Greene County football senior Riah Nelsen plays defensive end/linebacker on defense and he’s a tight end on offense. He said he prefers the defensive side of the ball, as do a number of his senior teammates. “We gravitate to defense a little more, we always have. At least my class has,” Nelsen told Raccoon Valley Radio. He and his teammates allowed no points and just two first downs in two 12-minute quarters vs. Panorama (Panora) on Friday night at the annual Sports Drink Scrimmage in Jefferson at Linduska Field.

The Rams went 5-5 last season, but Nelsen and eight other defensive starters return for head coach Dean Lansman, who is also the defensive coordinator. The Rams return eight starters on offense from a season ago, so even though the Rams move up a class to 3A, the coaches and players are optimistic about continuing the improvement they saw in the second half of last season. Greene County was 0-3 to start the season and 1-4 through five games in 2013, but came on strong.

Nelsen said his role as a senior is see that everyone knows what they are doing on offense, defense, and special teams. He also feels additional responsibility to help the team win.

South Central Calhoun (Lake City) visits Linduska Field on Friday, Aug. 29 to open the football regular season. Kickoff for the non-district contest is at 7 p.m. with coverage on KG98 starting at 6:15 p.m.