Pella hopes to make history Saturday

Little Dutch to face No. 1 Harlan for 3A grid state title

By JIM GRIES

OSKALOOSA — Saturday’s Class 3A championship game will be a clash of schools with contrasting history in the playoffs.

Pella is making its first-ever state championship game appearance while Harlan has “been there and done that.”

The Little Dutch bring a 10-3 record and has won its last seven games while the top-ranked Cyclones are 13-0 and are making their 19th appearance in the championship game, winning 11 times while earning runner-up finishes eight times.

The last time Harlan won a state title was in 2005 which ended a run of three consecutive state championships.

The game will kickoff at 4:05 p.m. at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, the last of the six state championship games.

But while Pella has not been to the championship game before, don’t count the Little Dutch out.

They have knocked off four straight rated foes en route to their chance for a state championship. They beat No. 7 Williamsburg (31-24), eighth-ranked Grinnell (10-7), fourth-ranked Centerville (24-20) and No. 10 New Hampton (30-21).

Not bad for a team that was 3-3 and is the first No. 4 seed team to make the championship game.

Pella is led offensively by seniors Blaine Forsythe and Brett Bogaard. Forsythe has completed 109 of 217 passes for 1,607 yards and 17 touchdowns. He threw for two scores against New Hampton on Monday night. He has also rushed for 456 yards and scored four times.

Forsythe has hit on 47 of 49 of his PAT tries and is averaging 39 yards a punt.

Bogaard leads the team in rushing with 986 yards and 15 TDs while catching seven passes for 104 additional yards and a touchdown.

Josh Pringle tops the team with 25 receptions for 413 yards and three touchdowns while Ryan Lanke has 20 catches for 245 yards and three scores. Richie Bales led the team with seven touchdown receptions among his 20 catches, but may miss the game with an injury.

Harlan’s defense has been stout this season, allowing just 5.5 points a game with six shutouts while recording 29 takeaways.

Senior linebacker Matt Hoch has recorded 131 tackles to pace the team and has a team-best 26 tackles for losses. The University of Iowa recruit has picked off two passes and recovered four fumbles. Junior linebacker Derek Schwartz has been in 90 tackles and has 13 tackles for losses. Senior defensive end Joe Arentson and junior defensive lineman Alex Brown have recorded 25 and 24 tackles for losses respectively.

The Cyclones’ offense isn’t too shabby either, racking up 5,408 yards and scoring nearly 41 points a game.

Senior quarterback Michael Kauffman is hitting on 62 percent of his passes (110-for-176) for 1,938 yards and 18 TDs. He’s rushed for nine scores and 363 yards on the ground.

Junior running back Dylan Barrett has racked up 1,712 yards and visited the end zone 27 times.

Hoch has also been a steady ground-gainer for the Cyclones with 591 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.

Four of Harlan’s receivers has caught at least 20 passes, led by junior tight end Adam Cave with 28 receptions for 557 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns.

The Pella defense has recorded 27 takeaways with 17 interceptions.

Senior linebacker Matt Meyers tops the team with 122 tackles and has 20 tackles for losses while sophomore linebacker Grant Gustafson has 83 tackles.

Junior cornerback Spencer Boeyink leads the team with five interceptions with one going for a touchdown.

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