As a USATF Junior Olympic cross country program, the Granite State Flash place hundreds of young, local athletes on a regional and national stage, including seven runners who currently compete for Division I collegiate squads.

So when three Bedford runners not only compete for the Flash, but excel, people may want to take notice.

Hannah Zeltner, Morghan Linehan and Scott Johnson each traveled to Lawrence, Kan., for a Dec. 8 meet against the nation’s best. To get there, they helped lead their teams to regional championships.

After placing third individually and leading his first-place team at regionals in Long Island, Johnson finished 36th among 269 runners at the nationals.

He posted a time of 11 minutes, 17.65 seconds on the 3-kilometer course, and his Midget boys team earned ninth place.

“For me, it was just a lot of fun,” said Johnson. “I made new friends, had a good time and got to run.”

Racing for the girls team, Linehan finished 97th in Kansas with a time of 16:38.58, and Zeltner came in 141st out 262 competitors at 17:06.27 to aid Granite State in its ninth-place showing in the youth division on the 4K course.

Both are diligent and easy to coach, said Jennifer Rood, who mentors the team. Though each girl is still developing as a competitor, she said their ceilings are high.

“They both ran very well in Kansas and trained very hard to get there,” said Rood. “Morghan had never run nationals before. She is young and small, but very energetic and determined. Hannah is quiet and low key, but a very hard worker. She had run nationals before in a younger age group, but she has really improved this past year.”

Zeltner, a 13-year-old eighthgrader, has been running for three years. For her, the Flash offer not only good exercise, but also a positive social environment. “It’s exciting because we’ve done so well, and it’s fun to get together with your friends,” she said.

Johnson, on the other hand, had an important influence who guided him toward the sport. His sister, Kristin, competed at West High School and, racing at the Meet of Champions, narrowly missed a bid to the New England regionals.

That’s why it doesn’t surprise Flash founder Michael Merra that the younger Johnson has so much raw talent.

“This is an elite New Hampshire all-star team that draws from Plymouth to Keene (and everywhere in between), and he was our top runner,” said Merra, who added the 13-year-old’s talent could have easily been missed because he was playing for his school’s soccer team. “We didn’t know he was even a runner, and now, I think, he will be one of the top runners for Bedford in the near future.”

The Granite State Flash showcased 110 runners this year, and Merra said the program continues to grow.

For more information, including photos and results, visit http://www.granitestateflash.com