Fairfield winding up to slay No. 1 Pella

As Fairfield makes the trip to Pella Friday night to take on the No. 1 ranked team in the state, obviously, a great challenge awaits.

A great opportunity goes hand in hand.

?This is one of those games why we do what we do as coaches,? said Fairfield head man Jason Ganoe.

The top-ranked Little Dutch haven?t suffered a loss in seven games this year and boast a daunting win margin that approaches 40 points per game.

?We have a chance to beat the best in the state. And it?s something we can realistically do,? Ganoe added. ?Of course, we will hope the football gods are on our side and Pella doesn?t play its best game and we do.?

If a win is coming Fairfield?s way, it will have to play just as well as it did in last week?s 53-0 romp of Centerville and will also need to stop a Pella attack that can hit from all angles.

No individual has posted eye-popping numbers for the Little Dutch, but that may be attributed to its starters very rarely getting the opportunity to play a full four quarters. Quarterback Teag Klyn is as much of a dual-threat as they come and represents a Pella offense that is versatile as a whole.

?Their offense is very wide open and very versatile ? they don?t hang their hat on just on formation,? Ganoe said. ?They?re not going to say ?we?re doing this and you have to stop it.? They have a shotgun look, they have a power set, they have it all.?

Klyn has completed more than 60 percent of his passes with nearly nine yards per attempt, which includes 10 touchdown tosses. Klyn will also run the ball when the opportunity presents itself, but the bulk of the ball-carrying duties should go to senior Deckar Lynch.

A stable of running backs behind Lynch looks like seasoned vets thanks to the mop-up action that has become the norm for Pella.

But as explosive as the offense has been at times, Pella may just be hanging its hat on its defense in 2010. The Little Dutch have given up just three touchdowns and pitched shutouts in a string of four straight games earlier this season.

?It?s an unbelievably good team, and I see an incredibly athletic team. They fly to the football? said Ganoe. ?Now more than ever, our offensive line has to carry us. We?re a pretty successful team, so we just have to play the kind of football that we know how to play and not shoot ourselves in the foot.?

Pella has a knack for making teams do just that however. As a team, it has forced 19 turnovers ? close to three per game ? and taken three of those back for six points.

Pella has been on the ropes in the second half one time this season ? an Oct. 1 game at Mount Pleasant that turned into a 21-6 victory. The Little Dutch trailed 6-0 at halftime before receiving a second-half shutout from its defense and coasting for the district victory to stay undefeated.

No doubt, the Trojans will have to be at their best to leave with a win, but accounts from early this week have them ready to be just that.

?It?s been a great week. Wednesday was one of the best practices we?ve had period,? the head coach said. ?This football team is excited about the fact Pella is ranked No. 1. I don?t think anybody?s going up there to hold up or play scared.?

District implications, postseason positioning and a good amount of pride will be on the line as the two schools square off for the first time in nearly 17 years beginning with kickoff at approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday.