Montana rolls in second half to win Badlands Bowl

MILES CITY – Whatever Billings West and Montana All-Stars coach Rob Stanton said in the locker room at halftime must have worked.

The Treasure State group was down 14-0 at the break after West Fargo linebacker Luke Lennon picked off a Blake Thelen pass and returned it to the house, and the mood in the Montana locker room was somber at best.

Everything changed in the second half. West receiver Jesse Owens hauled in three scoring passes, including one from Thelen, and Montana scored 41 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to a 41-14 victory over the North Dakota All-Stars at the Badlands Bowl at Connors Stadium.

The win gives Montana a five-game win streak and a 20-6 edge all-time in the series.

Thelen, the Great Falls High graduate who has signed with Montana State, helped atone for two picks he threw in the first half, including the six-yard pick-six by Lennon with 12 seconds left in the half, when he hit Owens from 32 yards out in the final stanza to put Montana up 27-14.

Ex-Bozeman QB Kris Brown had three scoring passes of his own, including two to Owens, who will be his teammate at Montana this fall. Hamilton's Camron Rothie scored on a 35-yard toss from Brown to get Montana on the board, then Owens scored the next three - two from Brown, the last from Thelen. 

Trevin Gradney, another West High product headed to UM, picked off a fourth quarter pass and brought it back 40 yards to make it 34-14, then Helena High's Zach Spiroff tacked on a 70 yard punt return.

Shelby's Wyatt Brusven was 5-of-6 in PAT conversions, and saw a 32-yard field goal attempt in the first half get blocked.