Pella Christian took control early and was never challenged on their way to a 43-0 win over Shenendoah last night.

Coming in to the game, it was no secret the Mustangs offense was one-dimensional and would run the ball; so the Eagle defense stacked the box with as many as ten defenders all night and held Shenendoah to just 92 total yards – only 56 of which came via the ground.

The Eagles started off hot when Caleb Morgan scored on a one-yard run, capping off an impressive 72-yard drive. Unable to move the ball on the ensuing possession, Shenandoah was forced to punt, and Pella Christian senior Nate Tvedt made his presence known, streaked 60 yards to the end zone, putting the Eagles in front 14-0.

Another key play came early in the second quarter on fourth down and 33 to go, when Shenandoah ran a fake punt from their own 15 yard line, but came up short, giving Pella Christian the ball inside the Mustangs’ 30 yard line. Two plays later, Caleb Morgan scored on a 26-yard run.

The Eagles added three more second quarter scores as Tvedt scored on runs of 20 yards and one yard, respectively, and Adam Howerzyl connected with Derek Van Kooten on a 25-yard pass play; putting the Eagles on top 40-0 at halftime.

Tvedt led the offense, scoring three touchdowns while rushing for 97 yards. Howerzyl returned to the lineup after missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury and completed two of four passes for 49 yards, while defensively Collin De Bruin led the way with 10 tackles and Nick Arkema had an interception.

Pella Christian improved to 6-2 on the season and 5-1 in district play and will close the regular season at Clarke (Osceola) Friday night.