BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Some bittersweet news to share from The Scripps National Spelling Bee, our local speller Gabriel Nobleza from Delano is now out of the competition.

Gabriel's father told us Wednesday that his score from the preliminary written test wasn't high enough to qualify him for the finals.

His family says they're grateful for the community's support during Gabriel's journey.

This year was the first time he'd made it to the national stage. Gabriel had previously been a four-time runner up in the Kern County Spelling Bee, winning just in time before he was disqualified for his age.