The Ballard men's cross country team secured a solid third-place finish at the Perry Invitational, demonstrating the promise of their young core as they competed against strong competition.  The Bombers tallied 105 points, behind #17 Winterset (41 points) and #19 Roland-Story (76 points).

Freshman standout Austin Vance led the way for Ballard, finishing 6th with a time of 18:25.08.  This marks the second consecutive meet where Vance has led the Bombers, displaying remarkable consistency early in his high school career.

"Austin continues to impress," said Head Coach Scott Barth.  "For a freshman to be leading the way is really exciting for our program."

Sophomore Graden Hermann followed closely behind, placing 9th with a time of 18:26.52 in what Coach Barth called his best race of the season, even if it wasn't his personal best.  "Graden ran incredibly steady despite the hills on the course.  It was a strong performance overall."

Freshman Owen Davidson also delivered one of his best performances, securing 18th place with a time of 19:26.58.  Sophomore Parker Domino finished 33rd (20:19.13), and sophomore Isaac Swisher rounded out Ballard's top five scorers with a 39th place finish in 20:38.48.

Sophomores Kolbe Odden and Jude Jones placed 46th and 47th, respectively, with times of 20:54.10 and 20:55.56.  Senior Braden Kubichek, battling injuries throughout the season, showed grit and determination with a 51st place finish in 20:59.

"All of our top 7 tonight were freshmen and sophomores," noted Coach Barth.  "We're an extremely young team, but the future is bright.  If we can work on our consistency in training, we're going to see great things ahead."

Barth also highlighted the importance of the team getting healthy as they approach the critical part of the season.  "A couple of our varsity runners were dealing with injuries and health issues, but they still finished their races.  If we can get those guys back to full strength, it's going to make a huge difference for us."

Ballard's next meet will take place at the Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday, October 10, at 4:30 PM, where they'll look to continue building on their performances.

PERRY INVITATIONAL MEN'S TEAM SCORES

1. Winterset, 41

2. Roland-Story, 76

3. Ballard, 105

4. Greene County, 123

5. Des Moines Christian, 125

6. Boone, 136

7. Des Moines North, 154

8. Perry, 183

PERRY INVITATIONAL MEN'S INDIVIDUAL TIMES

6 Austin Vance, 18:25.08

9 Graden Hermann, 18:26.52

18 Owen Davidson, 19:26.58

33 Parker Domino, 20:19.13

39 Isaac Swisher, 20:38.48

46 Kolbe Odden, 20:54.10

47 Jude Jones, 20:55.56