Har-Ber quarterback Grant Allen lofts a pass over the outstretched arms of Jefferson City's Nikolas Williams during the first quarter of Friday night's game at Adkins Stadium.

Sept. 8, 2017

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. --- Har-Ber has grown into one of the best programs in Arkansas.

Jefferson City is working to get back there in Missouri.

There's still work to do on this end.

Grant Allen tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another score on a fake punt as the Har-Ber (Ark.) Wildcats took down the Jays 38-0 before a big crowd at Adkins Stadium on Friday night.

The Wildcats have now beaten the Jays by a combined 92-14 in the two meetings between the teams. Last year in Springdale, Har-Ber rolled to a 54-14 in the first-ever meeting.

Har-Ber (3-0) --- ranked No. 6 in Arkansas (rankings include all classes) --- didn't need any help, but got some early from Jefferson City (2-2).

In the first quarter, the Jays lost a fumble at their own 28 and three plays later, Allen found Logan Collins on a crossing pattern and he outran the defense for a 23-yard score to make it 7-0.

The Jays --- who were playing their home opener --- made the Wildcats earn it on their next scoring drive, but the result was the same. Har-Ber put together an 11-play, 70-yard effort that Bryant Cook ended on a 21-yard run to make it 14-0 with 9:19 left in the first half.

The lead grew to 21-0 at the half when Allen hooked up with Cook on a 31-yard touchdown.

The Jays mustered only 69 yards of total offense in the first half, making that 21-0 lead almost feel like 121-0. The young Jefferson City offense didn't mount much of a scoring threat in the second half, either, although the Jays did move it inside the Har-Ber 15 in the game's final 90 seconds before turning it over on downs.

The margin moved to 31-0 after three quarters on Allen's 67-yard scamper on the fake punt and a 40-yard field goal by Jesus Zizumbo. The final points came on Allen's 62-yard connection to Cook with nine minutes left, a score that kick-started the running clock and sped the game across the finish line.

Jefferson City is back at home next Friday against St. Louis University High at 7 p.m., before hitting the road for games at Rock Bridge and CBC the next two weeks.

HELIAS 49, HICKMAN 7

The Helias Crusaders picked off their first win in their new home Friday night.

Literally, they picked it off.

The Crusaders had a school-record six interceptions --- three of those were returned for touchdowns --- and Helias scored the game's final 43 points to pull away for a 49-7 win over the Hickman Kewpies at Ray Hentges Stadium.

The third time at home proved to be the charm, after the Crusaders lost to Hannibal and Belleville (Ill.)-Althoff in the first two attempts to get their first win in the new $13 million complex.

Perhaps it was only fitting the first win came against Hickman, as the first coaching win in the Hall of Fame career of the stadium's namesake came against the Kewpies in 1966.

In a penalty-plagued affair, Colden Imhoff's 25-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Helias a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

That certainly set the tone for this record-setting night, which also marked the first time in our history both the Crusaders and Jays played home games on the same Friday night.

The Kewpies (0-4) --- who have now lost 23 of 24 and 32 of 34 --- grabbed a 7-6 lead on a 65-yard run by Cameron Chick  just 16 seconds after Imhoff's score. But the Crusaders (2-2) took charge from there and never looked back.

First, Jeremiah Heckman picked off a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to give Helias the lead for good at 12-7. The score came with 3:41 left before the break and started a three-touchdown flurry in a 199-second span.

The first of two interceptions for John Paden set Helias up at the Hickman 21 and six plays later, quarterback Daniel Rhea scored on a 1-yard plunge to make it 20-7. Then with just 22 seconds left in the half, Nathan Bax returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown and it was 28-7.

The Helias offense was outscored by the defense in the first half --- three touchdowns to one --- but it won the battle with three scores of its own in the second half. And it put an exclamation point on Rhea's big night.

First, the junior dashed 32 yards for a score, before he hooked up with Zack Woehr on a 40-yard touchdown with 4:26 left in the third quarter to make it 42-7 and start the running clock.

Senior Connor McKenna capped the scoring on a 12-yard run midway through the fourth.

This was the first of four straight games against the Columbia schools for the Crusaders, who play at Battle and Tolton the next two weeks, before celebrating homecoming by playing their last home game in the regular season against Rock Bridge on Sept. 30.

Har-Ber blanks Jays 38-0; Helias

picks off first win at new home

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