Knights Dominate River City Warriors 32-6
Pella Knights
Pella—The Pella Knights dominated their 2012 home opener with a commanding 32-6 victory over the River City Warriors of Burlington Saturday night.
The Knights (1-1) jumped out ahead early, scoring on just the third play of the game as rookie quarterback Jarred Lackey (Somerset, Ariz.) hooked up with fellow rookie Andrew Harris (Horn Lake, Miss.) for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Pella racked up 416 yards, including 142 yards through the air by Lackey.
The defense flexed its muscle in the game’s next possession, pushing the Warriors back five yards on three plays. That was a just preview of how impressive the defensive unit was going to be as the purple and silver kept River City in the red in total yardage (-1 total, including -11 rushing and 10 passing).
Lackey then found rookie Mitch Mohr (Packwood, Iowa) for a 59-pass play to make it 14-0 to open up the second quarter. The advantage was cut to eight when the Warriors returned an interception (one of three by Pella).
A few possessions later, rookie Jordan Krulik (Minnetonka, Minn.) pushed the advantage back to double digits at 17-6 with a 25-yard field goal near the end of the first half.
The second half was also controlled by the hosts, beginning with a safety by the defense just 1:30 into the third quarter. Krulik connected on a 26-yarder at the 8:40 mark, exactly five minutes before second-year signal-caller Trent McDermott (Centerville, Iowa) tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jose Lainez, a rookie from Miami, Fla.
Krulik concluded the scoring by kicking a 42-yard field goal with 5:35 remaining in the contest.
Rookie running back Ricco Martin (Calhoun City, Miss.) paced a very productive rushing attack with 16 carries for 113 yards. Lackey rushed for 67 yards on five tries, while McDermott completed 10-of-18 passes for 69 yards. Harris finished with a team-best five catches for 40 yards, while Mohr (three grabs) and Denzel VanSant (Brooklyn, Iowa) (two receptions) both picked up 65 receiving yards. The Knights balanced their offensive success with 211 passing yards and 205 on the ground.
