Ballou scores seven TDs; Eagles romp

Football

   Caden Ballou rushed 14 times for 265 yards and seven touchdowns, and Midland scored double digit points in each of the first three quarters, to soar to a 64-0 eight-player football victory at Lansing Kee Oct. 7.

   The Eagles (3-2, 4-2) led 34-0 at halftime, and added 30 more points in the third quarter.

   Ballou also passed for a 16-yard score, to Zain Sauer. Brayden Grau had one rushing touchdown.

   Top tacklers included Shayden Hansen and Grau with five apiece, Sauer with four and Ballou with three. The Eagle defense also forced five turnovers. Ty Jensen and Sauer each had an interception. Recovering Kee fumbles were Seth Bixler, Jared Crock and Sauer.

Volleyball

   Midland finished its regular season of volleyball with a pair of matches against Tri-Rivers Conference opponents.

   The Eagles played host to Northeast of Goose Lake in a non-conference match Oct. 4 in Wyoming. Midland lost in three sets, 9-25, 11-25, 23-25. Midland posted 40 digs in the match, led by Gracie Harrington with 12, Jayde Martin and Emerson Huston with seven apiece, and Gracie Franzen with five. Jaden Gatts made two blocks. Kill leaders were Sophia Raubs and Gatts with three each; Isabelle Ricketts and Martin with two each. Franzen made six assists. Anna Bartels and Harrington each served two aces.

   On Oct. 6, Midland (1-28) traveled to Bellevue Marquette, and lost in four sets, 15-25, 26-24, 13-25, 21-25. Gatts had 10 kills, Martin added six and Bartels had five. Franzen made 15 assists. The team had 75 digs, led by Harrington with 22, Huston with 15 and Martin with 12. Bartels had three blocks; Franzen had two.

Cross country

   Midland recorded some personal best times during a pair of cross country meets last week.

   The Eagles ran in Bellevue Marquette’s meet Oct. 3 under nearly perfect conditions, and all three Midland runners dropped at least a minute from its times the last time they ran in Bellevue earlier this season.

   Milo Smith (20:05) and Jayson Ruley (20:36) ran personal best times, and Jay Bentley finished in 24:37.

   “I was extremely happy with our times,” Midland coach Jon Eganhouse said.

   Midland then traveled to Troy Mills for the annual North Linn Invitational. Ruley set another personal best, in 20:07. Smith ran in 20:53, and Bentley finished in 25:00.

   “The men are trending downward, and I will be interested to see the times as we return to North Linn (Oct. 11) for the Tri-Rivers Conference Meet,” Eganhouse said.