Winter sports competitions for boys start Tuesday night for the Greene County Rams in the sports of wrestling and boys’ basketball. The Rams host Roland-Story (Story City) in Heart of Iowa Activities Conference basketball tomorrow night in the  middle school gym in Jefferson as part of a girl/boy doubleheader on KG98. Coverage starts at 5;45 p.m. with the girls starting at 6 p.m. and the boys to follow. The wrestling season begins in Ogden at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for the Rams. They’ll take on both the host Bulldogs and the combined Van Meter/Earlham program in a pair of non-conference meets.

The Greene County and R-S girls both began the basketball season last Tuesday and both won on their home floors. The Rams downed Saydel (Des Moines) 49-44 while the Norsemen were 46-22 winners over CMB (Maxwell).

The boys’ basketball season opener also marks the debut as a boys’ head coach for Jeramie Hinote, who moved up to the top spot after former head coach Mike McGinnis moved to North Carolina. Hinote coached the ninth grade boys the previous two seasons here. Coach Hinote said he’s always wanted to be a head boys’ basketball coach and he’s eager to get the season started. The Rams will be a very young varsity team without much size, but the coach told Raccoon Valley Radio there is talent on the roster and he sees the Rams as a team that will want to push the ball when on offense and press quite a bit defensively.

The wrestlers were 19-5 in dual meets last season and have been unbeaten in HOIAC dual meets in each of the last two seasons. Head coach Mark Sawhill has several experienced and very successful wrestlers on the roster. One of his biggest concerns is filling all 14 weight classes. He told Raccoon Valley Radio he expects to forfeit four of the 14 weight classes on Tuesday. Injuries, ineligibilities, and a lack of bodies at certain weights as reasons for the forfeits.