The Ballard men's bowling team competed at the State Qualifying Meet on Thursday at King Pin Entertainment Center in Decorah, showing strong individual performances but ultimately finishing fifth overall in the team standings.  The Bombers' best individual performance came from senior Brenden Wright, who secured a spot at the State Individual Bowling Tournament after finishing fifth overall with a 668 series, thanks to game scores of 257, 197, and 214.  Wright was the only Ballard bowler to qualify for state, placing in the top 8 and earning his chance to compete at Cadillac Lanes in Waterloo on Tuesday, February 25, at 9:00 AM.

Other standout performances came from junior Stetson Kane, who was just four pins short of qualifying, finishing with a strong 646 series.  Carter Sparks posted a 581 series, while Braden Skurdal finished with 564.  Gage Tapp and Kyler Johnson rounded out the individual efforts with 551 and 541 series scores, respectively.  In the Baker games, the team totaled 2,947, which placed them fifth overall.  Decorah finished first with a 3,130 team score, followed by Waterloo East (3,096) and Marion (3,072).

While the team didn't qualify for state, Wright's strong performance at the meet ensures that Ballard will have representation at the State Individual Bowling Tournament.