The traditional triple-option offense of Carlisle will present plenty of challenges when they come to Pella High School this Friday.

The Wildcats have the 2nd most rushing yards (1481), 2nd most yards per carry (9), and 5th most touchdowns on the ground (17) among 3A teams.

In years’ past, Pella has had plenty of success against that attack, but were unable to contain the unique setup of Carlisle in 2019, giving up 398 yards rushing in a 42-36 loss last fall.

Pella Senior Defensive Lineman Kody Huisman says the biggest lesson learned from that loss is to maintain gap assignments for all 11 defensive players.

The Dutch defense has given up 104 rushing yards per game and just under three yards per carry in 2020. The test of wills between some of the top rushing offenses and defenses will be decided Friday during homecoming. Coverage of Pella vs. Carlisle begins at 6:30 on the KRLS2 stream.