A pair of Pella spring sports teams will compete in their respective state tournaments this week. The No. 2 ranked in Class 1A Pella boys tennis team is competing in the final four of the team championships Tuesday.
This comes after the doubles pair of Jack Edwards and Vaughn Thompson and singles player Lucas Heap each finished runner-up in the state individual tournament Saturday.
The No. 4 ranked Pella boys soccer team is preparing for the Class 2A state quarterfinals match against No. 5 ADM in the afternoon at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines.
Hear from the Pella boys soccer seniors on today’s Let’s Talk Pella. Coverage of the Pella state tournament soccer match against ADM begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday on 92.1 KRLS, and updates of the tennis team can be heard throughout the morning.
The first live action on the pitch for the Hillcrest Academy Ravens in more than two years happens this afternoon when they travel to Fort Madison for a scrimmage with the Bloodhounds.
The last time the Ravens were on the field was at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines as they made their second straight trip to the state tournament and were eliminated in the quarterfinals. That edition of the Ravens was 12-5 overall and did not allow a goal during their pre-state tournament run, outscoring Grandview Christian, Clarke of Osceola and Solon by a combined 7-0. Louis Etienne led the offense with 25 goals, fellow senior Jacob Boller was second on the team with 10. On defense, Hillcrest keeper Blake Bontrager made 91 saves and the Ravens surrendered just 24 goals in 17 matches. Bontrager has also moved on through graduation. Returning pieces from two years ago include defender Eli Ours back for his senior year, John Hughes is a fellow returning senior with two goals, most back on the