LA MESA – Yes it was opening night, but the Helix Highlanders looked to be in postseason form.

Capitalizing on five Rancho Buena Vista turnovers, No. 2-ranked Helix riddled the visiting Longhorns 41-7.

All but one of RBV's miscues led to Helix touchdowns, including a 91-yard interception return by Trelan Taylor. It was Taylor's second theft of the game and the longest interception return in Helix history.

While the Highlanders were indeed solid in the secondary – RBV did not complete a single pass – it was what Helix did in the trenches that rapidly turned the game into a rout.

“We work a lot on stripping the ball,” said Helix lineman Anthony Larceval. “We dominated up front.”

Helix's first-year head coach Troy Starr was impressed.

“Our guys did a great job against one of the best run-game lines in the county,” said Starr, noting that the Longhorns return four of five starters up front from last year's 9-4 team. “Larceval was just a beast out there.”

Indeed. Switching from linebacker to nose guard, Larceval recorded a game-high 10 tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered one.

“I like being up close and personal,” Larceval said.

The Highlanders limited No. 6 Rancho Buena Vista to 143 yards on 45 rushes, much of that coming against the reserves.

“It doesn't matter who we're playing, people need to know that when they come to Helix they are going to get stomped,” said Oregon-bound defensive end Anthony Anderson (5 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries).

Led by its swarming defense, Helix converted three Rancho Buena Vista fumbles into a 21-0 advantage less than five minutes into the opening quarter. Two of those recoveries were made by Anderson.

“You have to have the ball to score, so we just went out there and ripped it out of their hands,” Anderson said.

Larceval yanked the ball away from a Longhorns ballcarrier to set up Jo Jo Phillips' 33-yard run for a 7-0 Helix lead. Phillips finished with 85 yards on 10 carries.

Quarterback Ty Culver completed 10-of-16 passes for 148 yards, including touchdown strikes to Travon Van (17 yards) and Taylor (37 yards).

“I felt comfortable out there tonight,” Culver said. “For a first game, I thought our whole team played awfully well.”

The Longhorns couldn't get anything going in the first two quarters, finishing the half with 61 yards on 26 carries. They attempted only two passes and one was intercepted by Taylor. RBV mustered just two first downs before intermission.