Their record says they’re 0-8.
But there’s a little more to the story this season for the Vianney Golden Griffins and first-year head coach Chris Starkey.
“Like every first-year coach, you struggle to establish your team identity and what you want to do offensively and defensively,” Helias coach Chris Hentges said as the Crusaders (6-2) prepare to wrap up the regular season tonight against the Golden Griffins at Ray Hentges Stadium.
“And it’s more of a struggle when you’re playing the Metro Catholic in St. Louis and week-in and week-out, you’re playing teams like C.B.C., De Smet, SLUH (St. Louis University High) and Chaminade. Those aren’t easy teams to play.”
Slow starts have plagued the Golden Griffins this season. Vianney has trailed by double digits at halftime in each of its eight games and has scored a total of 40 points in the opening two quarters this season.
“Vianney’s a good football team with some talented players.” Hentges said. “You see effort, they really play hard. I commend them for doing that every week despite what they’ve gone through this season.”
The Golden Griffins are a pass-first team this season, throwing the ball on about 70 percent of their offensive plays this season. Vianney operates out of a spread offense, with either three or four receivers out in pass patterns.
Helias is allowing an average of 130 passing yards to its opponents and has totaled 10 interceptions, while Vianney is totaling around 170 yards per game through the air.
“The secondary is going to have to have another good game,” Hentges said.
The defensive line could play a big role for the Crusaders tonight. Helias has just 12 quarterback sacks this season.
“Pressure is something we need to put on opposing quarterbacks and we haven’t gotten that consistently this year,” Hentges said.
Vianney is averaging 12.5 points per game this season.
Defensively, the Golden Griffins operate out of a 4-3 front. But Vianney has also shown a 6-1, 5-2, 3-3 stack and 3-4 at times.
“Their base is the 4-3, but we’ve seen them in five different defenses this season,” Hentges said. “We’ve prepared for all of them.”
Vianney is allowing an average of 52.4 points to its opponents.
On the flip side, the Crusaders have totaled 80 points in the first half in their last three games.
Last Friday night, Helias jumped out to a 28-7 lead against Sedalia Smith-Cotton on its way to a 45-21 victory in its Central Missouri Activities Conference finale.
“Offensively, we clicked for four quarters better than we have all year,” Hentges said.
The Crusaders scored on seven of their eight possessions against the Tigers.
“I think we dominated from start to finish,” Hentges said.
Henry Neuenswander has been a key weapon in the pass game recently for the Crusaders. The senior has 14 catches for 214 yards in the past two weeks.
“Henry has been a big target for us of late,” Hentges said.
The Crusaders haven’t practiced this week like a team looking past its opponent.
“Across the board, this was the best week of practice we’ve had this season,” Hentges said. “I like the energy right now, our young kids are getting better and better, improving each day.
“It’s exciting for them and really exciting for our future.”
Jacob Lanigan and Brady Rush, both seniors, will both play tonight after leaving last Friday night’s game with injuries.
Helias hoped to have senior Daulton Scheulen back for the first time in a month, but he injured a toe and will be out tonight. Trevor Kolb, another senior, also will be out with his high-ankle sprain.
The Crusaders again will be without a handful of seniors up front due to concussions.
“We’re piecing together an offensive line again,” Hentges said. “With our concussions, we are being extra, extra cautious. That is nothing we want to mess with, we are taking it very seriously.”
Helias has won the last two meetings with Vianney, both on the road. The Crusaders won 47-9 last season and 41-28 in 2019. The teams didn’t play in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions in the St. Louis area.
“It’s good for the district points to play a Class 6 school, we hope it’s a rivalry that we can continue to play,” Hentges said. “It’s sometimes hard to find a good team that you want to play in Week 9, this has been a good placement on our schedule.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Notes: Helias enters the week third in the Class 5 District 4 standings with 41.07 points, behind No. 1 Holt (44.45) and No. 2 Capital City (41.07). If the standings remain the same after tonight’s games, Helias would jump Capital City to the No. 2 spot because of its regular-season win against the Cavaliers. Holt is playing Timberland, currently fourth in the district, tonight. The district tournament begins next Friday, with the top-seed receiving a first-round bye in the seven-team district. … Helias is the seventh team Vianney has played this season -- Duchesne, Timberland, De Smet, St. Louis University High, C.B.C. and Valle Catholic -- that is currently in or has been in the Missouri Media Rankings this season. The only opponent that has not been ranked is Parkway West.