HANNIBAL - Except for the final score, it was all but decided at halftime.
Except the Helias Crusaders weren't going to quit.
The Hannibal Pirates scored five unanswered touchdowns in the first two quarters Friday night to take a 35-0 halftime lead. But Helias scored the first four times they had the football in the second half before falling 49-35.
"The second half was good, it was just a matter of not playing so well in the first half," Helias coach Tim Rulo said.
The game got off to a good start for the Crusaders, who blocked a Pirate punt on the first series and took over at the Hannibal 20. But Helias turned it over on downs.
Three plays later, Hannibal quarterback Jerry McBride scored on a 72-yard run down the right side. Trevor Watson booted the PAT and it was 7-0.
Helias fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Hannibal took over at the Crusader 6. Three plays later, McBride took it over from a yard out and it was 13-0.
Hannibal scored on its next series on an 80-yard pass from McBride to Devon Thomas. The ball was a bit underthrown, but was tipped to Thomas around the Helias 40 and he took it the rest of the way. A 2-point conversion made it 21-0 late in the first quarter.
Shamar Griffith scored twice in the second quarter on runs of 2 and 3 yards for the Pirates to make it 35-0 at the break.
Hannibal finished with a 329-106 edge in total yards in the first two quarters. McBride had 150 yards on 11 carries, while Griffith had 90 on 11 carries.
Helias got on the board on the opening drive of the third quarter, going 65 yards in 11 plays. The score came on a 16-yard pass from Weston Porter to Adam Bax. Sam Heckart booted the PAT.
Jake Burnett did the heavy lifting on the drive for the Crusaders, carrying the ball six times for 30 yards.
The Pirates answered with a 83-yard scoring drive, capped by a 37-yard touchdown run by Griffith.
Helias put together another 11-play scoring drive later in the quarter, with Alex Werner scoring from 7 yards out to make it 42-14.
But Porter and Bax then connected on TD passes from 29 and 19 yards out on consecutive possessions and Helias trailed 42-28 with 9:50 remaining.
Griffith then scored his fourth TD of the game, this one a 66-yard run and it was 49-28.
Porter and Bax hooked up for their fourth TD of the game with 2:38 remaining. The 5-yard score made the final 49-35.
The Crusaders finished with 401 total yards, 216 through the air. Bax had seven catches for 102 yards.
Hannibal had 498 total yards, 411 of which came on the ground. Griffith had 17 carries for 226 yards, while McBride had 149 yards on 13 carries for Hannibal (2-0).
Helias had won the last five games in the series against Hannibal.
Helias (0-2) is back in action Friday night at home against Bishop Althoff of Bellleville, Ill. Game time is 7 p.m. at Adkins Stadium. It is lone Friday home game of the season for the Crusaders.