The Bell County Bobcats took first place in a big 7-on-7 tournament at South Laurel High School last week.

The Bobcats, not historically known for their passing game, were led by junior quarterback Blake Burnett to a 7-0 record on the day. Bell capped off their championship run with a win over Madison Southern in the semifinals and a win over Harrison County in the finals.

“It’s one of the biggest tournaments in this area every year, there were 17 or 18 teams competing and this is the second year in a row we’ve won it,” Bobcat coach Dudley Hilton said. “It took us all day, but our kids fought hard and they just kept finding a way to win.”

Hilton is entering his 50th season coaching football. The Bobcats will host Hazard in a scrimmage on Aug. 9 and visit Pulaski County on Aug. 16 before opening the regular season at home on Friday, Aug. 23 against North Laurel.