Today is the final day of contact practice for the Pella High football team as the Little Dutch prepare for Monday night’s Class 3-A Semifinal game. The venue will be a familiar one for both sides, as Pella is making its third straight appearance in the Semifinals, while Solon returns to the UNI-Dome on slightly different terms – moving up a class after dominating Class 2-A on its way to the last three state titles and a runner-up finish four years ago.

Pella Head Football Coach Jay McKinstrey says the team has moved beyond the point of being “just happy to be there”, and is hoping to make some noise against an opponent that his team is excited to face.

“We’re there to win, no matter who we’re playing; but yeah, I do think the kids are a little excited about playing Solon, though,” says McKinstrey. “They’ve [Solon] got the tradition, and I think this is a group of kids that are competitors – they’ve always been a group of competitors – they love to compete and I think they look at it as a challenge. I think we’re going to be ready to go, and I think our kids know and believe that we’ve got as good a shot as they do or anyone else in the state to win on Monday night.”

Pella has outscored its opponents 97-16 in the first three rounds of the playoffs, but is facing an equally impressive foe – Solon – which has outscored their opposition 88-15 this postseason. Kickoff between the Little Dutch and the Spartans is set for roughly 7:30 p.m. on Monday night at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls; and will be broadcast live on 92.1 fm KRLS.