~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
Getting a win in high school football is no small feat, and the Greene County Rams team had a huge win this past week.
The Rams closed out their regular season at Linduska Field against the Des Moines Christian Lions, a team that was ranked on and off all season long. That said, the Rams never doubted themselves and came out on the right side of the game with a 14-13 win over the Lions.
The game had standouts on both sides of the ball. Nick Stream powered the offense with 118 yards rushing and the team’s two touchdowns. On defense, Trevon Keely grabbed two interceptions, bringing his total for the year to five, which is tied for fourth in Class 2A.
“This is arguably the biggest regular season win we’ve had in the last six seasons. To win this game, with what was at stake against a team that most people didn’t give us a chance to defeat, it was absolutely huge, and for it to be on Senior Night made it even more special,” head coach Caden Duncan said.
While the win undoubtedly felt good, it meant far more than another digit in the win column. With the win, the Rams secured the third place spot in their district and will play the number two team in another district. Had the Rams lost against the Lions, they would’ve finished fourth in the district and would have had to play a first place team from another district.
This game was another example of how the Rams have stayed determined all year.
“This team just battles and never gives up. We’ve gone through a lot of adversity, always playing teams with way more players than us, but we just keep working every week and fighting every Friday night. The coaches are proud of the improvement and grit that the team has shown over the course of the season,” Duncan added.
The Rams know who they play; they will take on the Clarinda Cardinals. The Cardinals are a team the Rams have seen in the past, as the Cardinals used to be in the same district as Greene County. The last time these two faced off, the Rams came away with a 43-12 victory.
“We’ll make the long trip down to Clarinda, which we’ve done in past years when they were in our district, so there’s some familiarity there. They are a big, physical team, and we’ll need to keep improving this week in order to beat them,” Duncan added. “Our focus is on continuing to improve overall and make sure we seize this opportunity that we have in front of us. We’ve worked hard to get to this point, so we want to keep it going.”
Throughout this season, there were plenty of ups and downs and the Rams played through every last one of them, staying determined throughout. The Rams had a goal of making it to the playoffs and with two wins in a row over district opponents, the Rams made that a reality and are now riding high into their first round of playoff football.
Not only has the team persevered against all odds, they have had a community of support behind them.
“The support from our community has been tremendous all year long and we really appreciate that,” Duncan concluded.
The Rams will travel to Clarinda to face the Cardinals on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 pm.
Greene County 14 DSM Christian 13
Passing: Crew Conner 7/11 77 yds.
Rushing: Nick Stream 118 yds. 2 TDS, Crew Conner 21 yds., Camden Strennen 6 yds.
Receiving: Trevon Keely 32 yds., Camden Jacobs 22 yds., Camden Strennen 11 yds., Nick Stream 8 yds., Broc Stream 4 yds.
Interceptions: Trevon Keely 2, Camden Strennen 1
Kick Returns: Christopher Daugherty 1 for 10 yds.
Kicking: Teagan Chisholm 3 kickoffs for 175 yds., 2 touchbacks, 2/2 PAT
Punting: Teagan Chisholm 6 for 183 yds.
Tackles: Kamden Kinne 7 total 3 solo, Camden Strennen 7 total 3 solo, Christopher Daugherty 6.5 total 2 solo, Jaron Jacobs 5.5 total 4 solo, Camden Jacobs 5.5 total 4 solo, Bryce Habben 3.5 total 2 solo, Nick Stream 3 total 2 solo, Trevon Keely 2.5 total 1 solo, Patrick Graham 2 total 1 solo, Aden Bardole 2 total 1 solo, Marcus Ball 1.5 total, Broc Stream 1.5 total 1 solo, Moses Brown 0.5 total, Bryce Stephenson 0.5 total, Teagan Chisholm 0.5 total, Drew Wolterman 0.5 total.
