The Helias Crusaders wanted to open district play with a complete performance.
Mission accomplished.
Helias dominated on both sides of the football Saturday and rolled to a 45-0 win against the Wentzville Liberty Eagles at Adkins Stadium.
"I really want a lot more weeks with these guys, you can really see the progress we're making and it's so exciting to see," Helias coach Tim Rulo said. "It's really a lot of fun."
With the win, Helias (4-6) advances to Friday night's district semifinal game at Hannibal. Hannibal defeated Helias 49-25 in Week 2 of the season.
"It's time to go back to work, focus on what we need to do when we face the big challenge of playing Hannibal again," Rulo said.
Offensively, the Crusaders scored on five of their seven first-half possessions Saturday on their way to a 35-0 lead at intermission.
After forcing a Liberty punt to start the game, Helias went 68 yards in seven plays to take the lead. The score came on a 28-yard run by Jacob Storms around the left side. A big block by Nolan Sachse helped spring Storms for the score and Sam Heckart's PAT made it 7-0.
The run was one of several to the outside for the Crusaders in the contest.
"We did a great job of running on the perimeter, which is something we haven't been able to accomplish much this year," Rulo said. "We did a good job of blocking out there."
Storms finished the game with 104 yards on seven carries.
"He's really blossomed into a good back," Rulo said. "He's really learned this offense and it's great to see his development and he has a lot of potential."
A high snap on a Liberty punt attempt on the next series gave Helias the ball at the Eagle 33. Three plays later, Malik Davis took it over from the 4 and it was 14-0.
Liberty's best chance to score came late in the first quarter. After a Crusader fumble, the Eagles took over at the Helias 9. But Liberty netted minus-1 yard on its first three plays, then jumped to make it fourth-and-goal from the 15.
Liberty quarterback Ryan Bermudez then hit Wesley Hines with a pass around the 7 and the sophomore receiver headed toward the end zone. But Jeremiah Heckman and Alex Werner combined to stop Hines just short of the goal line.
It took Helias just four plays to go the 99-plus yards for the score. Three runs got the Crusaders a first down at the 11, then Alex Faddoul hit Werner on a post route and the senior outsprinted the defense for an 89-yard score and a 21-0 lead.
Helias' other two scores of the first half came in the final minute. A 41-yard run by Storms set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Sachse. Liberty then fumbled on its next play and Brede Stewart recovered to give the Crusaders the ball at the 12. Three straight runs by Jake Burnett, the last from the 3, gave the Crusaders a 35-0 lead at the break.
"We were happy with what we accomplished," Rulo said.
Helias' first-team offense was back on the opening series of the third quarter, with Faddoul allowed to call the plays.
"He had some parameters to follow, but he got to call what he was seeing on the field," Rulo said.
The Crusaders went 50 yards in six plays for a touchdown, which came on a 1-yard plunge by Faddoul and it was 42-0.
"He did a good job," Rulo said. "He read the option well. Alex is really maturing as a quarterback."
It was time for the reserves to get some playing time the remainder of the game.
Helias got its final score in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on an 18-yard field goal by Heckart.
The final decision was long decided by that point. But the Crusaders still wanted the shutout.
Liberty entered the game getting a majority of its yards on the ground. But Crusaders held the Eagles to zero yards rushing until the final series of the game.
"We spent a lot of time working against the option and I think that showed," Rulo said.
The Eagles got down to the Crusader 31 before the game ended.
"You could see the excitement at the end of the game when we got the shutout," Rulo said.
Liberty finished with 114 total yards - 60 on the ground and 54 through the air.
Helias, which had 11 different players get at least one rushing attempt, totaled 288 yards on 44 carries. The Crusaders were 2-of-4 passing for 99 yards.
Helias and Hannibal, which defeated Kirksville 47-7 in its district opener, will meet at 7 p.m. Friday.