WARDSVILLE - There wasn't much to do except sit around and wait.
Rain delayed the start of Friday night's Jamboree at the Falcon Athletic Complex. And with the Helias Crusaders slated to play in the second and third games of their three-game group, idle time wasn't necessarily in the game plan.
"We were sitting around for a long time," Helias coach Tim Rulo said. "But we stayed focused."
The Jamboree started after a delay of a little more than 30 minutes and the Crusaders showed they were ready to go. Helias defeated Owensville and Blair Oaks both by scores of 14-0.
"Our guys played so well," Rulo said.
Helias started on offense against Owensville and managed 70 yards in its allotted nine plays. The Crusaders got a touchdown in the series on a 33-yard run by Kaleb Davis.
The Crusaders then totaled 63 yards in its second series, getting a touchdown on a 29-yard run by Jake Burnett.
Owensville, which employed a spread offense emphasizing in the pass, had just nine yards in its 18 plays. The Dutchmen did have a 40-yard touchdown play called back by a penalty.
After struggling for just 15 total yards in its first nine-play series against Blair Oaks, Helias got two touchdowns in its second. Jacob Storms ran 30 yards for a touchdown before Chandler Luebbert hit Dylan Gaines for an 18-yard score.
"We made some great adjustments to what the defenses were doing against both Owensville and Blair Oaks," Rulo said. "That shows how our offense is maturing in its ability to be successful."
Defensively, the Crusaders allowed a total of just 45 yards in its 18 plays against the Falcons.
"I think we showed great versatility in our defense," Rulo said.
One little blip came when the Crusaders and Falcons got into a bit of a skirmish that was broken up rather quickly by the officials.
"As a staff and a program, I think everybody handled themselves well," Rulo said. "That was a great teaching moment for us."
Helias will open the regular season Friday at Hannibal. Game time is 7 p.m.
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