ST. LOUIS - Alex Clement knew he was going to have a busy night.
Clement, a junior, was going to get a majority of the carries Friday for the Helias Crusaders after backup Brody Mays went down with an injury at practice Wednesday.
"I knew without having a backup that hadn't played very much, it would be a long game for me," Clement said.
He was more than up to the task.
Clement ran 21 times for 163 yards and a touchdown as the Crusaders downed the Vianney Golden Griffins 41-28 at Don Heeb Field.
"I love carrying the ball that much," Clement said.
Helias coach Chris Hentges wasn't surprised by Clement's effort.
"We really challenged Alex that he was going to have to carry the load and he did," Hentges said. "We have seen Alex do things like this in practice and tonight, he did what we knew he could do."
It all started up front as the Helias offensive line did a good job against a big Vianney defensive front. Jake Weaver added 101 yards rushing as the Crusaders totaled 269 yards on the ground.
"Our offensive line played great, hats off to those guys," Hentges said. "For us to run for that much says how well they played."
The game started like it was going to be a 48-minute shootout.
Vito Calvaruso drilled the opening kickoff through the end zone for Helias and Vianney started at its own 20. It took one play for the Griffins to find the end zone as Connen Barcom took the handoff from quarterback Griffin John and broke through the line and sprinted for an 80-yard touchdown just 11 seconds into the game.
Helias needed just three plays to answer as Clement ran 48 yards for a score. Calvaruso's first of five extra points tied the game at 7 with a mere 38 seconds off the clock.
Clement entered the game with 12 carries for 20 yards this season.
"He can get behind our linemen, then find a little crease to get north-south," Hentges said.
Things settled down a little after the opening minute barrage. An interception by Clement, who said he stayed in his usual rotation as a starting cornerback on defense Friday, gave Helias the ball at its own 14 midway through the first quarter.
Helias needed eight plays to go the 86 yards for the touchdown, with the scoring coming on a 29-yard pass from Weaver to a wide-open Jake Warren to make it 14-7.
The final 2:16 of the half looked a lot like the first minute as the teams combined to score 24 points.
A 3-yard run by Vianney's Cole Petrus capped a 10-play, 56-yard drive that tied the game at 14. Helias then went 86 yards in eight plays, with the score coming on a 15-yard pass from Weaver to Griffin Buschjost4, to give the Crusaders a 21-14 advantage.
Another long kickoff by Calvaruso had Vianney starting a drive at its own 20 with under a minute to play. It took just one play for the Griffins to tie the game as John connected with Jacob McCauley for an 80-yard catch and run for the score.
But there were still 32 seconds on the clock. The Crusaders started the ensuing drive at their own 39 and got to the Griffin 14 with :01.3 on the clock. Calvaruso came on to boot a 30-yard field goal as Helias took a 24-21 lead into intermission.
The teams combined for 570 total yards in the first two quarters.
Helias got the ball to start the third quarter and drove 75 yards in five plays. The touchdown came on an 11-yard run by Weaver and the Crusaders led 31-21.
Vianney then went 62 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown, with the score coming on a 9-yard pass from John to John Volmert to cut Helias' lead to 31-28 with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter.
Helias' defense got on the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter. A Crusader fumble deep in Griffin territory gave Vianney the ball at its own 5.
But on third-and-11, John's pass was picked off by Ethan Holzhauser, who returned it 10 yards for the touchdown and a 38-28 Helias lead.
Helias added some insurance points with 2:17 remaining when Calvaruso kicked a 38-yard field goal.
Vianney's last offensive drive was halted with 1:30 remaining on an interception by Buschjost.
"It wasn't the prettiest game, but it was a gutsy performance," Hentges said. "We had some things go against us, they had some momentum, but we just kept fighting, digging a little deeper, making a play to keep a drive alive or end one of their drives."
John finished 20-of-35 passing for 245 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He kept several plays alive with his legs, especially in the second half, as the Crusaders got a strong pass rush, led by Justice at defensive end.
"He's so hard to block because he's so long and so athletic," Hentges said. "When he comes off the ball, he uses his leverage to get to the quarterback."
After Barcom's opening 80-yard run, Helias' defense limited him to 61 yards on his final 21 carries.
"He's a very good running back, but we made some adjustments and I think that slowed him down a little bit," Hentges said.
Weaver finished 12-of-21 passing for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Clement had three catches for 32 yards to finish with 195 total yards.
"They're big and I was getting hit repeatedly," Clement said. "But it was a good game for us."
That was a lot for one game. Tired?
"A little," Clement said.
Vianney, the Class 5 state champion in two of the last three seasons, is now 1-2.
Helias (3-0) will host Cardinal Ritter on Saturday night for Homecoming. Ritter (3-0), ranked No. 1 in Class 2, defeated St. Dominic 53-14 on Friday night.
Game time is 7 p.m.