The Capital City Cavaliers are looking for a bounce back.
The Cavaliers (3-2, 2-2 Central Missouri Activities Conference) have dropped two consecutive games for the first times since the 2021 season and will look to get back in the win column when they go up Stadium Boulevard once again, this time to play the Helias Crusaders (4-1, 3-0 CMAC) in a CMAC matchup at 7 p.m. today.
“Anytime you drop two in a row like that and lose games that we felt like we could win … it kind of breaks your confidence a little bit,” Capital City coach Joe Collier said. “We’re working each day in practice to just build our confidence again.”
Helias will be a tough test for the Cavaliers. The Crusaders have won the CMAC two of the three seasons of the conference’s existence and have a 20-1 record all-time in CMAC play.
The Crusaders enter the week off a 20-10 win against the Rock Bridge Bruins, in which Helias needed to rely on backup quarterback Austin Weaver after starter Sam Wyrick left the game in the first quarter with an ACL injury.
Fortunately for the Crusaders, Weaver had played much of the second half in the first three games earlier in the year with Helias holding big leads.
Weaver is 10-of-18 passing for 176 yards for the season, while rushing for 141 yards on eight carries. He has one passing touchdown and one interception, while rushing for a score.
“He’s a good runner,” Collier said. “We’ve got to pay special attention to him being able to run the ball.”
Collier said he expects having Weaver taking snaps won’t slow down a potent Crusader offense.
“I think what makes Helias ‘Helias’ is each kid on that team understands their job,” Collier said. “They run their offense and it’s the next guy up. He’s gonna run it just like the guy that was in front of him. That’s the expectation and that’s what makes them a tough team to beat.”
The Cavaliers have faced tough passing attacks at points this season and the Crusaders will continue to test Capital City’s defensive backfield.
Luke Swan has been the main target with 12 catches for 163 yards and four touchdowns, while Lucas Bloomer had 302 yards and four touchdowns on 11 catches and Sam Lopez has 10 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns. But the Cavalier defense wont be able to even focus on just those three as 15 Crusaders have at least one catch this year.
“We have to be especially attentive to how they’re lined up,” Collier said. “We can’t fall for any of the motions and things of that nature. Just get our eyes in the right place.”
The Crusader rushing attack will also test the Cavaliers, with Mason French totaling 381 yards and five touchdowns on 75 rushes.
“He’s running really hard,” Collier said. “Each time I see him, he’s trying to get those (yards after contact) yards. He’s running through people, he’s running way more confident than he was a year ago and that’s growth.”
The rushing defense has been the Cavaliers’ strength on that side of the ball, with the team allowing an average of only 2.8 yards per carry this season, with the most rushing yards allowed coming at 123 in Week 1.
On the other side, Capital City’s offense, which was averaging 45.67 points per game through the first three weeks, has averaged only 24.5 the past two weeks.
“(Helias) probably feels like they were pretty successful with what they ran against us last year,” Collier said. “So I expect more of that. In general, teams are gonna load the box on us and it’s our job to make sure they can’t load the box and have to play regular defense. … We’ve got to stop bumping our head against the wall every play.”
That offense will face a Helias starting defense that has allowed only six total touchdowns in five games. One against Hannibal in a 49-13 win, one against Hickman in a 42-12 win, none against Battle in a 41-0 win, three against Cardinal Ritter in a 30-29 loss and one against Rock Bridge last week.
“We’ve always planned it in our offense to be multiple, although we line up with two backs in a veer look, we always planned to be multiple with it,” Collier said. “So (last week) is a sign that we need to move forward and trust that we can be multiple and do it. … We need to grow and we needed to do that anyway. In our offensive scheme, we need to open it up a little bit.”
Logan Montoya leads the Crusader defense with 56 total tackles, including six for loss, while Maddox Fisher is second with 36 tackles and five for loss.
“I like (Fisher),” Collier said. “I think everybody watches for (Montoya), but if you watch (Fisher), the other linebacker, he’s really physical, he gets his body in there and he’s the one that’s the first-contact type of guy. … I see that guy around the ball all the time.”
Six more Crusaders have at least 20 tackles this year, while the team has created 30 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Helias has seven interceptions, led by Weaver and Alex Marberry with two each, and five fumble recoveries with Marberry leading the way with two.
Capital City’s defense has had a strength in creating tackles for loss with 48 total this season, but leader Reyce Turner, with 11, will miss the game after being ejected at the end of the Jefferson City game. Turner also starts at left tackle on the offensive line. The Cavaliers will also miss their starting nose guard and offensive guard in Marques Golliday who exited the Jefferson City game with an ankle injury.
To replace the pair, the Cavaliers will do some mixing and matching.
On the offensive line, Eli Jahr will move from the tight end spot to left tackle, Andy Cubilla will stay at left guard, while Daruis Hendricks will start at center as usual starting center Matt Wiegand will move to right guard and Landen McNeil will stay at right tackle.
On the defensive side, Cubilla will take over at nose guard, while Gideon White and Jahr will play defensive end.
Notes: Capital City has never beaten Helias, with the Crusaders winning 51-6 in 2020, 31-0 in 2021 and 24-22 last season. … Helias leads the Class 5 District 5 standings with 47.6 points, while Capital City is fourth with 35. Camdenton (4-1) is second with 43.8 and North Point (3-2) is third at 35.8.