WARDSVILLE, Mo. - It was the first opportunity to see how Helias is adapting to the return of the spread offense.
But it was the defense that stole the spotlight in Friday night's Jamboree at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
Helias allowed just 50 total yards and two first downs along with one touchdown in 36 plays against Centralia and California.
"We looked very good," Helias coach Chris Hentges said. "We did a good job of setting the edge and rallying to the football. That's what we've been preaching all camp."
Operating out of a 4-3 defense similar to what Helias ran in Hentges' first stint as head coach, the Crusaders stuffed Centralia in the first session. The Panthers did not record a first down, getting zero or negative yards on 12 of their 18 plays.
"We still have a ways to go, but the kids are getting better and I like what I saw," Hentges said.
California used a pair of 20-yard plays to score a touchdown in its portion of the session against Helias.
But the Pintos then managed just 21 yards and one first down in its final 16 plays against the Crusader defense.
Daniel Rhea, a senior, and sophomore Jacob Weaver continued their battle to be the starter at quarterback for the Crusaders during the Jamboree.
"Daniel and Jake have been rotating back and forth throughout camp and got the same amount of snaps tonight," Hentges said.
"We're going to evaluate the tape and make a decision next week to who will be the starter. But the other one is going to be such a good athlete that he is going to play as well."
Helias got two touchdowns against Centralia - an 11-yard run by Zach Covington and a 22-yard sprint by Rhea. The Crusaders totaled 118 yards of offense against the Panthers.
After being blanked on the scoreboard in its first nine plays against California, Helias scored twice in its final nine. The Crusaders racked up 130 yards of offense against the Pintos.
While Helias was impressive for much of the action Friday night, Hentges knows the Crusaders still have things to work on.
"Just like my dad used to say, we're not cancelling practice next week," Hentges said.
He said a lot of that work will come on offense.
"We have got to get some more leg drive, some more push at the line of scrimmage," Hentges said. "Our running backs have to do a better job of picking up the blitz and understanding what their responsibilities are at times.
"The quarterbacks need to relax in the pocket and not be so eager to get out of there."
Helias will open the regular season next Friday night against the Hannibal Pirates.
The game will start at 7 p.m. in Hannibal.
III
Early Friday, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) released the district assignments for this season.
There was no shock Helias remains in Class 4, but who it is paired with in District 5 was a bit of a stunner. Helias is now in a district with Borgia, Camdenton, Pacific, Rolla, Sullivan, Union and Washington.
"We expected to see a lot of the same teams again, but MSHSAA mixed things up this year," Hentges said.
District play begins in Week 10.