Dalton Helm kept tracking down loose balls and waiting for his offense to pick him up.

Benton’s senior linebacker recovered three fumbles Friday night against Bishop LeBlond, the second setting up a decisive 85-yard touchdown run from Jake Kretzer. Benton forced four LeBlond turnovers but converted them into only seven points during a 35-0 victory at Sparks Field.

That didn’t bother Helm, who kept believing in the power of turnovers.

“Turnovers go for points; turnovers turn into points,” said Helm, who ties for fifth in Missouri history with a host of others for his three fumble recoveries.

Benton coach Matt Tabor earned his second win in as many games in his first season with the Cardinals, soundly defeating his former team. Tabor returned to his alma mater this season, and Friday marked his first game at Sparks Field as a head coach.

It was also the first matchup between the two teams since 1987, and LeBlond’s first Midland Empire Conference game since rejoining the league this year after a 25-year absence.

But history didn’t appear to play any part in a landmark game for both teams.

“To me this is any other Friday night,” said Tabor, who spent four seasons as LeBlond’s head coach. “I don’t have it out for LeBlond. I’ve got it out for our opponents every week.”

LeBlond hung tough in its MEC return until the third quarter.

Trailing just 7-0 after the first half, the Golden Eagles went three-and-out on the opening series of the second half. Benton responded with an 8-play, 68-yard drive culminating in quarterback Zach Hart’s 1-yard sneak.

The Cardinals got a 13-yard run from Dustin Williams, a 15-yard late hit penalty on LeBlond, a 10-yard scramble from Hart on fourth and 7 and a 23-yard completion from Hart to tight end Scott Hedden on the drive. Hedden’s over-the-shoulder catch on a corner route came on the play before Hart’s touchdown sneak.

Benton seemed to take control on that drive, but LeBlond answered.

The Eagles drove into Benton territory but a costly fumble on an option pitch forced them into a third and 20. On the play, quarterback Ben Baker found tight end Jacob Lilly on a drag route.

Lilly turned up the right sideline and had the first down, but a Benton defensive back stripped the ball. Helm quickly scooped it up and tried to take it back across the field.

He was dragged down from behind at Benton’s own 15.

Two plays later, Kretzer — who finished with 128 yards rushing — made one cut on a power run and raced virtually untouched through LeBlond’s secondary for the 85-yard score.

“(Lilly) definitely broke away, but the ball popped loose,” Helm said. “I did not see who knocked it loose. I had one guy to beat, and he pulled me down.

“I had a wall of people waiting on me, a wall of people, but it ended being Jake Kretzer on a huge run after that to get us seven.”

Chris Puett added a 62-yard touchdown run on a lead draw play just before the end of the quarter. Facing third and 18, Tabor called the delayed run to try and gain some yardage back.

Puett found a hole and went up the left sideline, slipping one LeBlond tackler, running over another before wriggling loose a third time on his way to the end zone.

“I just kept truckin’, felt a couple guys kept pulling at me, but I was just running as hard as I could,” said Puett, who finished with 165 yards rushing on eight carries, including a 69-yard score in the first half. “

Benton tallied 386 yards, 244 in the second half, and received touchdown runs from four different players. The ground game helped the Cardinals overcome a four-turnover first half. LeBlond (1-1, 0-1 MEC) couldn’t capitalize, despite two fumble recoveries and two interceptions from Baker.

Baker’s second pick came with 2 minutes, 18 seconds left in the first half. LeBlond drove 33 yards to Benton’s 22, but failed on a fourth and five attempt in the waning seconds.

LeBlond totalled 154 yards of offense, quelling any opportunities to capitalize on its takeaways.

“More mental than it was they were the better team,” Baker said. “They scored 21 points in the third quarter, and that was it.”