The Bell County Bobcats participated in the Class AA KHSAA State Track Meet on Friday in Lexington. The meet was hosted by the University of Kentucky.

The Bobcats had three runners participate in events. Ashlund Dennis, Caden Miracle and Cody Brannon all placed 16th or higher in their respective events.

“I’m very proud of how hard these guys worked this season,” said Bell County coach Jason Stewart. “I’m proud of how hard they competed at state. We are definitely going to miss Ash (Dennis) and Cody (Brannon) next season. They bring a lot to the table not only with their speed but leadership skills as well.

“I’ve been coaching track and cross country a long time now at Bell High and this year’s team was lots of fun. I’m already looking forward to next season.”

Ashlund Dennis took 16th place in the men’s 100-meter dash with a time of 11.42 seconds. He also finished 12th in the men’s 200-meter dash with a time of 23.14 seconds.

Eighth-grader Caden Miracle placed no lower than 7th in either event on the afternoon. Miracle took 7th place in the men’s 1600-meter run with a time of 4:41.33. He also took 5th place in the men’s 3200-meter run with a time of 10:12.50.

Cody Brannon served as the only Bobcat on the hurdles, taking 15th place in the men’s 110-meter hurdle event with a time of 17.46 seconds.

Both Dennis and Brannon are set to graduate from Bell County this season, while Miracle prepares to enter high school as a freshman. Miracle wraps up his middle school cross country and track career for Bell County.

In cross country, Miracle acquired a multitude of accolades during his middle school career. In 2016, he was the 3000-meter 6th and Under KTCCCA Open Champion. In 2017, he was the 4000-meter 8th and Under KTCCCA Open Champion. In 2018, he was the 4000-meter 8th and Under KTCCCA State Champion, and in the 2018 5000-meter KHSAA State Championship he had an eighth place varisty finish.

Miracle also excelled in track and field. In 2018, he was the 3200-meter KTCCCA State Champion. Also in 2018, Miracle notched an 8th place finish in the the 3200-meter KHSAA State event. In 2019, Miracle finished third in the 3200-meter KTCCCA event and was the state champion in the 1600-meter event in the same year.