The Ballard men's cross country team rose to the occasion Monday evening at their home meet, placing third in the Class A race of the Mike Carr Invitational.  The Bombers finished with 69 points, trailing only No. 7 in Class 3A ADM with 35 points and No. 11 in Class 3A Bondurant Farrar with 51 points.  Ballard's effort was enough to top three other ranked teams in the process, adding another strong result to their 2025 campaign.

Junior Graden Hermann led the charge with a sixth place finish in 17:59, cutting nearly 20 seconds from his 2024 performance on the course.  Senior Max Davidson battled through side cramps for much of the race but pushed hard for the team, crossing in 18:10 to take eighth.  Sophomore Austin Vance continued his steady improvement, placing 12th in 18:18, while junior Parker Domino stayed hot with a 19th place finish in 18:50, a time more than a minute faster than last season.

Sophomore Owen Davidson rounded out Ballard's scoring with a 24th place finish in 19:29, trimming 16 seconds from his 2024 time.  The varsity lineup was completed by senior Isaac Swisher in 30th at 20:33 and junior Jude Jones in 37th at 21:17, both showing strong gains from last year.

Head coach comments highlighted the team's depth and progress:

"The boys followed the lead of the girls and ran very well in front of the home crowd. We ended up in third behind two highly ranked teams but beat three other ranked schools in the process.  We are on the right track, showing growth since last season and proving that we are deserving of a state ranking."

With several runners cutting significant time off their marks from last year, Ballard's momentum continues to build.

The Bombers return to action on Saturday, September 20, at the Heartland Classic in Pella.  The first race is at 10:10 AM.

Photo Credit: Davidson Photography