Both Bell County teams earned spots in the 2A state meet with strong finishes in the Region 5 meet Saturday in Monticello.
The Bell boys finished second to Corbin, led by Braydin Hickey in ninth, Reese Arno in 10th and Nicholas Stewart in 11th.
“These boys ran great today,” Bell County coach Jason Stewart said. “All seven of them ran their hearts out today and we came away with a nice runner-up trophy. Four of the top twelve teams in the state are in this region so second place isn’t a bad day’s work at all. I’m so proud of the teamwork and how they have approached this season. I’m looking for them to have a great race at state on Saturday.”
Hayden Green placed 15th for the Cats, followed by Jacob Brannon (20th), Andrew Roy (42nd) and Landon Eldridge (59th).
The Bell girls came in fifth, also earning a spot in state competition as a team.
Kaelyn Lyrock led the Lady Cats by placing 21st. Sophia Good was 29th, followed by Lily Nolan (33rd), Keira Good (36th), Meridith Allen (37th) and Ava Harris (48th).
“I’m so proud of this girls team,” Stewart said. “They fought and fought all year. Injury, sickness, you name it they dealt with it. But they never gave up. They knew they had a shot to make it to state and they made it happen. They gave a very impressive performance.”