By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – It has been a fall full of firsts for everyone at Liberty High.

For Liberty sophomore Peter Woodward there has been one first that he’s been thinking about more than any other.

Like many athletes across the state Woodward entered the season with the goal of reaching the state cross country meet.

Unlike most of his competitors doing so would make history for Woodward who is aiming to become the first Liberty High athlete to qualify for a state competition.

“One of my goals is just making it through districts and getting to state,” Woodward said. “I’ve thought about (being the first Liberty athlete at state) and that would be cool. The first person in the school to go to state that’s a big deal.”

Woodward has proved over the past two months his goal is well within reach.

In the final regular season race of the season Woodward crossed a pair of firsts off his debut season list.

Woodward became the first individual champion in program history last Thursday when he won the Mediapolis Cross Country Spectacular in a season-best time of 16:47.

“That was kind of a crazy moment for me,” Woodward said. “At the finish when coach was yelling my time I thought ‘that’s not possible’. It was a big deal for me.”

The first-place finish by Woodward helped lift Liberty High to its first team title in program history.

That was a great end of the year meet for the kids,” Liberty High coach Josh Hildebrand said. “From the time we left to the time we came back and they had a blast.”

Liberty High had three runners in the top nine at Mediapolis and won the team title by 42 points over Danville/New London

Now Woodward and Liberty High is hoping that success carries over to Thursday’s Class 3A state qualifying meet at the Solon Nature and Recreation Area.

“That gave us a strong finish, we got first for the first time and I think that showed our team that we can actually do good in a race,” Woodward said. “That was a big thing for us.”

Coming off his best performance of the season Woodward has his sights set on his top goal.

Hildebrand believes Woodward has a strong opportunity to become the first state qualifier at Liberty.

“I think Peter has a great shot at making it to state and that would be huge for the program,” Hildebrand said. “We are excited about what these guys can do.”

Woodward hasn’t competed in a state qualifying meet before but he does have experience at the course at the Solon Nature and Recreation Area.

The sophomore finished 12th at the 10-team Solon Invite last month in a time of 17:29.

“It helps being on a course that we’ve been on,” Woodward said. “We have a good feel for where the course goes, I think our guys know this course really well and we should be able to visualize where to go.”