The character and grit of the Pella Christian football team was tested in 2025, as the squad overcame early season struggles to secure one of the biggest upset wins in the state this season.

After a difficult start to the fall, the Eagles rallied to win two of their final three regular season games to qualify for the Class 2A playoffs, despite holding a 2-6 overall record. In their six regular season losses, Pella Christian either led, were tied, or trailed by seven or less points in four of those contests. Despite being that close to flipping that 2-6 record into a 6-2 record, the Eagles struggled in the second half of games. 

The narrative followed Pella Christian into their first round postseason game, as they fell behind 21-0 at halftime at Clarinda. Having dealt with those losses in the regular season, the Eagles know what adjustments need to be made to change the course of their season. Those adjustments did exactly that, as Pella Christian stormed all the way back to pull off the 27-24 upset win over Clarinda, in the four seed vs one seed matchup. Head coach Rich Kacmarynski said that throughout the season they had shown flashes of being a top team in Class 2A, and added that while it didn’t necessarily play out that way, those within the program never gave up the belief they could get there.

“Unfortunately, we just string enough of those together for four quarters to get wins against a quality opponent. But I really feel like somewhere there in the middle of the season, something kind of broke loose and we really had a breakthrough, and then we’re able to kind of continue to build off of that–which I think it’s speak to the work ethic, the character, and I’d say the believability of our coaches and our players.”

The Eagles graduate 11 seniors from the program, but will look to build on a solid foundation established with 18 juniors and sophomores that started games this year expected to return next fall.