Photo by Troy Hugen

The Class 1A #7 ranked Pella Christian football team overcame an unusual slow start Friday night to clinch a home playoff game next week with a 48-14 win at Central Decatur, heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

While the Cardinals moved the ball more consistently throughout the first quarter, it was the Eagles who held a 7-0 advantage after an Isaac Kacmarynski 78-yard touchdown run. After nearly 10 minutes of scoreless football, P.C. once again found the endzone with 3:30 left in the second quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run by Benny Schirz. After forcing a three-and-out and getting a good return on the ensuing punt, the Eagles took advantage of a short field as Schirz punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-0. Central Decatur would pull back within two touchdowns right before halftime with a touchdown pass, to make it 21-7. While they held a 14-point lead at the break, Pella Christian head coach Rich Kacmarynski challenged his team to step up their intensity in the second half.

“Our defense hung in there and kept us in the ball game. It really wasn’t until the second quarter till we started to really kind of come off the ball and get our running game going. We had a nice little run there in the second quarter to make it 21-0, but I really challenged our guys at halftime to come out and play harder and play with more energy and I though they really responded. So, I didn’t think we responded well in the first quarter, but I did think we responded well in the third quarter.” 

The Eagles answered that challenge by finding the endzone on their first four possessions of the second half to pull ahead 48-7. Kacmarynski accounted for three of those four touchdowns with a 38-yard run, a 7-yard run, and a 40-yard pass to Jack Fancher, while Schirz added the other score with a 58-yard run. The Cardinals would add a touchdown late in the game, but it was too little too late as Pella Christian clinched second place in Class 1A District 6.

The Eagles end the regular season with a 7-1 overall record and a 4-1 district record and will find out today who they will host in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs this upcoming Friday.