Ryan Gustafson will take over the starting quarterback job for the Pella High football team this season.

The last two young men to hold that job were Noah Clayberg, 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year and the most dynamic player in program history, and Nick Finney, 2016 class 3-A MVP and the architect of Pella’s greatest play of all time.

While those are massive shoes to fill, coach Jay McKinstrey isn’t asking Gustafson to be like Noah or Nick, but rather just to be the best Ryan he can be.

“What Ryan does well, we need to put him in those positions so that he can have success and hopefully have a lot of success early. We want to help him build some confidence and then build from there and do some more things. Ryan’s a good runner, he’s a good athlete and he can throw the ball well. It’s just a matter of getting him some time and allowing him to mature and develop as a quarterback.”
Gustafson saw limited action at quarterback last year in replacement of Finney during several Pella blowouts.

He went 5-of-12 for 131 yards and three touchdowns, including a 78-yard score to Sam Warner.

He and the rest of the Little Dutch open defense of their state championship this Friday night at Oskaloosa.