High School boys’ winter sports practices have been going on for two days and Greene County High School junior Cayden Gerdes was anxious to begin wrestling practice. Perhaps part of that was the love he’s developed for the sport, while another may have been his competitive juices were stirring. Gerdes broke a bone in his leg early in the football season and was in a boot for several weeks. He told Raccoon Valley Radio he’s fine now and ready to go after the unexpected period of inactivity.

Gerdes has made great strides in his two years of high school wrestling and said qualifying the 2017 State Tournament is a goal. After a freshman season of not many victories, he was asked when he felt comfortable that he could be a good wrestler and compete on the varsity level. “Probably my sophomore year. I started to really get the feel for it and it was just kind of a confidence boost, I guess.”

Gerdes and the Rams open the season on Nov. 29 in Ogden against Ogden and Van Meter.