Bombers Earn Impressive 2nd Place Finish at Webster City Invitational

Ballard Scores 83 Team Points

September 4, 2024

WEBSTER CITY, IA — The Ballard Bombers men's cross country team delivered a strong performance at the Briggs Woods Golf Course on a day marked by both progress and promise. The Bombers secured a 2nd place finish behind the defending state champions, showcasing their potential and defeating a highly ranked North Polk team.

The Bombers competed with determination, achieving a remarkable result against a field that included the state's top teams. Max Davidson led the charge, finishing 9th with a time of 17:53. This performance marks a solid start to his season and sets a high bar for the rest of the team.

In a notable debut, freshman Austin Vance placed 10th with a time of 18:05, demonstrating that his hard work is paying off and hinting at a promising future in cross country. Another freshman, Owen Davidson, finished 19th with a time of 18:48. Owen's recent hard work over the past 10 days has clearly boosted his confidence and performance.

Graden Hermann contributed significantly with a 16th place finish, clocking in at 18:35, while sophomore Parker Domino rounded out the team's scoring with a 29th place finish in 19:52. Domino's effort is particularly commendable given his struggle with shin splints. If he returns to full health, he has the potential to be a major asset to the team.

The varsity squad was completed by Kolbe Odden, who ran a time of 20:28, and Alex Weeks, who finished with a time of 22:28 despite battling through some pain.

Comments From Head Coach Scott Barth:

"The boys took a step forward today with our 2nd place finish to defending state champ and overwhelming favorite to repeat this season. In doing so we were able to defeat a very balanced North Poik team who came into the meet with the #19 state ranking. Max Davidson took it out hard and held on with a solid finish in 9th place with a time of 17:53. This was a great start for him. Austin Vance made his varsity debut in his inaugural freshman season with a 10th place finish in a time of 18:05. HIs work ethic is paying off and he is going to be a great runner moving forward. Graden Hermann started strong and powered through for a very solid 16th place finish in a time of 18:35. Owen Davidson, another freshman, finished in 19th place with a time of 18:48. He has been working very hard over the course of the last 10 days and that is paying off in his confidence and this performance. Sophomore Parker Domino made his CC debut rounding out our scorers with a 29th place finish in a time of 19:52. Parker is a tough runner and has been experiencing some pretty severe shin splints, so his effort was very admirable. If healthy, I think he is on par with both Graden and Owen. Getting him healthy in the next few days is a big key to help us move to the next level in our team scoring. Varsity was rounded out by Kolbe Odden who ran a time of 20:28 and Alex Weeks powered through some pain with a time of 22:28. Also of note is Isaac Swisher running a varsity qualifying time of 20:51. He is a very driven runner and ran a great race out of JV.

We came in knowing that if we could put things together that we would have a chance to run with and possibly beat #19 ranked North Polk. Our top 4 runners ran really well and showed that we belong. Getting Parker and Alex totally healthy is the next key for us as they both have potential to give us that solid 5 today. There are also Kolbe and Isaac and several others in the JV that will be in contention for varsity spots as well in the future. Tonight's varsity line-up is a young one. We ran 1 junior, 4 sophomores and 2 freshmen with 5-6 other freshmen and sophomores next in line. We really do have the potential to do great things this season. We are making progress in our program and with some consistency and hard work, we could surprise some teams moving forward."

The Bombers will return to action on Tuesday, September 10, at the Winterset Invitational Meet. The event will include middle school, junior varsity, and varsity races, beginning at 4:15 PM.

LYNX INVITATIONAL MEN'S TEAM SCORES (TOP 6)

1. #1 Gilbert, 18

2. Ballard, 83

3. #19 North Polk, 87

4. Waverly-Shell Rock, 105

5. Fort Dodge, 130

6. Webster City, 133

LYNX INVITATIONAL MEN'S INDIVIDUAL TIMES

9 Max Davidson, 17:53

10 Austin Vance, 18:05

16 Graden Hermann, 18:34

19 Owen Davidson, 18:48

29 Parker Domino, 19:52

36 Kolbe Odden, 20:28