COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Helias Crusaders and Father Tolton Trailblazers combined to run 133 plays from scrimmage.
They totaled 78 rushes and 55 attempted passes. Helias had 63 of the runs, Tolton 50 of the passes.
"We knew they would come out and throw it a lot," Helias coach Tim Rulo said Friday night after the running Crusaders defeated the passing Blazers 24-20.
"We won't see another team that throws it that much."
The secondary, minus injured senior starter John Paden, was tested all night by Tolton quarterback Robert Hunter. The Blazers threw for 273 yards and three scores.
"Hats off to Tolton, they played really hard," Rulo said. "They came out fired up and ready to play and it showed."
When Helias needed to make a big defensive play, it did.
Up 24-20, the Crusaders punted the ball to the Blazers with a little more than two minutes remaining. Carson Stieferman's kick went out of bounds at the Tolton 21, leaving the Blazers 79 yards from a potential win.
Facing fourth-and-one, the Blazers picked up six yards and a first down to get the ball out to the 35. But an imcomplete pass, followed by a reception for a minus-one yard left the Blazers with third-and-11.
Tolton lined up three receivers to the left side, leaving Helias cornerback Adam Wilbers alone with a Blazer receiver on the right. Hunter threw pass on a slant-and-go pattern about 20 yards down the field, but Wilbers reached up to tip the ball away.
"Adam stayed with him, that's what you want," Rulo said. "He did a good job of defending the ball on that play."
Hunter's pass on fourth down was incomplete, leaving Helias time to take a knee on two plays to run out the clock.
"The important thing is we came out of here with a win, in the long run, that's all that really matters," Rulo said.
Rulo was looking for the Crusaders to put together four consistent quarters Friday night. But a rather flat first half ended with Vito Calvaruso booting a 26-yard field goal as time expired to give Helias a 10-7 lead heading into the break.
"We just didn't come out with enough focus," Rulo said. "As coaches, we need to figure out what we can do to make sure that doesn't happen again.
"We just have to keep pushing forward."
The Crusaders were flagged for three false starts on offense in the first two quarters.
"I don't know if we've had three false starts in a game this season, much less in a half," Rulo said.
Helias got on the board late in the first quarter. Nathan Bax recovered a Tolton fumble to give Helias the ball at the Blazer 19. Six plays later, Blake Veltrop scored on a 5-yard run and Calvaruso's PAT made it 7-0.
The Crusaders had eight different players get at least one carry in the first quarter.
"We opened things up in an attempt to get some guys ready to go just in case we need them the remainder of the season," Rulo said. "This was a chance to get some guys some varsity carries early in a tight, close game."
A Helias fumble set up Tolton's score in the first half, as the Blazers took over at the Crusader 13. On first down, Hunter hit Jack Washer for a touchdown and the game was tied at 7.
At intermission, the Crusaders were strongly encouraged to turn up their intensity for the final two quarters. And they did.
"We had a lot better energy in the second half," Rulo said.
Helias scored the first time it had the ball, the score coming on a 14-yard pass from Daniel Rhea to Bax. Calvaruso's PAT made it 17-7.
An 18-yard pass from Hunter to CJ Campbell for a score early in the fourth quarter pulled Tolton to within 17-14.
Helias then ran more than four minutes off the clock, going 42 yards in 11 plays for a score. The touchdown came on a fourth-and-goal plunge by Rhea and Helias led 24-14 with 5:44 to play.
But Tolton had a quick answer as Hunter hooked up with Nick Beckett for a 51-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was no good and it was 24-20 with 4:34 remaining in the contest.
Tolton is now 2-4.
Helias (3-3) will host Rock Bridge (5-1) for Homecoming on Saturday night at Ray Hentges Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.
It is the final home game of the regular season for the Crusaders, who will end with games at Kirksville and against DeSmet in St. Louis.