After the team became reliant on a steady ground attack in 2021, the Pella football team is hoping to open back up the offense through the air in 2022, but who they’ll do it with for nine games remains to be determined.

Pella Head Coach Jay McKinstrey says while the 24 points per game they scored last season was solid, he’s hopeful to see a return to more explosive plays this fall, and that will fall on the shoulders of either Junior Luke Hardman or Senior Transfer Beau Bush at the quarterback position.

“Their both doing really good things,” McKinstrey says. “They both can throw the ball really well, their feet can move — and they both certainly have different skill sets, and we feel like we can use them both in different situations and potentially have teams prepare for two different types of things. They both can do it all well — it’s just that one may be better than the other in a different skill set — we just want to be a challenge for defenses to prepare for.”

In limited time for Pella Christian in 2021, Bush was 13/19 for 221 yards and three touchdowns – but was unlikely to find a starting role on Eagle Lane with All-State Quarterback Isaac Kacmarynski coming back after an explosive campaign. However, McKinstrey says Bush has really come out of the gates firing with his strong, accurate arm, and he represents an option for more traditional pocket passing, whereas Hardman may fit the mold of more of the running quarterbacks of the program’s past, while still having solid throwing ability.

McKinstrey believes it will take a few games before they are solidified with a lineup either way, but he knows that both Bush and Hardman will also contribute in many different ways — especially for the third team All-State kicker from last fall in Luke–who had Class 4A’s longest field goal at 51 yards. Bush has played a variety of roles for the Eagles, including tight end and linebacker and started several games on Eagle Lane.

Pella has their annual intrasquad sports drink football scrimmage returning this Friday at 7 p.m. before opening the season at home vs. Norwalk next week.