BUTTE — Butte Central football put together its best campaign this decade last year.
The Maroons crafted a winning season and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2019, ending a six-year playoff drought. But a first-round exit against Whitefish left this team wanting more.
"We walked off the field in the first round of the playoffs with some real disappointment," said Central coach Don Peoples Jr. "So I think that left some momentum and enthusiasm and incentive for this year. And I think the way that our kids worked in summer camps and weight rooms and all the things we did all summer, there's just been a real commitment to take it one step further."
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Still, just getting back to the playoffs marked a important step forward for the program.
"From the day I started at Butte Central the No. 1 goal every season has been to get into the playoffs," said Peoples. "And after a few years of not making it, it felt good last year."
Central returns a lot of key players, but with quarterback Ryan Peoples graduated the Maroons will have a new signal-caller in sophomore Noah Sutton, who saw limited action last season.
"I think we've got a good team and a lot of good players, just focus on getting our best guys the ball and letting them go to work," said Sutton. "I knew a lot from last year and kind of building on it so that's a lot of fun too."
"He got some playing time last year, not a ton but he's an outstanding athlete," said Peoples. "He's been a varsity basketball player for two years already. So he's been in the varsity arena."
