The Pella High football team jumped out to a 17-0 lead, held off a late Cedar Rapids Xavier charge, and held on to beat the defending state champs 31-21 in a game heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

After recovering a Saints fumble on the opening possession of the game, the Dutch found the end zone in just three plays, capped by Luke Hardman’s 45-yard touchdown strike to Colin Kerndt. Hardman added a 37-yard field goal later in the first quarter and a one-yard scoring plunge in the second quarter to stretch Pella’s lead to 17 before Xavier finally found the end zone just before the half.

Pella answered with a scoring drive to start the third quarter when Hardman hit Kerndt for an 11-yard touchdown, but the champs didn’t go quietly. Quarterback Ronan Thomas, who scored their first half touchdown, had scoring runs of four yards and seven yards in the fourth quarter and it was suddenly a three-point game. But the Dutch had one last arrow in their quiver, and Hardman unleashed a deep shot against a Xavier blitz, hitting Kerndt for a 53-yard touchdown and the final margin.

Coach Jay McKinstrey was all smiles after pulling the upset against one of the best programs in Iowa.

“Just to beat Cedar Rapids Xavier, they’re the premier program in class 4A, there’s no doubt about it”, McKinstrey said. “When you’ve been in the semis or finals nine of the last 11 years with a lot of state championships in there, you know they’ve got a great football program. Our guys are thrilled and they should be and they need to enjoy this. But you know what I’m going to say next. The sun will come up tomorrow and we start district play next week, and the world changes when district play starts.”

Hardman finished 20-of-31 passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns, all to Kerndt, who had four catches for 152 yards. Hardman added 120 yards rushing on 22 carries, including one score.

The Dutch are 2-2 on the season and start district play next Friday night at home against Carlisle.