Juniors Jackson Morton and Bradyn Smith were named to the third All-State football team in Class 2A by writers from the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association. The two Greene County players helped the Rams to a 7-3 overall record and a second place finish in District 9. Coach Caden Duncan’s Rams were inexperienced following heavy graduation losses a year earlier from the team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The 2020 Rams made it to the 2020 round of 16.

Morton was named as a defensive back and Smith as a linebacker, although both played on offense, defense, and special teams. Morton is the son of Chad and Deb Morton and he’s a Greene County student, while Smith is the son of Annie and Jake Smith and is a student at Paton-Churdan

Morton split time on offense as a receiver and running back. He scored seven rushing touchdowns, and two receiving, and totaled 679 all-purpose yards. As a kick returner, Morton averaged 26.8 yards per return. On defense, he had 31 solo tackles, 44.5 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, including four sacks, and two pass interceptions as a safety. Morton broke a collarbone early in the Rams’ ninth game.

Smith played offensive guard for the first time, and was part of a line that paved the way for the Rams to run the ball for nearly 1,800 yards and pass for 1,274, averaging more than 300 yards of offense and nearly 30 points per game. Defensively, the middle linebacker led the team in solo stops at 34, total tackles at 64.5, which was 20 more than anyone else on the team, and he had 12 tackles for loss. Smith also recovered opponents’ fumbles twice, and was the lone junior that was named a team Captain.