As potent as Pella Christian’s offense has been in their first two victories on the gridiron this season, its been the effort of their defense that may be standing out the most. The Eagles’ have allowed just 25 combined points in wins over Lynnville-Sully and PCM, and each game has seen the defense return an interception for a touchdown.

Orchestrating that defense has been assistant coach Mike Boender, who has built upon the strong foundation laid by previous defensive coordinator Al Carlson. On Wednesday night’s Marion County PM Sports Page program, Pella Christian senior captain Adam Howerzyl told KNIA/KRLS Sports he’s noticed the team’s defense really improve the way they’ve used their speed this season.

“Coach Boender, he’s really done a fantastic job. He worked a lot in the offseason, getting his defensive playbook together, getting it all worked out and getting the kinks worked out,” said Howerzyl. “I guess the biggest difference that I’ve noticed is we pursue a lot more. That’s always been one of our goals and our keys in defense, but it just feels like we’re a lot more aggressive this year.”

The Eagles’ defense will be facing a Central Decatur team that has found plenty of offensive success in a pair of victories so far this season, as the Cardinals have scored a combined 106 points in wins over Bedford and Interstate-35. Friday night’s game in Leon is the Class 1A District 7 opener for both teams, and will be streamed live at kniakrls.com.