Ballard football continues to battle, girls cross country starts strong
The Ballard football team has gotten its season underway with two games so far, going 1-1 to start the season.
With two games now under their belt, the Bombers have offered plenty for co-head coaches Kyle Howard and Corey Vespestad to learn from.
Howard said they have a hard-nosed group of kids this year, as they have had to battle back from second half deficits in both of their games so far this season.
“One we came out with a win and one we came up just short, but we’re really proud of how our kids continue to fight,” Howard said.
Ballard’s last game was a close 14-13 loss to Humboldt, who Howard said is a good team that is well-coached with a great defense and dynamic offense.
Howard said the Bombers didn’t play clean enough, struggling with turnovers and penalties that kept them from having an opportunity to win in the end, though he added they were happy with how the team fought.
Though the team has had to fight its way back into a couple of games, it has plenty of upperclassmen on the team, who Vespestad said has helped keep the team battling.
“Our senior leadership is probably some of the best we’ve had for awhile, we’ve had great seniors in the past too don’t get me wrong,” Vespestad said. “But our seniors this year really do a great job leading the younger guys that are on the team and they have a ‘don’t quit’ attitude that’s pretty contagious with the younger kids.”
The Bombers are now 1-1, and Vespestad said they take things one week at a time and try to get better each day and each week.
He added that Ballard has a tough non-district and district schedule, so they know each week is going to be a battle, and the kids just have to get back up and back to work if they get knocked down.
Howard said the Bombers have a unique schedule this year in that they face some familiar opponents in their conference schedule, but also some brand-new opponents, such as Indianola and Des Moines North.
“Those teams will present some new challenges, along with just being our first year in 4A, it’s an uphill battle,” Howard said.
Howard also said it’s fun for the kids to see some new stadiums and go to some places they haven’t been before, which adds to the excitement.
Ballard will next face Creston at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 at Creston High School.
Volleyball drops to ADM
The Ballard volleyball team saw its eight-game win streak come to an end after it fell to ADM on Aug. 29.
The Bombers lost to the Tigers three sets to one, dropping the first two sets 25-18 and 25-11 respectively before forcing a fourth set with a 25-21 set three win. However, they lost set four 25-21.
Leading Ballard was sophomore Hailey Flanders, who finished the match with 11 kills, while senior Memphis Inglett followed with six kills.
Senior Ellie Volkmann had a team-high 23 assists in the loss while seniors Alliyah Thompson and Brooklyn Baumgardner each had five blocks.
Girls cross country starts strong
The Ballard girls cross country team opened its season hot after beginning its season at the Lynx Invite on Aug. 28.
The Bombers placed second overall at the meet among 13 teams, finishing with 47 total points.
Leading Ballard was junior Annika Larson and senior Avelyn Vance, who placed fourth and fifth respectively at the meet.
Juniors Ava Richardson and Brynn Wilson also placed in the top 10 at the meet, finishing seventh and 10th overall.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ballard football continues to battle, girls cross country starts strong
