by Olin Meinders

On Aug. 26, the PCM varsity football team started off the 2016 season by playing rival Pella Christian at home. The Eagles came in to the game as the second ranked team in 1A, so a tough game was expected. By the time it was all said and done, the Eagles came out on top 42-20.

Pella Christian’s senior Levi Jungling took the opening kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown. Despite Jungling’s quick touchdown, the Mustangs also started off strong, making a drive downfield that included a stellar one-handed grab by senior Noah Clark but ultimately ended in a turnover on downs. In the first half, the Mustangs seemed to be plagued with three fumbles on kick return and all were recovered by the Eagles. With less than a minute left in the first half, it looked like the Mustangs were going to go into the second half down by only a touchdown despite the turnovers. Until Levi Junging slipped through multiple PCM defenders to return a punt for 56 yards and a touchdown. Pella’s dynamic duo, wide receiver senior Jungling and quarterback senior David Kackmarynski proved to be very effective. Kackmarynski threw four touchdowns and Jungling caught two of them, which made four total touchdowns for Jungling. The lone Mustang touchdown in the second half was senior Sheldon Speers’ pass, caught by senior Luke Greiner.

Overall, the Mustangs fought hard, but they couldn’t get the small things done. Senior Noah Clark’s said, “We had mental errors, we played fast and physical, but the mental errors outweighed our effort.” Despite the final score, Head Football Coach Greg Bonnet saw many good things. Bonnet said, “The ball did not bounce our way in the special teams game, which ended our chances for a win. Overall, I think we are at a good starting point for the early season.”