Carlisle turned the football over six times and the Pella High Little Dutch were able to take advantage on many of them, spoiling the Wildcats’ homecoming festivities with a 35-7 win Friday night.

Pella High had some ball control issues of their own, though, losing an interception and two fumbles – the first of which came midway through the first quarter. Fortunately, Carlisle turned the ball over just two minutes later. After a few short plays, Little Dutch quarterback Josh De Waard broke open for a 48-yard run to put the ball deep in Wildcat territory and eventually setting up the team for its first score – a nine-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Langenfeld. Pella added another score, but Carlisle landed on the board as well, and the Dutch led 14-7 at halftime.

The third quarter saw Pella seize the momentum, as each team had just one possession, with Pella dominating the clock and ultimately scoring early in the fourth quarter. Pella would add two more scores in the final period, capped off by Chris Brogden’s 51-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown to put the game away for good. The Little Dutch racked up a season-best 346 yards of total offense -including 242 yards on the ground – with De Waard and running back Lukas Steenhoek leading the way with 91 and 92 yards, respectively. De Waard also went 6-for-11 through the air for 103 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

The victory lifts Pella to a 2-0 start in Class 3A District 8 action and has the green-and-white at 3-2 overall. They’ll host Chariton next week for Homecoming.