Helias crushes Vianney to end regular season

ST. LOUIS - The Helias Crusaders got what they wanted out of Friday night.

"To go on the road, our longest trip of the year, to play well and to finish the regular-season with a big win was a good night," Helias coach Chris Hentges said after the Class 5 No. 6 Crusaders defeated the Vianney Griffins 47-9.

Helias got the opening kickoff and needed less than two minutes to find the end zone.

Three runs by Ryan Klahr netted 21 yards before quarterback Drew Miller connected with Kaden Hampson on a 47-yard touchdown pass. Vinnie Calvaruso booted the PAT and it was 7-0 with 10:18 to go in the first quarter.

The Crusader defense forced a three-and-out and after a short punt, Helias took over at the Vianney 35. Six plays later, Miller hit a diving Klahr in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown and Calvaruso's PAT made it 14-0 with 7:11 left in the first quarter.

"We were explosive, we basically scored when we touched it," Hentges said.

The Griffins then went on 15-play drive that lasted nearly the remainder of the first quarter. Vianney was 9-of-10 passing on the drive, which got to the Helias 11 before Keith Garrett came on to kick a 28-yard field goal to cut the Crusaders' lead to 14-3.

Helias made it 21-3 midway through the second quarter. After starting at its own 15, six consecutive runs got the Crusaders near midfield. Miller then threw a 12-yard pass to Harrison Miller, then followed with a 38-yard score to Will Herrbold. Calvaruso's extra point made it 21-3.

Vianney came back with a nine-play drive that got the Griffins to the Crusader 24 before Klahr came up with an interception on a fourth-and-14 play.

A 42-yard pass from Drew Miller to Cole Stumpe got the Crusaders into Griffin territory. Three plays later, Klahr scored on a 14-yard run and Calvaruso's fourth PAT of the half made it 28-3 with 2:10 left in the first half.

The Helias defense got onto the scoreboard on Vianney's next series when Beau Bondurant ripped the ball away from Vianney quarterback Paul Berra and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. Calvaruso's kick gave Helias a 35-3 advantage with :55.2 remaining in the second quarter.

That was just enough time for Vianney to find the end zone as Berra connected with a wide-open Garrett Hauck in the end zone as the clock went to :00.0. The PAT kick failed and Helias took a 35-9 lead into halftime.

"We saw some things we're going to need to clean-up, there were some missed assignments and some execution things," Hentges said.

Helias finished with first half with 250 total yards, 71 rushing and 179 passing. Vianney rushed for just 6 yards on 12 carries in the first two quarters, but Berra was 22-of-30 passing for 192 yards at intermission.

Helias increased its lead to 41-9 on its second possession of the third quarter. On third-and-5, Carson Brauner took the ball around the left side near the sideline, then cut back to the right and rambled 38 yards for a touchdown.

After a Vianney three-and-out, Helias got the ball back at its own 43. On first down, Drew Miller and Harrison Miller connected for the Crusaders' fourth passing touchdow of the night and a 47-9 Helias lead with 5:10 to go in the third quarter to wrap up the scoring.

Jacob Lanigan of the Crusaders intercepted a Berra pass in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter to halt the final offensive possession for the Griffins.

"Overall, we played well tonight," Hentges said.

Vianney (1-8) finished with 239 total yards and 16 first downs. The Griffins had 22 carries for 21 yards, while Berra finished 27-of-43 passing for 218 yards.

Drew Miller finished 10-of-13 passing for 220 yards and the four touchdowns. Seven Crusaders had at least one carry as Helias ran the ball 27 times for 143 yards.

Helias (8-1) is the No. 2 seed in Class 5 District 4 and will have a bye next Friday before hosting a district semifinal game Friday, Nov. 5, at the Crusader Athletic Complex. Class 5 No. 3 Holt (9-0) is the top seed and also will receive a first-round bye

The first-round district matchups will have No. 3 Washington hosting No. 6 Capital City and No. 4 Battle at home against No. 5 Liberty: Wentzville.