It was lopsided enough. But it could have been worse.
A lot worse.
"You don't ever want to run it up on anybody," Helias coach Phil Pitts said after the Crusaders rolled to an 83-12 victory Saturday afternoon against the Wentzville Liberty Eagles at Adkins Stadium.
"I think we did a good job of playing everybody in the second half, we didn't throw a pass later than the first quarter. We know this isn't a pleasant situation, but we didn't go out of our way to make it this way."
The 83 points is a school single-game record, eclipsing the mark of 77 set against Vashon and Kirksville last season.
"These kids put in a lot of work and they deserve to get into the record book if the opportunity presents itself," Pitts said. "Records are something people can't take away from them."
The game had the look of a mismatch. Helias entered 8-1, ranked No. 2 in Class 4 and the top seed in District 7. Wentzville Liberty, a second-year school with only sophomores and freshmen, was 1-7 and the district's bottom seed.
Why play the game at all? Pitts said playing is better than taking a week off just as the postseason begins.
"You want to keep your edge," he said. "The kids want to prepare for games. You can simulate things in practice, but getting everything that goes along with a game is important and I think that's why today was beneficial for us.
"You could do a scrimmage or an intersquad game, but it's not the same. You need to play an opponent."
Every healthy player, senior through freshman, saw action Saturday for the Crusaders.
"Those kids who normally don't play deserved a chance to get into a game because they've paid the price all year at practice," Pitts said. "Games like this give the players the experience to build on."
It didn't take long for this one to get out of hand. After the teams had combined for eight plays from scrimmage, Helias led 21-0.
After Helias returning the opening kickoff to its own 45, quarterback Alex Faddoul had his choice of open receivers to throw to on first down. He settled on Todd Buschjost, who caught the ball around the Wentzville Liberty 35 and took it the rest of the way for a touchdown. Sam Heckart booted the PAT and 14 seconds into the game, Helias led 7-0.
After a three-and-out by the Eagles, Helias took over after a short punt and good return at the Wentzville Liberty 24. On first down, Faddoul tossed a swing pass to Hale Hentges, who rumbled the 24 yards for a touchdown.
Two plays, two scores.
"We wanted to start fast," Pitts said. "We wanted to start perfect and we did a good job of that."
It was the 27th touchdown reception of Hentges' career to break the mark of 26 set by his uncle, Mike Hentges, from 1989-91.
"It was great for Hale, who has done so much for this program, to get that record today," Pitts said.
The Helias defense got into the act on Wentzville Liberty's next series. On second down, Adam Bax returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown and it was 21-0 just 3:01 into the game.
The Crusaders added three more touchdowns in the opening quarter - a 4-yard run by Jacob Storms, a 9-yard scramble by Faddoul and a 33-yard pass from Faddoul to Alex Werner.
Helias scored its five offensive touchdowns in the first quarter while running a total of nine plays.
"As a coach, you worry your team may not be up for a game like this," Pitts said. "But we were ready."
In the second quarter, Helias got touchdown runs of 5 yards from Malik Davis and 18 yards from Storms to take a 56-0 advantage into intermission.
During halftime, the Crusaders honored their 14 senior football players and their parents with a ceremony on the field.
"It's a great group of guys and a great way to honor them," Pitts said.
Wentzville Liberty got on the board on the opening possession of the third quarter. The Eagles went 77 yards in eight plays, with the score coming on a 10-yard run by quarterback Ryan Bermudez. The 2-point try failed and it was 56-6.
Helias scored three times in the final 3:36 of the quarter. The scores - a 24-yard run by Storms, a 23-yard fumble recovery by Logan Distler, and a 29-yard run by Kaleb Davis - made it 77-6 heading into the final period.
A 26-yard run by Bermudez with 10:50 left in the game made it 77-12.
Helias got its final touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter on a 20-yard run by Kaleb Davis. Sam Heckart, who had tied a Helias single-game record with 11 extra points, had his 12th attempt blocked.
Wentzville Liberty ran 56 plays on offense to just 25 for Helias. The Eagles finished with 277 total yards and 12 first downs. Stone Krogman had 96 rushing yards on 19 attempts.
"They had a bunch of kids that can play and I think they're going to develop into a good team," Pitts said. "I guarantee you next year they will be a better football team."
Helias had 427 total yards and eight first downs. Storms led with 86 rushing yards, while Faddoul was 5-of-5 through the air for 151 yards.
One week after having its takeaway streak snapped at 34, Helias recovered three fumbles and picked off two Wentzville Liberty passes.
Helias will host fifth-seeded Moberly in the district semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday. Moberly (4-6) blanked Warrenton 42-0 on the road Friday night.
Pitts said the Crusaders will be ready for the next step in the postseason.
"You're talking about there being only 32 teams left, you're talking about a team that's already proven it can win a playoff game," Pitts said.
Hannibal will host Mexico in the other district contest.
Editor's note: This game story expands upon News Tribune coverage posted on Saturday.