MANCHESTER – Since July 31, the Bedford Jaguars Pee Wee Spirit team has practiced. Since Sept. 1, it’s worked on its routine for at least six hours a week. And since becoming a program, never had a Bedford team participated on a national stage.

It seems the hard work paid off.

With a first-place finish among Division 11 Small Red squads at the American Youth Football New England Region Spirit Championships on Saturday, Nov. 25, the Bedford Pee Wee squad earned the program’s first invite to the national competition, set for Dec. 9 in Tampa, Fla.

The accomplishment extended an already successful season for the Bedford program as a whole; it sent four teams to compete among New England‘s top teams for the first time ever.

Besides Division 11, Bedford also fared well, but did not place, in Division 10 Small Red, Division 12 Small Red and Division 13 Large Red.

“The expectations of the team were to do better than they did last year, when we took fifth at states,” said Pee Wee coach Mike Shannon. “We had faith in our team, and they repaid that tenfold.”

The Junior Midget spirit squad nearly earned Bedford a second invite, but after tying for third in its division, it endured two tiebreakers before officials ruled it lost by one point to finish in fourth.

The Pee Wee squad includes Marrissa Bonardi, Erin Shannon, Kiley Graham, Bridget Soutter, Sarah Saunders, Maggie Maznek, Kelsey Hoak, Shaelyn Eldridge, Chloe Romero, Haley Prothero, Taylor Radke and Sara Caron.