BY RYAN O'CONNOR

The scene resembled that of a marquee Friday night lights match-up with two state powerhouses clashing for varsity glory.

Children ran around outside the stadium, clad in red and black football jerseys trying to imitate those on the field.

Inside, the colorful sights and sounds of cheerleaders and their pompoms cut though the crisp fall air while the school band performed “Louie, Louie” and the jam-packed stands rattled with   fans stomping in support of the helmet-clad athletes.

But it wasn’t varsity football they were cheering and it wasn’t Friday night.

It was Monday night, Sept. 24 ... and it was a junior varsity game.

At halftime, even the cheerleaders received standing ovations while performing individual tumbles.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Bedford High School football.

And Principal George Edwards couldn’t have been more elated with the scene, saying the game wasn’t even on his radar when he arrived at school that morning, but was drawn in by the buzz emanating throughout the student body.

“This is an incredible event for the community of Bedford. I’ve never seen a JV football game like this before in my life,” said Edwards, who used to coach high school football and has two sons who played.

“People just have been really excited about Bedford High School. They’ve been really excited about the football program,” he said. “There’s just a lot of enthusiasm about what’s going on here and I think that’s why we have so many people here to enjoy the game tonight.”

Likewise, head coach Jim O’Keefe, in charge of building the Bedford football program from the ground up, said he felt an unexpected chill roll down his spine on more than one occasion during the contest.

“I didn’t have chance to scope what was going on, but I certainly had a chance to sense it,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, and our kids were really excited about the atmosphere here, so it’s something to look forward to, that’s for sure.”

In fact, the scene overshadowed the score on the field as the Bulldogs found themselves at the losing end of a 50-19 decision to Manchester Central.

“Good programs like that are great to play against because that’s how you’re going to get better,” said O’Keefe. “You get to learn how much room you need to grow and we need to teach the kids that we’ve got some hard work ahead of us. But with time and dedication, we can certainly get it done.”

O’Keefe, who lettered as a player at the University of Connecticut, brings more than 10 years’ coaching experience to the Bulldogs including time at the University of Rhode Island and Saint Anselm College as well as Concord and Bishop Brady high schools, took the last several years off to watch his children play.

“As soon as my sons were done playing, I wanted to go back into coaching so the timing kind of worked out pretty good for everyone here,” he said of filling the Bedford vacancy.

O’Keefe also brought in three other coaches with plenty of gridiron experience.

Derek Stank, a former captain at the University of New Hampshire and current physical education teacher at the high school, joins the inaugural coaching staff along with Noah Pion and current Manchester Wolves player Ali Sebastian.

“They’re three good football guys, so these young athletes are surrounded by some great minds,” said O’Keefe. “Right now, it’s just a matter of having more time on the football field to become better  players.”

Still, O’Keefe recognizes he and the program have a long road ahead.

Currently, most Bedford football players, mainly upperclassmen, play for West High School in Manchester, while others attend private institutions such as Bishop Brady, Trinity and Division II wrecking ball Bishop Guertin.

But O’Keefe knows that will change. His roster is  growing, as opposed to other programs that see decreasing numbers  throughout the year, and serves as proof of great things ahead for Bedford football, he said.

“We have 70 kids in the program this year between freshmen and sophomores and that number has increased from 30 when we had our initial meeting. So we’re really confident about where this thing is going,” said O’Keefe. “We’re excited about the group of young men we have. They’re going to be football players.”