A major second half comeback and upset from the Eagles football team on October 24th provides the number six moment on our countdown of Top 10 sports moments from Pella Christian this past school year.
After falling behind 21-0 in the first half of their Class 2A playoff opener, the fourth-seeded Pella Christian football team soared back to stun top-seeded Clarinda for a 27-24 victory. Out of the halftime break, Landon Nunninkhoven got the scoring started for the Eagles with an 80-yard touchdown run 11 seconds into the second half. After a three-and-out and a Pella Christian punt, the Cardinals tacked on a field goal to take a 24-7 lead with 4:43 left in the third quarter. The Eagles answered on their ensuing drive with Brecken Ritzert connecting with Caleb Volk for a 38-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 24-14 with 7 seconds left in the third.
Clarinda followed that up with a three-and-out, and Nunninkoven pulled the Eagles within three with a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown with just over 10 minutes to play. Looking to put the nail in the coffin, the Cardinals marched their way inside the Pella Christian 5-yard line with less than 4 minutes left in the game. Not to be denied, Adam Kacmarynski forced a fumble and the Eagles recovered at the 6-yard line, giving them just over 3 minutes to decide their fate. On the second play after the turnover, Ritzert found a hole in the Clarinda defense and ran the ball 94 yards to the end zone to give Pella Christian their first lead of the night with 2:54 remaining in the game.
The Eagles defense put the game on ice to advance them to the second round, where their season ended with a 3-7 overall record after a 45-31 loss to PCM.
