Battle's players made plays. They made a lot of plays.
The Battle Spartans racked up 524 total yards Saturday night in posting a 64-29 victory against the Helias Crusaders at Adkins Stadium.
"It was one of those things where it just turned into a shootout and we couldn't score enough points to keep up," Helias coach Tim Rulo said. "We're going to back to the drawing board defensively and see what we can do to improve there."
The Spartans clicked on all cylinders in the first half on offense. It was a quick strike attack as Battle scored 36 points on five scoring drives totaling just 16 plays.
The Crusaders like to use a swarming defense that relies on gang-tackling. But more often than they would like, the Crusaders were left with just one or two players trying to tackle the Spartans and that didn't work Saturday night.
"We're going to have to look at the film and see exactly what happened," Rulo said. "But we have to do better than that, especially against a quality team like Battle.
"We preach that we have to swarm and punish and we need to start doing that."
Battle needed just two plays and 21 seconds to score, as quarterback Brevinn Tyler scrambled for a 66-yard touchdown. A 2-point pass made it 8-0.
Helias answered with a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive of its own. The score came on a 6-yard pass from Chandler Luebbert to Dalton Weaver and when Battle jumped offside on the PAT kick attempt, Helias' offense came back on the field. Luebbert picked up the 2-point conversion and the game was tied at 8.
Battle regained the lead with 4:49 to go in the quarter on a 71-yard pass from Tyler to Jaevon McQuitty. The 2-point pass failed and it was 14-8.
Helias took the lead on the ensuing series when Jacob Storms broke some tackles of his own to go 77 yards for the touchdown. Sam Heckart booted the first of his three PATs and it was 15-14 with 3:26 left in the opening quarter.
Battle posted three answered scores in the second quarter - a 10-yard run from Tyler, a 17-yard pass to McQuitty from Tyler and a 16-yard run by Hunter Smith to make it 36-15.
Helias cut into the deficit in the final minute when Jake Burnett scored on a 1-yard plunge and it was 36-22 at intermission.
Battle finished the first half with 293 total yards - 165 rushing and 128 passing.
Helias ran for 202 yards in the first half. But the Crusaders lost Kaleb Davis after just one carry to an injury Saturday night and Storms did not return to the game after being injured late in the second quarter.
Storms finished with 135 yards on just nine carries.
Helias got the ball to start the second half and Luebbert pulled the Crusaders to within one score with a 55-yard touchdown run that made it 36-29.
"I was super happy with that," Rulo said.
Battle answered, going 80 yards in 12 plays. Tyler capped the drive with a 17-yard run and it was 43-29.
The Spartans scored three times in the fourth quarter - a 74-yard run by Tyler and a pair of short runs by Hunter Smith.
Battle finished with 371 yards rushing on 33 carries (11.2 avg.).
"That wasn't what they have been doing all season," Rulo said.
Tyler had 205 yards on just nine carries while completing 9-of-21 passes for 153. McQuitty, a Nebraska recruit, finished with six catches for 107 yards.
"I know we are not satisfied defensively," Rulo said. "That wasn't the game we wanted, that's for sure.
"Hats off to Battle, they're a great team, the No. 2 team in Class 5. We have to be ready against teams like this."
Helias had 317 rushing yards on 58 attempts.
Helias (2-3) will host Father Tolton at 4 p.m. Saturday. Battle (5-0) will host Hickman (0-5) next Friday.