COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Helias Crusaders thought they had a shot at upsetting the state-ranked Battle Spartans.
The Crusaders took their shots Friday night. But they came up empty as the Spartans defeated the Crusaders 40-7.
"I felt very confident," Helias coach Tim Rulo said. "I really believed that we had a chance to come up here and get a win.
"They have some very good players, but I thought we had a great game plan."
Battle held Helias to 185 total yards of offense, less than half of what the Crusaders had put up on the Spartans in each of the last two seasons.
Rulo said Battle, No. 6 in Class 5 in the latest Missouri Media Rankings, ran the same defense Helias had seen in those two contests.
"It was the same, they were in a 4-4 the whole time," Rulo said. "It was nothing we didn't expect."
In an attempt to get things going on offense, Helias went for it three times on fourth down Friday night. But the Crusaders finished 0-for-3. And to pour salt into the wounds, the Spartans scored touchdowns on each of the ensuing drives.
"You go for it because you believe your defense is going to get a stop," Rulo said. "That's something we have to work on."
Helias was trying to get something going on offense by going for it, attempting to gain some momentum.
"With the tenacity, the desire from our players, we should be able to get a first down there and I know we can because I believe in our players and I believe in our team," Rulo said.
The Crusaders went for it on fourth down twice in the first half. The Spartans converted the first one into a 19-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaren Lewis that made it 6-0 midway through the opening quarter.
After the second one, the Spartans drove 87 yards in eight plays to make it 13-0. The score came on a 48-yard pass from Lewis to Drey Tyler.
Battle's final score of the first half came after a blocked punt gave the Spartans the ball at the Helias 24. Six plays later, Lewis hit Matt Page from 3 yards out and it was 20-0 at intermission.
"We should be able to play with these teams," Rulo said. "We have the talent to compete against the top teams on our schedule, it's up to me to find a way to lead the players to being successful."
Battle extended its lead to 27-0 on the opening possession of the second half, going 58 yards in 13 plays. The score came on an 11-yard pass from Lewis to Page.
Helias gave Battle the ball back on downs on its next series. It took one play for the Spartans to take advantage as Darren Jordan scored on a 35-yard run to make it 33-0.
Jordan, a sophomore, finished with 160 yards on 22 carries Friday night.
Battle's final score came with 7:38 remaining in the game on a 17-yard run by Lewis.
Helias averted the shutout by driving 70 yards in 13 plays late in the game, helped by a personal foul for a hit out of bounds by Battle. That was one of 11 penalties in the game on the Spartans.
The score came on a 16-yard pass from Daniel Rhea to Nathan Bax with 1:41 remaining. Vito Calvaruso booted the PAT.
"It was good to get that one," Rulo said.
The Crusaders then recovered a squib kick by Calvaruso at the Spartan 25.
"I thought we were going to get another one," Rulo said.
But a bad snap on first down resulted in a fumble that gave the ball back to the Spartans. Battle then ran out the clock.
Battle (3-2) finished with 375 total yards in the game, including 241 rushing.
"I believe in our team, I believe we can be successful," Rulo said. "It's up to me and the coaching staff to work to get this team to where that can happen."
Helias (2-3) is back in action this Friday, returning to Columbia to face Father Tolton (2-3). Game time is 7 p.m.