Helias to square off against state-ranked Rock Bridge for Homecoming

Nathan Bax of Helias makes a tackle during a game against Bishop Althoff earlier this season at Ray Hentges Stadium.
Nathan Bax of Helias makes a tackle during a game against Bishop Althoff earlier this season at Ray Hentges Stadium.
It's not a Homecoming patsy.

The Helias Crusaders (3-3) will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday night when they face the Rock Bridge Bruins (5-1) at Ray Hentges Stadium.

"Rock Bridge is a very good football team and we're going to need to be ready to play Helias football," Helias coach Tim Rulo said.

Any potential distractions about all the Homecoming festivities during the week aren't a worry.

"The players are very aware, they realize the big picture," Rulo said. "It's a great tradition, but there's still a football game to be played."

The Bruins, No. 10 in Class 6 in the latest Missouri Media Rankings, are averaging just under 28 points per game this season.

Under first-year head coach Don Vanatta, the Bruins opened some eyes in Week 1 with a 17-14 victory against the Rockhurst Hawklets.

Rock Bridge has embraced the ground game with quarterback Trevor Twehous and running back Nathaniel Peat.

"Those two guys can be a deadly combination in the backfield," Rulo said.

Peat has run for more than 1,000 yards this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry to go along with nine touchdowns.

"He's going try every spin move, cut something back, he's not going to just run in a straight line and fall down," Rulo said. "He's very difficult to bring down, you can never feel comfortable that you have him. You can't slow down thinking somebody else already has him, you have to get all 11 hats there."

Twehous ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns last week in a 32-21 win against Jefferson City.

"His legs are his best asset," Rulo said. "He's a runner, he can break some long plays. You have to learn how to handle that as a defense and it's something we've worked on."

Twehous is 49-for-105 passing for 639 yards. He has thrown for four touchdowns with four interceptions.

"He looks calm in the pocket and they've designed some specific run plays for him to use his specific skill set," Rulo said. "They don't throw a lot of deep balls."

Jefferson City's defense did a good job of containing Rock Bridge on offense, only to see the Bruins score four times on plays of 62 yards or more.

"The touchdowns were all big plays, there weren't any methodical drives," Rulo said. "Somebody just got loose and that's the nature of the beast when you're playing elite athletes."

Helias had a good defensive effort against the run last week in a 24-20 win against Tolton, limiting the Blazers to just 45 yards on the ground.

The Crusaders were strong defensively in the first half of the victory, then came up with a big stop late to seal the victory.

"When it mattered, we were able to shut them down and take care of business," Rulo said.

The Bruins won't bring an imposing looking defense to the game. But it is an aggressive group.

"They fly around, they have a ton of team speed," Rulo said. "They're not overly big, but they are built for speed."

And that speed is what makes the Bruins a difficult team to move the ball against. Rock Bridge is allowing a little less than 16 points per contest.

"A defense doesn't need to be big, speed creates problems, it's hard to coach against speed," Rulo said. "Big guys might be hard to move, but you know where they're going to be."

Helias took advantage of its offensive opportunities against Tolton, scoring on four of its five trips to the red zone.

With the game scheduled for Saturday, the Crusaders took advantage of the extra day this week to get some extra rest.

"We were able to go a little lighter early in the week, give the guys some time off," Rulo said.

The Crusaders can't afford to take any time off Saturday night.

"We can't hold anything back, I don't know how many people are really giving us a chance to win, so we need to go out let it all hang out and play Crusader football," Rulo said.

Game time is 7 p.m.

III

Rulo said the Crusaders may be without starting linebacker Garrett Mingucci with an injury. He will be a game-time decision. Helias starting cornerback John Paden has returned to practice after missing the game against Tolton. This is Helias' final home game of the regular season. The Crusaders will travel to Kirksville and to DeSmet before starting district play. Rock Bridge beat Helias 46-33 last season in Columbia. Helias had won three straight in the series - beating Rock Bridge 10-7 in 2015, 36-14 in 2014 and 59-21 in 2013. This is the final of four straight games against Columbia schools for Helias. The Bruins and Crusaders have common opponents in Battle and Hickman. Rock Bridge beat Battle (9-0) and Hickman (41-9), while Helias lost to Battle (40-7) and beat Hickman (49-7). Rock Bridge's loss this season came in Week 4, a 27-21 decision at Lee's Summit.

Related media:

Helias Crusaders Football Podcast [Rock Bridge preview, Sept. 29, 2017]