High expectations are par for the course on the Concord High wrestling team. After knocking at the door of a Division I championship with runner-up finishes the last three seasons, the singular mission now is to win it all.
Thursday night’s triumph over Alvirne was another step in the right direction for the growth and development of the Tide wrestlers.
Up-and-coming sophomore Abbas Abdulrahman pulled off a huge victory, pinning Bailey Lussier at 195 pounds – one of six pins on the night for the home team – as the Tide rolled past Alvirne, 55-0, and continued its dominant campaign with another win on the mat to move to 10-0.
Concord had a number of hard-fought matches fall its way, including Jack Sargent’s 9-0 major decision win over Kyle Clark at 126, Trey Fortier’s pin against Ayden Spencer at 132 and Ricardo Naya’s 4-3 decision over Jackson McGovern at 113.
“You look at the matches that were tough: We competed hard at 126, 132 and 195. They were all wins, but they were also all tough matches. (Abdulrahman) was the underdog and he came through, and at 113, I look at (Naya) as pulling out a tight victory,” Concord coach Ham Munnell said.
“I wasn’t sure how (Alvirne) was going to be. We’re just trying to focus on ourselves, get better and we competed well today,” he said. “Every team is different and we’re trying to figure out this team right now and it’s going in the right direction.”
Concord senior tri-captain Noah Giffard, who recently finished runner-up at the George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament, continued his hot streak by picking up a medical forfeit victory at 220 pounds, while Nicholas Bunch (152), Isaac Gladey (182), Ghana Darjee (106) and Ethan Comeau (120) all won by pin.
There’s still a lot of season left, including a tough test against Salem next week, but Munnell and the Tide feel like they’re in a good spot, although that doesn’t mean they’ll get complacent any time soon.
“To be honest we need all the time we can get to get better,” Munnell said. “I always like my team, I like the guys on the team and what we do. We definitely need to get better, improve and get tougher, but I believe in my guys and in the coaching staff.”
Concord heads to Keene on Saturday for the Minickiello Tournament.
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)
Campbell 51, John Stark 3
Key players: Stark – Thomas Johnston
Highlights: Johnston provided the Generals with their lone win at 182 pounds. Wrestling up a weight class on Wednesday, Johnston defeated Garrett Walker by decision, 14-7.
Coach’s quote: “We didn’t have the numbers since some of our kids are out with injuries and other things. I knew the practices from the holiday break is what we needed because it showed tonight that they have improved in their own unique way.” – Stark’s Stephen McDonald
Bishop Brady 63, Milford 54
Key players: Brady – Ismael Rivera (12 points), Will Spencer (14 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists), Billy Frazier (22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), Tommy Frazier (12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal)
Highlights: The Green Giants found themselves in a nine-point hole at halftime, but responded in a big way over the final two quarters to collect their first win of the season.
Coach’s quote: “We came out flat, but at halftime some of the boys got together and rallied the team. We definitely played team basketball in the second half.” – Brady’s Keith Bergeron
Records: Brady 1-3; Milford 2-2
ConVal 60, Kearsarge 51
Key players: Kearsarge – Noah Tremblay (26 points, 5 rebounds), Kyle Hernon (8 points, 8 rebounds), Ben Carl (6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Emerson Tyler (defense), Nick LeBlanc (defense), Scott Bassi (defense), Adrian McCarthy (defense)
Highlights: The Cougars got off to a sluggish start, falling behind 17-9 after the first quarter. Kearsarge fought back to tie the game at halftime thanks to Carl finding Tremblay for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the closing seconds, but ConVal padded its lead back to seven in the third quarter by hitting five triples. Kearsarge had its chances late, but ConVal didn’t miss many free throws (13 of 17) and secured the win.
Coach’s quote: “Good teams make foul shots and they did. We have a long way to go still, but I like where we’re at and I think ConVal is going to be a top team by the end of the year.” – Kearsarge’s Nathan Camp
Records: Kearsarge 2-2; ConVal 2-1
Sanborn 51, Pembroke 32
Key players: Pembroke –Savannah Youngman (12 points, 7 rebounds), Maddie Gaskell (6 points, 10 rebounds) Cierra Hill (defense)
Coach’s quote: “Sanborn had great shooting tonight that we could not stop. We had some great moments on both offense and defense tonight. We are young and need to develop consistency.” – Michaela Champlin
Records: Pembroke 2-4; Sanborn 2-4
Monadnock 53, Belmont 34
Key players: Belmont – Julianna Estremera (10 points), Lizzie Fleming (8 points), Mackenzie Donovan (4 points, defense), Katie Galambos (defense, 4 points), Morgan Hall (4 points), Alexis Donovan (4 points)
Highlights: Up against the undefeated Huskies, Belmont kept it close throughout the first two quarters and trailed by just three points (23-20) at halftime. But turnovers eventually caught up to the Raiders in the second half as Monadnock pulled away for the road win.
Coach’s quote: “We turned the ball over a couple times (in the second half) and they capitalized. Give credit to them, they’re a good team.” – Belmont’s Mark Dawalga
Record: Belmont 2-4; Monadnock 5-0
Concord boys 2nd;
Concord girls 2nd
Key players: Boys– Neil Shea (4th overall, 57.39 seconds), Kevin McDonough (7th, 58.01), Liam Devanny (9th, 58.40), Sean McDonough (10th, 59.24); Girls – Savanah Shannon (1st, 58,77), Grace Devanny (6th, 1:02.45), Sophie Shea (9th, 1:06.03), Frederica Cassina (11th, 1:09.89)
Highlights: It was a successful afternoon at Gunstock Mountain for both Tide programs. Led by Neil Shea, the boys’ team finished runner-up with 374 points – just a few shy of first-place Exeter at 389. The girls’ team placed five skiers in the top 12 but just fell one point short of Exeter (378-377) for the top spot.