A highly anticipated contest in Class 2-A, District 8 quickly became a runaway, as Pella Christian scored 49 unanswered points in a 49-14 win over PCM last night in Monroe. A great deal of that damage happened in the second quarter, as the Eagles rallied for 28 points before halftime to take a 28-14 lead into the locker room.

The second half saw both teams step it up defensively, and it looked like the third quarter would be a shutout, but then a 47-yard touchdown pass from Pella Christian’s Kyle Nikkel to Will Vandevoort touched off another flurry of scores, and the Eagles were able to close out the game strong.

In a night that featured several exciting plays, it was Pella Christian’s Sam Tvedt that may have stood out the most, as the speedy senior totaled 59 yards of offense and a rushing touchdown, along with a 65-yard punt return for a score and snared 3 interceptions on defense.

PCM’s Hutch Burns also provided some explosive moments – albeit early on in the game – as he rushed for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Mustangs. Burns’ second score came from 54 yards out, and put PCM up 14-0 early in the second quarter.

In total, Pella Christian’s offense racked up 382 yards in the victory; including a 13-of-21 passing performance by Kyle Nikkel, who threw for 202 yards and 3 touchdowns. PCM had 230 yards of offense, with just over half of that coming from their rushing attack.

Beyond Tvedt’s three interceptions, the Pella Christian defense was led by Bret Nieuwsma, who added a pick of his own, and also registered a game-high 14 tackles. Sean O’Connor led PCM in tackles with 9.

The loss was PCM’s first in District 8, as the Mustang’s will take their 3-3 record all the way to Southwest Iowa next week to face Clarinda. Pella Christian, meanwhile, continues to surge after falling to Bondurant-Farrar in week three, and will be at home this coming Friday to put their 5-1 record on the line against Colfax-Mingo.