An unpredictable season with unprecedented changes ended on Saturday night with an all too familiar result for the Crimson Tide.
For the sixth consecutive year, Concord wrestling accepted the runner-up trophy, while the perennial powerhouse Timberlane Owls won its sixth straight Division I title – the program’s 20th title in the last 21 years – with a 60-9 victory in Plaistow on Saturday night.
“It was tough,” Concord head coach Ham Munnell said. “(Timberlane) is a tough team. Our kids did what they could. I was happy they got there.”
Despite entering Saturday night’s championship dual meet with a 4-0 record and coming off a semifinal victory over a strong Salem squad, 46-36, Concord knew it was facing an uphill battle against Timberlane. The Owls were 7-0 heading into the championship, including a 74-0 victory against Nashua North in the other D-I semifinal.
Timberlane also had consistently competed against other squads since mid-January (the Tide had two pauses in its season, each lasting multiple weeks) and had a deeper roster, while Concord was down in numbers this year, especially in the lower weight classes.
“The kids did a great job just to get to the finals,” said Munnell. “It was a hard season with the starts and stops and the lack of competition, few matches.”
Timberlane took an early 21-0 lead with victories over Concord’s Jordan Reyes at 132 pounds (pin), Kaevryel Madison at 138 (technical fall), Aidan Fox-Morrill at 145 (major decision) and Trey Fortier at 152 (pin).
The Owl coaching staff then adjusted its lineup to put its strongest wrestlers against the heart of Concord’s roster and the changes paid off. Nicholas Pallaria defeated senior captain and two-time D-I runner-up Jack Sargent in an 8-4 decision at 160 and Anthony Rousseau pinned Tommy Sargent in the first period of the 170 pound for a 30-0 Timberlane lead.
Needing pins to have a shot at the title, Kody Rashed won an 8-4 decision at 182 and Peter Sargent won a 4-3 decision at 195 to get the Tide on the board (30-6), but Timberlane’s Cooper Kelley won the biggest upset of the night, pinning Abbas Abdulrahman – Concord senior captain and last year’s D-I champion and fourth-place finisher at New Englands at 195 pounds – in the second period of the 220 bout for a 36-6 lead, eliminating the Tide’s last hope at a comeback.
“We were overmatched,” Munnell said.
Hunter Jeffers picked up a 1-0 victory at 285, but Timberlane grapplers pinned Traevon Ling (106), Levi Madison (113) and Jamari Arzu (126) and another victory by forfeight at 120 to wrap up the match.
While not the result Concord was hoping for, Munnell is happy that the squad was able to make it all the way to the last day of competition and able to develop some team camaraderie along the way.
“We had fun through this unusual season,” Munnell said. “We’re family. We got through it. We’re 30 (wrestlers) strong and I’m proud of that number. The kids came every day and worked hard.”
Boys’ Hockey
Concord 6, Londonderry 1
Key players: Concord – Tyler Coskren (2 goals), Alex Forward (goal, assist), Parker Frederickson (goal, assist), Zach Drew (goal, assist), Colin O’Brien (goal, assist), Joey Ala (3 assists), Noah Drew (2 assists), Jack Shoemaker (2 assists), Colin Nelson (assist), Will Pegnam (16 saves)
Highlights: The Tide netted three goals in the second period and three more in the third to wrap up the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Concord is currently scheduled to host Hanover (3-9) on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the preliminary round of the Division I tournament.
Coach’s quote: “A good effort by our guys. All four lines skated well. I think we are playing well heading into the tournament.” – Concord’s Dunc Walsh
Records: Concord 12-2; Londonderry 3-8
Concord 8, Oyster River-Portsmouth 2
Key players: Concord – Maria Armaganian (2 goals, assist), Kaitlyn McKinnon (2 goals, assist), Joanna Dustin (2 goals), Jaelyn Kelleher (goal, assist), Leah Beauregard (goal, assist), Sophia Branch (2 assists), Greta Norton (assist), Elizabeth Brown (assist)
Highlights: The ClipperCats scored on the first shot of the game, but captain Armaganian scored two goals less than a minute apart at the end of the first period and the Tide found its groove, playing with confidence and controlling the game from that point on. Concord ends the regular season with six consecutive wins and will host Manchester Central-Memorial (2-8) on Tuesday in the preliminary round of the girls’ hockey state tournament.
Coach’s quote: “Oyster River-Portsmouth kept the pressure on Concord all three periods. The Tide girls had to work hard and every player contributed to this win.” – Concord’s Tim Herbert
Records: Concord 9-4-0; Oyster River-Portsmouth 5-6-1
Concord 53, Trinity 27
Key players: Concord – Ava Woodman (17 points), Elizabeth Blinn (14 points), Sofia Payne (8 points), Elli Cox (rebounding), Jordyn Lengle (rebounding)
Highlights: The Tide’s defense was key in helping Concord build a 21-8 halftime lead and continued to force turnovers to create easy scoring opportunities in the second half. The Tide led 43-21 heading into the final quarter and were able to rotate a lot of players on the floor in Friday night’s victory. Concord might be seeing the Pioneers again in the preliminary round of the D-I tournament on Friday night. The winner of Trinity vs. Goffstown (6-8) on Tuesday night will take on Concord on Friday.
Coach’s quote: “We talked about the word ‘process.’ A lot of times people expect things to just happen right away. Early in our season we played some of the top teams in our division and continued to battle adversity for a few weeks, with injuries. We have been playing well as of late and have started figuring things out. This was by far the best game we have played, but I told the girls that if we did not experience some of that adversity early on and learn and grow from it, we would not be where we are now. Our chemistry seems great, people are healing physically and we are focused on building momentum. I am very proud of each and everyone one of our players. Everyone has bought in and that was evident tonight.” – Concord’s Tim LaTorra
Records: Concord 6-6; Trinity 6-8
Concord Little League, serving the towns of Concord, Bow, Hopkinton, Henniker, Penacook and Loudon, is open for registration for boys and girls ages 4-12. Four levels of baseball are offered: tee-ball (A), coach pitch (AA), minors (AAA) and majors. The season will run from mid-April (depending on weather) to June. Register at concordnhlleague.com. Email concordlleague@gmail.com with any questions.