yards in the Cats 45-10 loss.
Staying on the gridiron but on the high school level a bunch of area teams came away with wins in the opening week of the season. The Bozeman Hawks cruised to a huge 35-0 win over defending state runner up Kalispell Flathead. Meanwhile the Butte Bulldogs gave the Belgrade Panthers a “warm welcome to class AA with a 46-20 win at Naranche Stadium.
Finally the first ever Copper Classic was this Saturday at the historic Gold Glove gym in Butte. 12 boxers took part in the inaugural event and featured hometown fighters like Chase Garland and Brenden Roat. And with the boxing culture resurfacing in the Mining City many are seeing the positive effects the sport is bringing in.
“With each fight you gain confidence. And it’s crazy people who come into our gym they start to walk taller," says Montana Golden Gloves member Leigh-Ann Whitworth. "You know that the development that happens in this sport . In boxing everyone who walks into that ring and steps into that ring is facing a battle. And not many people are able.”
