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The Walpole American Little League baseball team crowded around its state championship trophy for a team photo last week.

The boys, 12 and 13 years old, tugged at their T-shirts, unsure of what would be acceptable. "Do we need to tuck our shirts in?" one player asked coach Brian Oberacker. "Yes, tuck them in," he said.

They stuffed their shirts and adjusted their hats, then stood beside the trophy that nearly matched their height, and smiled. Little League state champions.

Last week, Walpole American became the second team in the town's history to win the 12-year-old Little League All-Star state title, beating Peabody Western, 10-0, in Pittsfield to match the 1991 title run of Walpole National.

This weekend, the Walpole American squad is in Bristol, Conn., for the New England Regional tournament, vying for a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Walpole was buzzing about its new state champions.

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