The run through the gauntlet came to an end Friday night for the Helias Crusaders.
A regular season that saw the Crusaders play six state-ranked teams in nine weeks concluded with a 51-17 loss to the De Smet Spartans at Ray Hentges Stadium.
"Our schedule is going to prepare us for district much more than an easy one would," Helias coach Chris Hentges said. "There was nothing soft about our schedule. It's been very challenging.
"I will go on record saying this is the toughest schedule Helias High School has ever played. By far."
Helias (3-6) is the No. 5 seed in Class 4 District 5 and will travel Friday to take on fourth-seeded Union (7-2). The Wildcats defeated the Hermann Bearcats 41-6 on Friday night to wrap up their regular season with a Four Rivers Conference title.
"I still think we can make a run," Hentges said.
De Smet entered Friday night's contest ranked No. 5 in Class 6. The Spartans were all but impossible for the Crusaders to stop as they scored on eight of their nine possessions. The other one was the final of the game and ended at the Helias 3-yard line as time expired.
"The kids played hard at times tonight," Hentges said. "But it wasn't consistent and it wasn't for four quarters. That's what we've been stressing, we have to have a four-quarter performance."
De Smet quarterback Nate Martens, who committed to Northern Iowa, finished 13-0f-18 through the air for 178 yards in the game. He also hurt the Crusaders with his legs, running nine times for 102 yards.
Spartans receiver Jordan Johnson, a junior who has received offers from schools such as Notre Dame and Alabama, had three catches for 41 yards Friday night.
"The elite talent we have seen from our opponents for much of the year is really unbelievable," Hentges said.
There were a couple of positives Friday night for Helias.
The Crusaders scored 17 points against the Spartans. De Smet allowed more than that just once in the regular season, that coming in a 49-14 loss to C.B.C., the No. 1 team in Class 6.
"We were hoping to get one or two more in, we had the chances to do it," Hentges said.
A week after rushing for just 50 yards against Rock Bridge, Helias got its running game going at times against De Smet. Helias finished with 145 yards on the ground despite being undersized on the line of scrimmage.
"They are so big up front, we had problems sustaining our blocks," Hentges.
Helias ran for both of its touchdowns against De Smet. On the Crusaders' first drive Friday night, quarterback Jake Weaver scrambled 28 yards for a score. Late in the third quarter, Blake Veltrop scored on a 2-yard run.
Helias' other points came on a 32-yard field goal by Vito Calvaruso on the opening drive of the third quarter.
Union will bring a seven-game winning streak into the district opener. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 244-77 the past seven weeks.
The Crusaders are ready to get a fresh start with the start of the postseason.
"It's time to refocus," Hentges said.
Game time is 7 p.m. Friday.
The Helias-Union winner will face the winner of top-seeded Camdenton (8-1) and eighth-seeded Pacific (1-8) in the district semifinals.
The other first-round district games will have second-seeded Borgia (8-1) hosting seventh-seeded Sullivan (3-6) and third-seeded Rolla (7-2) hosting sixth-seeded Washington (3-6).