Photo courtesy of Troy L. Hugen Photography

2024 was both a challenging and rewarding year for the Pella Christian football team.

The season got off to a rocky start, as the Eagles dropped their first four games. Despite the difficult start to the schedule and what head coach Rich Kacmarynski said was one of his most difficult years in terms of injuries, Pella Christian turned things around. Over their final four games, the Eagles went 3-1, finishing the regular season with a 3-5 overall record and a 3-2 record in Class 1A District 6. That mark was enough to give Pella Christian the three seed in their district, sending them to the Class 1A playoffs for the 17th consecutive season, where they ultimately fell 40-7 against #5 South Hardin in the first round. While they dealt with a lot of adversity over the nine-game season, Coach Kacmarynski said he was grateful for the way his players and coaches responded.

“I was proud of the resilience that our kids showed. I was proud of the creativity that the coaching staff showed at times, trying to make some things go. It didn’t always work, but I think trying is a big part of that. So, I was proud of our coaching staff and their resiliency and I was proud of the kids. I think in almost every way we’re able to finish strong and finish better than when we started, and what a great lesson for everyone to learn, for our kids to learn and our coaches to either learn or relearn.”

Pella Christian ended the 2024 season with a 3-6 overall record and graduate 11 seniors from the program.