It was more of the same for Concord.
Another dynamic first half powered by consistent offense and dominant defense.
Unfortunately, more of the same also included a second-half collapse, and it happened yet again as the Crimson Tide lost, 34-23, to visiting Goffstown at Memorial Field on Friday night.
Concord rolled out a few new wrinkles in Friday’s performance.
It’s a program that wants to establish the run, and establish it early in the game. Its first play from scrimmage, however, was a bootleg off a play-action where quarterback Zack Doward connected with running back Divon Duncan for a pickup of 48 yards.
Eight plays later, running back Kody Rashed ran it in from the one-yard line for a touchdown, and the Tide took an early lead.
The Tide and Grizzlies had a little back-and-forth in the first quarter that resulted in 21 total points, including an 85-yard touchdown run by Goffstown’s Peyton Strickland on a jet sweep.
Concord was able to turn around its opponents’ explosive play with a few of its own. A 15-yard scramble from Doward, another double-digit run from the junior quarterback and then another one-yard score from Rashed tied the game with 9:07 in the second quarter.
After the ensuing kickoff, Goffstown was flagged for a false start. Following a measly pickup of two yards on a run play on first down, Doward’s defensive prowess showed when he sacked quarterback Josh Webb. With 3-and-19, Webb threw an interception to senior defensive back and captain Kaevryel Madison.
The efforts of the defense were rewarded eight plays later with Jacob Plante’s 35-yard field goal that put the Tide up, 17-14, a score they held starting the second half.
Enter the second-half jitters.
It took Goffstown only four plays to score its first touchdown of the second half after Caden Perry scored from 45 yards out.
A few incompleted passes and a holding penalty forced Concord to punt on its first drive of the second half. Another big play from the Grizzlies – a 50-yard touchdown pass from Webb to Jonah Lopez – and the Tide were faced yet again with another second-half deficit from which they could not come back.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t get close, however.
Their stable of runners in Duncan, Madison, Rashed and Doward all carried the ball in what felt like a must-score drive – which is how it ended after Doward’s sneak at the goal line that brought the game to a difference of four points.
Another 50-yard touchdown from Goffstown put the game out of reach as Concord’s two-minute drill failed with eight seconds left in the game.
“The last few weeks we’ve struggled to play a full football game,” Concord coach Jim Corkum said. “I was saying to the guys here at the end that we played three quarters tonight.”
It’s been a point of frustration for players and coaches alike, these second-half collapses. But they haven’t ruined the sanctity of the team; it’s only helped it improve.
A new program, new systems and new ways to compete have put Concord in these tight situations. And while it hasn’t paid off yet, it will soon.
“We’re definitely building something here,” Madison said afterward. “It’s something to be proud of. It’s not what we’re looking for right now as seniors, but we’re glad that we’re laying this foundation for the future.”
Madison and his fellow seniors are building something, and despite the 1-4 record, it shows in glimpses on the tape. An 11-point loss to a foundational program Friday. A few penalties and mental errors were the difference against Portsmouth a week ago. More mental errors against Dover two weeks ago.
Once these things are cleaned up, those halftime leads might remain as such. The “three quarters” it played against Goffstown could turn into a full four not just next year, but next week against Manchester Central.
The losses are tough, but there are often growing pains involved with a new program. And that’s just what the Tide are going through.
“We’re taking those small steps,” Corkum said. “I know we all wish it would’ve happened quicker, but it’s happening. I think we’re developing a new identity and a new culture within this program.”