Rains yesterday evening did little to dampen the outcome of Pella High’s district opener against Chariton, as the Little Dutch rolled over the Chargers 42-0. After both teams threw interceptions in their first possessions, Pella regained its composure first, as Sam Davis scored on runs of six yards and one yard to give the Little Dutch a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Pella defense was stifling in the second quarter, as they held Chariton to -1 total yards of offense in the first half, and added a score on a 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Issac Pezley. The Little Dutch offense also showed its diversity, as the second quarter scores came through the air. Quarterback Teag Klyn connected with receivers Travis Ewing and Josh Pringle for throws of 23 and 8 yards, respectively, and Pella entered the locker room with a 35-0 lead at the intermission.

With a continuous clock rolling, the second half passed quickly, as the Pella defense continued to be stingy, while running back Drew Kleis added one more score in the fourth quarter to give the Little Dutch their final margin of victory. Pella’s offense finished the night with 362 total yards, including 211 on the ground, led by Deckar Lynch’s 107 yards on 14 carries.

The Pella defense limited Chariton to only 96 total yards of offense for the game, and also forced three turnovers. Pella had three turnovers of their own, and was also flagged for 9 penalties for 75 yards – which were the only negatives in an otherwise stellar performance.

Pella’s second consecutive shutout puts the Little Dutch at 3-0 overall, entering next week’s match-up at Oskaloosa.