The old saying, “There’s no substitute for experience” is certainly true for the four returning letter winners on the Greene County High School wrestling team. Seniors Isaiah Yoder (182) and Hunter Ruth (220), plus juniors Cayden Gerdes (132) and Isaac Ireland (152), are the only wrestlers for the Rams that entered this season with much in the way of varsity experience.

The improvement the quartet has made shows in their individual and collective win/loss records under the tutelage of head coach Mark Sawhill and assistant Spencer Bauer. In the 2015-16 season, those four combined to win 71 matches and lose 77 for a winning percentage of 47.97%.

So far in 2016-17, the four are a combined 53-25, which is a 67.94 winning percentage. The two seniors are leading the way with Ruth at 12-1 and Yoder at 21-4. Ruth went 13-14 a season ago, while Yoder was 34-14. The juniors have made great strides as well with Gerdes at 12-5 to this point of the season, compared to 18-24 a year ago. Ireland, too, has seen his winning percentage shoot way up after going 6-25 as a sophomore, he’s now 8-15.

Coach Sawhill feels those for are doing a great job of leading a very young and inexperienced team. “The young kids see what hard work and a desire to improve has done for Cayden, Hunter, Isaac, and Isaiah, and have followed their lead. Our improvement as a team is evident and will need to keep growing if we’re to have the kind of finish to the season we want.”

Greene County wrestles in Monroe on Thursday night at six o’clock in a Heart of Iowa Activities Conference double-dual with PCM and South Hamilton (Jewell).