Boys Cross Country: Decker Leads Liberty High Back to State Meet
Your Prep Sports
After matching the best state meet finish in program history a year ago Liberty High is headed back to the state meet for a second consecutive season.
Liberty High finished third at the Class 4A state qualifying meet at the Dubuque Soccer Complex on Wednesday to secure a spot at the state meet in Fort Dodge on November 1.
Sophomore Keegan Decker finished runner-up to lead three Lightning runners that finished in the top 20 as Class 4A No. 18 Liberty High edged Dubuque Hempstead by four points for the final spot.
Second-ranked Cedar Falls won the team title with 31 points and fourth-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie was runner-up with 67 while Liberty High finished with 95 points.
Decker finished runner-up to Cedar Falls junior Jaden Merrick in a time of 15:01.3.
Merrick won the individual title in 14:53.9.
Senior Noah Gregoire finished 13th in 16:00 and senior Jacob Madsen was 19th in 16:24.4 for the Lightning.
Lars Hildebrand finished 30th in 16:48.5 and Tayson Cho was 31st in 16:55.2 to pace Liberty High.
Class 4A State Qualifying Meet
At Dubuque Soccer Complex
Team scores – 1. Cedar Falls 31; 2. Cedar Rapids Prairie 67; 3. Liberty High 95; 4. Dubuque Hempstead 99; 5. Dubuque Senior 105; 6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 128; 7. Waterloo West 209; 8. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 238; 9. Waterloo East 292
Individual leaders – 1. Jaden Merrick (CF) 14:53.9; 2. Keegan Decker (ICL) 15:01.3; 3. Slader Buckheister (CRK) 15:33.5; 4. Adam Gray (CRK) 15:36.4; 5. Dominic Williams (CF) 15:37.6; 6. Connor Martin (CF) 15:41.2; 7. Kieran DeGroote (CF) 15:41.4; 8. Bennett Allred (CRP) 15:42.3; 9. Micah Fern (DH) 15:43.2; 10. Kyle Johnson (CRP) 15:44.7; 11. Cole Carrizales (CRP) 15:55.2; 12. Brennen Hoyer (CF) 15:59.2; 13. Noah Gregoire (ICL) 16:00; 14. Jacob Haug (DS) 16:01.5; 15. John Ferguson (CF) 16:05.6
Liberty High (95) – 2. Keegan Decker 15:01.3; 13. Noah Gregoire 16:00; 19. Jacob Madsen 16:24.4; 30. Lars Hildebrand 16:48.5; 31. Tayson Cho 16:55.2; 40. Yuma Squires 17:24.7; 46. Colin Finch 18:07.8
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