Monday marked the first official day of practice for the Greene County boys’ basketball and wrestling. Jeramie Hinote is the boys’ head coach and he begins his second season heading the program with nearly all the scoring back from last season’s 6-16 team. Leading the way is sophomore guard Trey Tucker, who averaged 19.7 points a game as a ninth grader and was named to the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference first team and to the Class 3A All-District first team.Tucker shot 51% from the field while racking up 434 points last season. Senior Landon Braun averaged nearly 10 points a game in 2013-14 with junior Tyler Beger at 7.7, junior Mitchell Gorsuch 6.4, senior Riah Nelsen 5-2, and junior Max Neese 5.1 points a game. Others from last season’s varsity team also return.

Mark Sawhill is the Rams head wrestling coach. The team practices at The Jefferson Fieldhouse for the second straight season. The Fieldhouse is a private facility on Chestnut St. just one block south of the square and gives both the middle school and high school wrestlers more room and a safer environment than when practice was held at the high school. Several letter winners return to the Ram wrestling program including senior Jordan Challen and junior Tommy Bradshaw. Both have finished in the top 12 at state tournaments in 2013 and ’14; Challen in Iowa, and Bradshw in Missouri two seasons ago, and in Iowa for the Rams last season.

The boys’ basketball team and wrestlers both open the season on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Greene County plays Heart of Iowa Activities Conference basketball that night in Colfax vs. Colfax-Mingo, while the wrestlers open in Jefferson at the middle school gym vs. non-conference opponents Ogden and the combined Van Meter/Earlham program.