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I-35 outgained Pella Christian 374 to 223, and held the ball for 32:51 of the 48 minutes, but the Eagles won the category the matters most – points.  Pella Christian knocked off the Roadrunners 21-18 in a game heard live last night at www.kniakrls.com.

I-35 had the ball 10 times in the game, and crossed into P.C. territory on every single one.  But the Eagle defense stood firm time after time, including at a critical juncture in the fourth quarter.  With just over seven minutes left in the game, I-35 had a third-and-one at midfield, trailing 14-6.  Coach Rich Kacmarynski’s D shut down two consecutive running plays, then the offense marched in to provide some cushion.

“They (I-35) had been playing great defense, so I thought maybe they’d just punt us down into a hole.  They didn’t do that and our defense made a huge stop on third down and fourth down to get the ball at midfield.  Then our offense picked the right time to come alive and get the ball down there and score.  Obviously there was a lot of action left after that, but that was a key series in the ballgame.”

Another key to the game was on special teams.  Both teams scored three touchdowns, but I-35 missed an extra point after their first touchdown and were forced to go for two, unsuccessfully, late in the fourth quarter.

Cody Boender rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles, and Bennett Spronk found the end zone on a 54-yard catch and run.  Luke Mulder, Boender and Isaac Kacmarynski all had 12 tackles, and Mulder added two sacks.

Pella Christian is 2-2 on the season, and off to a 2-0 start in district play.  Up next is a trip to Mount Ayr next Friday night.

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