When Mitch Moore accepted the football head coaching position at Greene County High School in the Winter of 2017, he had a plan for turning the program into a consistent winner. The consistent part remains to be seen, but in just his second season at the helm, the Rams are 8-1 and playoff bound. Greene County grabbed the fourth of just five at-large playoff berths in Class 2A based on the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s new RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index. The Rams play Benton Community (8-1) in Van Horne on Friday, Oct. 26 at p.m. on KG98 and streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com. with coverage at 6 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m. in a Class 2A first round playoff game. The winner faces either Chariton (8-1) or West Liberty (6-3) in the Nov. 2 quarterfinals.
Greene County went from 1-8 in Class 3A in both 2016 and ’17, then dropped a class to 2A this season and took off. The offense averages 39 points a game and the defense allows just under nine points per contest.
The regular season finale on KG98 and streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com saw the Rams dominate OABCIG (Ida Grove), who also made the playoff field, by a 49-6 score. The Rams totaled 494 yards of offense, while hold the Falcons 24 points and 147 yards below their season averages. Both teams entered the game with 8-1 records. Kuemper Catholic (5-4) won the District 9 title by virtue of their 16-8 win in Carroll over the Rams on Sept. 28. All three qualified for the postseason.
Brent Riley threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns on 14 of 20 passing. Clint Dennhardt threw for the other nine yards. Dennhardt had two rushing touchdowns. Lance Hughes had a pair of receiving TDs, with Trey Hinote and Colby Kafer each scoring once on a pass reception. Cael Fisher kicked field goals of 24 and 27 yards, both in the first quarter.
The playoff game will be the Rams’ second straight contest against a top 10 rated team as OABCIG was ranked ninth. Greene County is rated anywhere from seventh to tenth, depending on the poll, while Benton’s Bobcats are ranked fourth.