Pella football’s Friday night quarterfinal game versus Decorah turned out to be a battle of wills. Through the first three quarters, neither defense surrendered a point.
The Dutch would break the seal nearly halfway into the fourth quarter. A fourth down conversion kept the drive alive and Emmanuel Diers found the endzone to give Pella a 7-0 lead. Diers ran for 132 yards in the contest.
Decorah fought back and after a Pella fumble, scored a touchdown on a toss from quarterback Tanner Caddell to Noah Wilburn with just over two minutes remaining. However, the Vikings were unsuccessful in their point after touchdown attempt.
The Dutch were able to put the game away with a couple of first downs to cement a 7-6 win and book their second straight trip to the UNI Dome. Pella came up a game short a year ago, falling in the Class 4A state final.
Pella will play Sergeant Bluff-Luton on Thursday at 4:00 PM in a Class 4A state semifinal.
