Crusaders bury Pirates with third-quarter offensive onslaught

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A seven-point halftime deficit didn’t seem too daunting.

A 35-point disadvantage by the end of the third quarter was too much to overcome.

The Hannibal football team saw Jefferson City Helias score three times on just nine plays in less than five minutes to start the third quarter and never recovered, losing 49-13 in Friday night’s season opener at Ray Hentges Stadium.

Leading 14-7 at halftime, Helias took the opening kickoff of the second half and scored when quarterback Sam Wyrick connected with Lucas Bloomer for a 51-yard touchdown. The Crusaders’ Logan Montoya blocked a Hannibal punt on the ensuing possession and Helias got the ball at the Pirates’ 19-yard line.

Three runs by Mason French — the last from a yard out for a score — extended Helias’ lead to 28-7. After forcing a Hannibal punt, a 34-yard scramble by Wyrick down the left sideline got the Crusaders into Pirate territory again. Wyrick then tossed a screen pass to Bloomer, who scored from 23 yards out to make it 35-7 with a little more than seven minutes left in the third quarter.

“We did a great job of executing in that stretch,” Helias coach Chris Hentges said..

Sam Lopez caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Wyrick with a little more than a minute remaining in the quarter to give Helias a 42-7 advantage.

Hannibal outgained Helias 127-53 on the ground in the first half and scored its lone touchdown of the first 24 minutes when Aneyas Williams ran in from 1 yard out, capping a 10-play, 70-yard drive. Mike Ferreira scored on a 78-yard run in the third quarter for the Pirates.

Helias invoked the mercy rule running clock with a 55-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Hannibal totaled 326 yards rushing on 56 carries. Ferreira led the Pirates with 178 yards on 28 carries, while Williams finished with 116 yards on 19 carries.