An early deficit and several big plays by the defending Midwest Football Alliance champions were too much for the Pella Knights to contend with, as they fell 45-10 to the Des Moines Blaze on Saturday.  The Knights were quickly down 14-0, and though they battled back to 14-10 at one point, the Blaze quickly regained the upper hand with a kickoff return and a touchdown pass to stay ahead for good.  

Pella’s offense struggled to get rolling, as they were outgained 327-84 by Des Moines.  Quarterback Jarred Lackey accounted for the only score for the Knights, pushing his way across the goal line on a two-yard run.  He also went 5-for-12 through the air for 50 yards.  Kicker Jordan Krulik took care of the rest of the points with a 42-yard field goal and an extra point.  On defense, Scott Bell and Brandon Millbrooks each had five tackles.  The Pella Knights are now 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the MFA East.