The 2024 high school football season begins Friday night in Hannibal with a special highlight when the Pirates host the Helias Catholic Crusaders.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Pirates begin the season against Helias Catholic of Jefferson City, Missouri, immediately facing one of the best Class 5 teams in the state. The Pirates have a 1-2 record in their last three games against the Crusaders.

Both Hannibal and Helias reached the Missouri state quarterfinals last fall. Hannibal in Class 4, Helias in Class 5. Both teams had double-digit wins, Hannibal 11, Helias 10.

That was last year.

The Pirates want to show that they are much more than former running back Aneyas Williams, who has moved to Saturday football at Notre Dame.

Hannibal returns a ton of quality in the offensive backfield with senior quarterback Waylon Anders, senior running back Mike Ferreira and underclassmen Kade Hoskins, Derrion Washington and Landyn Essig. The offense will create chances. The defense will be tested as Helias brings an upscale line to America’s hometown.

The Crusaders’ offensive line will be looking to assert itself against the Pirate defense from the start with Will Kemna (6’5″, 240 lbs) and Chase Wisecarver (6’5″, 240 lbs). Junior quarterback Austin Weaver will want to play down the clock and keep the ball away from the Hannibal offense.

This is the kind of matchup you expect in November. Expect an exciting game Friday night. Pregame begins at 6:30 p.m., kickoff is at 7 p.m. with Bill Shuler on 97.9 KICK-FM.