Greene County has had at least one qualifier for Iowa High School State Wrestling tournaments for 28 years in a row, and the 2017 Rams will be represented at Wells Fargo Arena by senior Hunter Ruth at 220 lbs. Ruth improved to 30-3 with two victories on Saturday in Webster City in as many matches as he claimed his first District title. He won the title match 5-1 over tenth ranked Dominick Etherington of Algona.

A State qualifier in 2015 at 195 lbs. as a sophomore, he went 13-14 at 195 as a junior and did not make it out of the Sectional. Ruth told Raccoon Valley Radio Saturday meant vindication for him as he was very motivated to return to Wells Fargo Arena following the disappointment of last season. “This feels really good. I’ve got more drive now to place (top eight at State). I know there’s going to be some good competition there, but I’ve just got to push myself harder than I have. I’m excited!”

Hunter’s first round opponent in the Class 2A first round is Central Clinton (De Witt) junior Nick Smith (37-7). Neither is ranked in the top 10 by The Predicament.

All three Raccoon Valley Radio stations and www.raccoonvalleyradio.com will have complete play-by-play coverage of more than 25 area wrestlers Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.