The Iowa High School Athletic Association released 2018 and ’19 football schedules on Wednesday. Greene County head coach Mitch Moore enters his second season with the Rams knowing his team will be in Class 2A instead of 3A, where they went 1-8 each of the past two seasons. In addition, the combined winning percentage for the nine upcoming opponents was 45% last fall, compared to a 63% winning percentage for last season’s nine opponents.

Coach Moore said he and the players are excited about the schedule. The Rams begin with four non-district games including opening on Friday, Aug. 24 in Perry at Dewey Field. The home opener is Aug. 31 vs. Nevada, followed by road games at Saydel (Des Moines) and Gilbert. Class 2A District 8 action begins with a home game vs. Shenandoah, then it’s at Kuemper Catholic in Carroll, home with Atlantic, at Red Oak, and home vs. OA-BCIG (Ida Grove).

“We really feel we’ve had a heck of an off-season so far. When we look at the schedule we sees some games that will really be competitive, and we’ll have a chance to compete in every game,” Coach Moore told Raccoon Valley Radio. He added keeping the Cowbell series with Perry going was very important for both schools.