Recap by Chance Cook 406MTSports


Havre, Mont. - Keeping with its season trend of out-of-the-blue second-half surges, Montana Western's 18th-ranked football team overcame a 6-point halftime deficit to MSU-Northern and cruised to a 42-13 victory over the Lights on Saturday in Havre to maintain its place atop the Frontier Conference standings. 

The win gives Western a season sweep over the Lights after defeating Northern at home 55-3 in week two. 

Northern took a 13-7 lead into halftime off a pair of 33-yard field goals from Diego Morales and a 68-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Wilson to Marvin William Jr. 

Western's only first-half score was a 12-yard quarterback keeper from Jon Jund to cap a 75-yard drive. 

After the break the Bulldogs, in a campaign that has been defined by second- half magic, reeled off 35 unanswered points in the second half to turn a nail-biter into a blowout. 

Jund opened the third quarter with another quarterback run less then two minutes into the frame, this time from two yards out.

Less than two minutes later,  following a blocked punt by James Aragon Montana Western running back Kylar Prante found the endzone from 1 yard out. 

Kicker Mark Kharchenko, who finished the game with three field goals, booted a kick through from 46 yards out to close out the third quarter with the Bulldogs leading by 10 points. 

Junior running back Devyn Christian broke a few tackles and scampered 56 yards for his first-career touchdown late in fourth quarter to ice the game for the Bulldogs.  

The Bulldogs improve to 6-1 with its lone loss of the season a triple overtime defeat to Eastern Oregon University on Sept. 22. 

Western's road trek will continue on Saturday against No. 15 Rocky Mountain College in Billings.