No wooden shoes for these Little Dutchmen

If you look to the left, the lead sentence in the story from Friday night says the Pella defense has flexed its muscles this year.

To be perfectly honest, it?s not brawn that has gotten them to where they are, but rather, speed and athleticism. And Friday night at least, speed killed.

Fairfield was noticeably the bigger team, but clearly, games aren?t played on a scale. In the preview story from Thursday?s Ledger, Fairfield coach Jason Ganoe talked about how the Pella defense ?flies to the ball.? It?s a phrase that gets thrown around often ? too often for my taste ? to describe a good team, but it really was the case Friday night.

Nearly every time a tackle was made, there were four or five green jerseys right there on top of it. Sometimes more. Not that the Trojans slipped very many tackles, but even if they had, it wouldn?t have done much when there?s more defenders waiting in line to make the play.

Largely because of that, there was never the feeling that Fairfield was going to drive the field for a score. You knew it was going to have to be a big play. But that?s something that never happened.

A 61-yard run by quarterback Jordan Leazer to the goal line that would have presumably given Fairfield a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter was called back for holding.

Was there holding?

Probably. But I certainly don?t know for sure.

Either way, it?s most likely moot because more offense was going to be needed, and you?re going nowhere fast if you need to count on 61-yard runs to move the ball.

Even if Fairfield had taken a lead, I imagine Pella would have marched down the field and scored. I would have bet on it. The only other time it didn?t have a lead in the game ? its first possession? it went right down the field for a touchdown.

That?s what good teams do. And Pella is a good team.

A very good team, but not the No. 1 team in the state if I had to say. My view is quite restricted on the topic considering the number, or lack thereof, of teams I have actually seen play, but I can?t imagine a squad looking for a state championship turning the ball over three times and committing six penalties against a team that has the talent to beat them.

Pella is an easy school to hate simply because they seem to be good at everything. Every year.

I had my own frustrating run-ins with them during my high school years, and it doesn?t appear much has changed.

But I was a little less annoyed Friday simply because they expected to win and went out and did it. Nothing more, nothing less. There wasn?t a lot of flash, not a lot of hootin? and hollerin? afterwards, but more of a business-like approach and Friday was just another day at the office.

I asked head coach Jay McKinstrey after the game about the No. 1 ranking after the game, and he was certainly aware of it, but had this to say about his team:

?I?m sure they knew we were ranked No. 1 ? they probably know more than I realize ? but I didn?t hear anybody talking about it. Usually you can hear those kinds of things in the undertones and being whispered around, but I really haven?t heard any of it.?

I believe it.

Of course they?re not perfect, but they?re certainly trying to be. OK, now Pella has gained a little of that annoying-factor back.

One thing that isn?t perfect that I can nit-pick about? The mascot. The Little Dutch?

Lame.

Yes, I know about Central College. I know about the town?s heritage and history. I went to Tulip Time in third grade, so I?m pretty much an expert. Even my dear grandmother?s house is full of windmills and decorative spoons.

But there has to be something better for a football team. Not as bad as ?Wildcats? but c?mon.

Again, rather nit-picky, but that?s what you do when it?s a 20-0 game. For being a one-possession contest for three quarters, Fairfield was never really a threat to win it. Turnovers kept the Trojans in it, but the ?flying around? Pella defense certainly kept them out of it.