About 150 Ram fans gathered on the courthouse plaza Sunday evening to cheer for the Greene County Ram softball team. The girls begin their second consecutive state softball tournament appearance with a game against the Crestwood Cadets Tuesday at 5:30 pm at Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.
The pep rally was organized by Paton-Churdan principal Annie Smith. P-C and Greene County have shared some athletic programs, including softball, for decades.
Longtime area sportscaster Doug Rieder served as emcee at the pep rally. He noted that head coach Tom Kennedy has amassed a record of 203 wins and 106 losses in his nine years in that position. The Rams are 30-6 on the season; in the past five years, their composite record is 134-43. They have finished no lower than second place in the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference the past five years.
Rieder announced that Kennedy has been named the 3A central Iowa district Coach of the Year by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association.
Kennedy thanked the fans for their support and introduced each of his players. He anticipates all nine starting players having either first or second team post-season honors, he said.
At the pep rally were (front, from left) Samantha Hardaway, Laurin Lyons, Bailey Godwin, Emma Saddoris and Emily Christensen; (middle, from left) Megan Durbin, Hannah Promes, Sydney Koch, Jenna Beyers and Tressa Rasmussen; and (back, from left) Marissa Promes, Hannah Onken, Carleigh Paup, Kayla Mobley and assistant coach Greg Ruth. Emily Heupel and Megan Carey are not pictured.
For a comparison of season stats for the Rams and the Crestwood Cadets, visit GreeneCountyNewsOnline’s Sports tab.
The team’s bus is spotlessly clean and decorated in spirit paint for the trips to Fort Dodge this week. If the Rams win on Tuesday, they’ll play one game Thursday and one game Friday. If they lose on Tuesday, they’ll play two consolation games Wednesday.
