The Ballard men's cross country team finished 8th in the State Qualifying Meet in Pella on Wednesday afternoon.  The Bombers scored 213 team points.  Pella won the meet with 21 team points.

The Bombers were paced by seniors Seth Pencook, Austin Shoen, and Trent Payne.  They finish 27th, 32nd, and 34th overall.  Max Davidson (59th), Bradley Sage (61st), Ian Godbold (72nd), and Peyton Johnson (73rd) rounded out the field for the Bombers.     

Comments From Head Coach Scott Barth:

"The boys ran a solid race as well in a talented field. Seth Pencook took 27th place in a time of 17:40. Austin Shoen surged forward in the race to finish 32nd in a time of 17:50. Trent Payne ran his career PR in a time of 17:55 to place 34th. Max Davidson returned from a 2+ week layoff to place 59th in a time of 18:44. Bradley Sage ran to a 61st place finish in a time of 18:51 to close out varsity scoring. Ian Godbold closed out his running career with a time of 19:28 and Peyton Johnson wasn't far behind with a time of 19:29.

This closes out an injury plagued season for the boys. We were without 2 varsity runners who just couldn't quite get back after injuries that kept them out the last few weeks of the season. Not having them over the last few weeks really crushed our hopes of a higher place and being in contention. I am proud of the way these guys fought through and became a real team this season. The culture of this team is as good as  I have seen for many years and that is a promising sign. The great senior leadership helped in that process and they will be sincerely missed for their skills and leadership."

The Bomber's season has came to an end.

STATE QUALIFYING MEET MEN'S TEAM SCORES 

1. Pella, 21

2. Winterset, 52

3. Carlisle, 76

4. Nevada, 136

5. Newton, 156

6. Oskaloosa, 183

7. Grinnell, 198

8. Ballard, 213

9. Benton Community, 244

10. Bondurant-Farrar, 252

11. Knoxville, 289

12. Iowa Falls-Alden, 354

13. Des Moines Hoover, 363

STATE QUALIFYING MEET MEN'S INDIVIDUAL TIMES

27 Seth Pencook, 17:40.87

32 Austin Shoen, 17:50.35

34 Trent Payne, 17:55.91

59 Max Davidson, 18:44.10

61 Bradley Sage, 18:51.21

72 Ian Godbold, 19:28.96

73 Peyton Johnson, 19:29.45