An old coaching adage is a team shows the most improvement between the first and second games of its season.
It make sense. After a long schedule only consisting of practices, you need that first game against someone different to show you want you need to work on.
The Helias Crusaders must be fast learners. They improved from the first quarter to the second quarter Saturday night in posting a 27-2 victory against the Nixa Eagles at Adkins Stadium.
"It's not a secret that we are an inexperienced football team," Helias coach Phil Pitts said. "But I was very proud of the way we turned things around in this game."
It was an ugly start for the Crusaders. On the opening series, Helias had a punt blocked out of the back of the end zone for a safety as Nixa took a 2-0 lead.
Nixa then had field-goal attempts on two of its next three series on drives that started at Helias 32 and the 11. But one bounced off the upright and the other sailed wide.
"Our defense was outstanding," Pitts said. "There was no slow start for that defense. The line dominated."
It looked like Helias' woes were going to carry over into the second quarter. The Crusaders appeared to have a punt blocked near midfield, but the Nixa punter was able to get the kick away just as he was hit. The ball then bounced down to the Helias 1, leaving the Crusaders 99 yards away from a potential score early in the second quarter.
"The punter did a heck of a job on that play," Pitts said. "We thought we were finally going to have good field position and here we are on the 1-yard line."
But 99 yards or not, Helias knew what it needed to do.
"We talked about how that series needed to end up in the end zone," Pitts said.
A 23-yard run by Alex Faddoul got the Crusaders out from the shadow of the goal line. One play later, Faddoul hooked up with Hale Hentges for a 73yard touchdown to give Helias a 6-2 lead.
"We knew where we needed to go to get a big play," Pitts said. :I think everybody knows that."
Helias cornerback Nolan Sachse halted Nixa's next drive with an interception and the Crusaders took over at the Eagles' 40. A 26-yard run by Faddoul, with a personal foul tacked on at the end of the play, got the Crusaders to the 7. Faddoul then took it the end zone and Sam Heckart's PAT made it 13-2.
"Alex can make things look right when they aren't necessarily right," Pitts said. "He has play-making ability."
Sachse picked up his second interception of the game on the first series of the third quarter.
"We saw after the first week of camp that we needed to find a place on the football field for Nolan," Pitts said. "He's going to take his lumps, he still has a lot to learn, but he played a heck of a game."
Faddoul hit Weston Porter from 8 yards out midway through the third quarter for a score and Heckart's PAT made it 20-2. Jacob Storm's 3-yard run accounted for Helias final score.
"We fought, we gutted it out, we kept going," Pitts said. "We didn't dwell on any negatives,"
After the Crusaders managed just four yards in the first quarter, they averaged more than 100 yards in each of the final three periods.
Helias is back in action at 7 p.m. Saturday night against Hannibal.
Follow News Tribune sports reporter Tom Rackers on Twitter for updates during this season's Helias games.
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