COLUMBIA, Mo. - Helias quarterback Alex Faddoul hit the trifecta Friday night.
Throw a touchdown pass, check. Three of them.
Run for a touchdown, check.
Catch a touchdown pass, check.
Checkmate for the Rock Bridge Bruins as Faddoul's five combined touchdowns sparked the Crusaders to a 36-14 victory in a battle of state-ranked teams.
"Alex kept after it all night," Helias coach Phil Pitts said. "He made some big plays for us."
It started with his touchdown reception. Trailing 7-2 midway through the first quarter, Helias had just gotten the ball back after Jake Burnett tackled Rock Bridge quarterback Logan Twehous in the end zone for a safety. The Crusaders got the ensuing free kick at its own 47.
Two plays later, Faddoul tossed a pass backward to Weston Porter, then took off down the other side. Porter hit Faddoul with a perfect pass and he went untouched 48 yards for the score.
Faddoul then hooked up with Todd Buschjost for scores of 4 and 26 yards in the second quarter as Helias took a 22-14 advantage into intermission.
Hale Hentges caught Faddoul's third touchdown on a 53-yard effort in the third quarter that made it 29-14. Faddoul then iced it with a 70-yard scoring gallop with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Rock Bridge finished with a 472-314 edge in total yards and a 17-7 advantage in first downs. But the Bruins were done in by three turnovers and more than 100 yards of penalties.
"Rock Bridge has a lot of great offensive players, but we stressed all week just to keep plugging and get them the next play," Pitts said. "That's what we did, we made defensive plays when we needed them."
Helias turned Rock Bridge away twice in the second half when the Bruins had the ball inside the Crusader 20.
"To do that is pretty special," Pitts said.
Adam Bax, a junior linebacker, picked off two Twehous passes Friday. Porter also had an interception for Helias.
Rock Bridge (4-3, ranked 10th in Class 6) scored on a 12-yard run by Kian Pilot in the first quarter and on a 49-yard pass from Twehous to Malik Gleason in the second period.
Helias (7-0, ranked No. 2 in Class 4) hosts the Rockhurst Hawklets. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Adkins Stadium. It will be the first-ever varsity meeting between the two schools.