The two-time Class 3A State Champions begin their title defense tonight, but in order to stay on the path to history, they need to beat their longtime Highway 163 rivals.

No. 2 Pella will look to fend off an energized Oskaloosa team that nabbed a 2nd place spot in Class 3A District 5 to clinch a playoff berth.

In week one, a group of then much-less experienced Indians were no match for the champs, with the Little Dutch earning a 37-13 victory, the 11th in a row in the all-time series.

But Head Coach Jay McKinstrey is well aware of the strides the high-octane Osky offense has made under new coach Jake Jenkins and senior quarterback Ethan Arnold, who will be key to stop.

“They certainly try and create space for the kids so when they get the ball they get space to move,” he says. “Same with their quarterback Ethan Arnold–you get focused trying to cover the pass, then you creating running lanes for him too, so we certainly got to do a good job with our pass rush and make sure we don’t leave lanes for him to run.”

However, McKinstrey is confident the 9-0 Dutch have made significant improvements this fall as well. They’ve enjoyed that success in large part due their suffocating defense, which has only allowed five points per game and no more than 13 at any point in the season.

Round one of the Class 3A playoffs at Pella High School begins at 6:30 with the Midtown Tire Team Radio Pregame Show, and kickoff is at 7 p.m. on 92.1 KRLS with Andrew Schneider and Randy Sikkema calling the action.