Helias, Hannibal to clash for district championship

Helias quarterback Wyatt Porter looks for running room during the Oct. 20 game against Hannibal at Adkins Stadium.
Helias quarterback Wyatt Porter looks for running room during the Oct. 20 game against Hannibal at Adkins Stadium.

It didn't take a crystal ball to see this coming - top-seeded Hannibal against second-seeded Helias for the Class 4 District 6 title.

"We respect Hannibal and we know it's going to be a four-quarter war," Helias coach Phil Pitts said. "But it's something we're looking forward to."

Today's 7 p.m. contest in Hannibal is a rematch of an Oct. 20 game at Adkins Stadium. Helias (7-4, ranked No. 5) defeated Hannibal (10-1, ranked No. 7) 31-18 that night to move into second place in the final district standings.

And after having beaten the Pirates, the Crusaders appealed to the other six district coaches to be bumped to the No. 1 seed. In a lopsided 5-1 vote, that didn't happen.