When the Helias Crusaders needed a big play Friday night, Jake Weaver and Damon Johanns combined to make it.
When they needed another one, Weaver and Johanns came through again.
Weaver and Johanns combined for a 45-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half Friday night to help the Crusaders pull into a tie at 21, then used a 65-yard strike in the fourth quarter for an insurance score as Helias defeated Borgia 49-28 at Ray Hentges Stadium.
"We hit a few big plays when we needed it," Helias coach Chris Hentges said.
Helias trailed 21-13 after Borgia got an 88-yard touchdown pass from Sam Heggemann to Andrew Patton with :45.7 remaining in the first half. It looked like the Crusaders would be trailing at halftime for the first time this season.
But the Crusaders returned the ensuing kickoff into their own territory. On first down, Weaver connected with Johanns around the 10 and the Crusader receiver took it the rest of the way into the end zone. Ryan Klahr the ran for a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 21 at intermission.
That was a good play by both Weaver and Johanns. The second was a great one.
Borgia had pulled to within six at 34-28 on Heggemann's third touchdown pass of the night, an 8-yard catch by Ryan Kell, with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Helias, which had punted just once in the game, was facing third-and-8 on its ensuing possession. Weaver scrambled to his left and under heavy pressure near the sideline, threw the ball down the field toward Johanns.
"It's a route designed to go short to a receiver coming back to the ball," Hentges said. "But we do have receivers on the backside and that's always an option."
One of those backside receivers was a sprinting Johanns, who reached back to make the catch, then eluded a Borgia defender to make it to the end zone to push Helias' lead back to double digits.
"Jake heaved it with all of his might and hit Damon right in stride," Hentges said. "That was huge, if we don't score there, it might be a nailbiter all the way to the end."
Instead, another 2-point run by Klahr pushed Helias' lead to 42-28 with 7:23 to play.
It was the dagger in what was a good game from the opening kickoff.
"We told the guys all week what a good team Borgia is," Hentges said.
Both teams scored on their opening drives - Borgia on a 13-yard scramble by Heggemann, Helias on a 17-yard run by Clement.
Weaver gave Helias a 13-7 lead with 7:08 left in the second quarter with the first of his three touchdown runs, this one a 1-yard plunge. Borgia then scored twice in less than four minutes on Heggemann passes - 14 yards to Kell and the 88-yard catch and run by Patton. Heggeman finished 15-of-22 for 236 yards.
"That quarterback and the receivers were on tonight, hats off to them," Hentges said. "They moved the ball up and down the field on us, they earned all 28 of their points."
Patton, a 6-foot-6 senior, had seven receptions for 141 yards.
"If you play up on him, they go over your head," Hentges said. "If you play back on him, they run the hitch route underneath. Pick your poison."
Third-quarter touchdown runs of 8 and 2 yards by Weaver gave Helias a 34-21 advantage going to the final 12 minutes.
Helias got its final touchdown with 3:19 to play on a 7-yard run by Carson Brauner.
That run capped another strong rushing night for the Crusaders, who eclipsed the 300-yard mark on the ground for the second straight week. And for the second straight game, Helias had a pair of 100-yard rushers as Weaver finished with 130 and Clement totaled 113. On the second scoring drive of the third quarter, Clement left with an injury after a 4-yard run and did not return to the game.
With Clement out, Klahr took over rushing duties and finished with 65 yards on eight carries in the game.
"He's very elusive, we see it every day in practice," Hentges said.
Vinnie Calvaruso made his season debut at kicker for the Crusaders, hitting three extra points. On kickoffs, he was consistent with the deep ball, including one in the end zone.
"It's a weapon when you have a kicker who can put it in the end zone, and we hope Vinnie can be that for us the rest of the season," Hentges said.
Borgia is now 2-2.
Helias will resume Central Missouri Activities Conference action Friday night when it hosts Rock Bridge for Homecoming.
The Crusaders are 4-0 overall, 2-0 in the CMAC. Rock Bridge is also 4-0, 3-0 in the conference after defeating Capital City 76-49 this week.
"It obviously won't be the same type of Homecoming we're used to, but the boys will be ready to go," Hentges said.
Game time is 7 p.m.