Fourteen of Greene County's 22 starters earned Class 2A, District 8 first or second team honors thanks to a perfect, 5-0 championship run this fall. Mason Stream (62), Jackson Morton (15) and Max Riley (8) each were named to the first team along with six others. Six Ram athletes were named to the second team. BRANDON HURLEY | JEFFERSON HERALD

District-winning Rams place nine on first team, Stalder snags offensive MVP

By Brandon Hurley
Managing Editor

sports@beeherald.com

The Greene County Rams secured a much-anticipated district title this fall, anchored by a perfect record and a throng of highly-productive athletes.

Fourteen of Greene County’s 22 starters were honored with at least a first team or second team distinction.

The Rams ran away with the Class 2A, District 8 title, compiling a 5-0 run while landing nine players on the all-district, first team along with offensive MVP Bryce Stalder, the district coach of the year, Caden Duncan and six second-teamers.
Stalder, Greene County’s senior quarterback, was far-and-away the most proficient offensive player in the district. He produced 2,183 yards (first in the district) and 30 total touchdowns (also first) anchored by 1,464 passing yards (second) and 19 passing touchdowns (first). He also rushed for 719 yards (third) and 11 touchdowns (second) with a yards per carry average of 7.8 (second). Stalder completed 61.7 percent of his passes while throwing just seven interceptions for a league-leading passer rating of 148.9.
The quarterback was also joined on the District 8 first team by Greene County wide receiver Jackson Morton, offensive linemen Logan Higgins and Mason Stream as well as defensive lineman Michael Rumley, linebacker Bradyn Smith, defensive backs Richard Daugherty and Max Riley in addition to punter Nate Black. The all-district second team was littered with Greene County athletes as well, including offensive lineman Noah Comell, tight end Jesse Miller, utility player Patrick Daugherty, place-kicker Nathan Behne, linebacker Lamar Anders and defensive back Brenner Gallagher.

Greene County led the district in 15 different categories, including scoring (42.6 ppg), scoring defense (8.9 ppg), scoring differential (+33.7), total touchdowns (62), total yards (4,001), rushing yards (2,507), rushing touchdowns (38), rushing yards per carry (7.3), passing touchdowns (20), total tackles (424), sacks (21), tackles for loss (85), interceptions (20), PATs (42) and yards per kick return average (22.5).

Morton was tied for first in the district with six receiving touchdowns while he was second in receiving yards (612), third in receptions (36) and third in rushing touchdowns (9).
Rumley led District 8 with 19.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries while he was tied for second with 4.5 sacks. Smith also recorded 4.5 sacks in addition to 12.5 tackles for loss (fifth), two fumble recoveries and 54.5 total tackles (fourth).
Richard Daugherty’s four interceptions were tied for the most in the district. Gallagher and Riley each tallied three interceptions (T-4), while Patrick Daugherty secured four total turnovers – two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The junior was also seventh in the conference with 459 rushing yards (10 yards per carry) and six touchdowns.

Punter Nathan Black averaged a district-leading 39.8 yards per punt. Place-kicker Nathan Behne connected on a district-best 42-of-46 point after touchdown attempts.

The Rams (8-2 overall) outscored each of their five district opponents by a staggering 245 points (254-9), highlighted by three straight shutouts of Des Moines Christian (55-0), Clarinda (41-0) and Red Oak (55-0). The Rams never failed to score less than 41 points in a single district game while they cracked the 50-point mark three of five times for a scoring average of 50.8 points per game.
Clarinda finished second in the district with a 4-1 record.

The Rams ripped off eight straight regular season wins after losing the season-opener. Greene County defeated Roland-Story, 55-14 in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs before falling to two-time defending state champion OA-BCIG, 34-14 in the round of 16.

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