There are no 10-year or lifetime player contracts in high school sports. You have your time, you graduate, and others move in. That’s the case for the 2020 Greene County High School football team. A number of players, either new to starting on the varsity, or playing different roles than they’ve had in the past, will begin the COVID-19 abbreviated season tomorrow night. It’s Greene County at Perry on Dewey Field in the renewal of one of Iowa’s oldest high school football rivalries. It dates back to 1898 when the Perry YMCA team defeated Jefferson High School. The Rotary Clubs from Jefferson and Perry donated a cowbell that travels with the winning team back in 1928, and the teams will be playing for the right to keep that original bell at their school until the 2021 contest.

Many outstanding players were seniors last year for the Rams as they went 9-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 2A playoffs. Coach Caden Duncan was a rookie head coach then, and he enters year two with 16 of the 22 starting spots from last November graduated, as well as virtually all the key special teams players. The coach told Raccoon Valley Radio, “Believe it or not, our overall team speed may actually be faster than a year ago. Of course we graduated many outstanding players, but this group has worked hard and I think they’ll surprise some people.”

Game time Friday night is 7:15 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. on KG98 and streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com.