Bell County placed second on Saturday in the Southern Harrier Cross Country Meet at Somerset Christian.

Nicholas Stewart, a sophomore, led the Bobcats as he ran a 17:42.20 to place sixth. Reese Arno was eighth at 18:00.99, followed by Braydin Hickey in ninth (18:01.21), Hayden Green in 14th (18:31.18) and Jacob Brannon in 20th place (19:00.08). Andrew Roy, Landon Eldridge and Ashton Manis rounded out the Bell runners.

“It was a great effort from our boys today. It was another very competitive meet, and they had a solid runner-up finish,’ said Bell County coach Jason Stewart. “Nickel set the tone early and took them out hard. Reese and Braydin backed him up, getting in the top 10 also. Great run by Hayden Green also today. Honestly all eight of these boys are working hard right now. After losing four seniors from last year, we weren’t sure what we’d look like, but they are currently ranked sixth in the state in Class AA. They are finding their identity. I’m so proud of them.”

The Bell County girls placed eighth, led by freshman Kaelyn Lyrock in 33rd place at 23:37.76. Lily Nolan was 54th at 26:52.24. Meredith Allen was 54th at 27:07.87, followed by Ava Harris in 55th at 27:35.26 and Abigail Keener in 72nd at 31:21.62.

“The girls team gave a solid effort today,” Stewart said. “Kaelyn is really coming along for a freshman. She has a bright future. All of these girls are improving and working hard. If they can get healthy, they have potential.”