Most kids enjoy the winter vacation that arrives at the end of February and the beginning of March.
It’s a chance to hit the brakes for a moment before another few weeks of classes. A chance to escape the cold and bitterness of New England for maybe a warm beach hundreds of miles away.
If you asked Hunter Jeffers what his plans were for the week off, the answer wouldn’t surprise anyone that knows him or what he’s about.
“My plan was to be here,” the Concord High senior said Wednesday morning.
His shaggy brown hair rest comfortably above his brows as he pondered what the next week will look like for him with the return to a normal schedule, sans one major detail.
Wrestling.
Jeffers, Kody Rashed and Jaycee Haskell sat in the locker room engaged in conversation, as if they were a trio of old men at a local diner, reminiscing over the last four years of their young lives. While the three of them are still a few decades away from pointed jabs through sips of black coffee and graying hair, the bittersweet notion of their high school athletic careers reaching its finale has crept into the forefront of their minds.
The realization is highlighted in spite of achievement, however. Concord’s trio will not only represent the school, but part of the group to represent New Hampshire this weekend when they travel to the annual New England tournament.
Held at Providence Career and Technical Academy in Rhode Island, wrestlers from across the region will travel for the two day event and for the Tide’s grapplers, there isn’t a better way they could’ve envisioned closing out their high school careers.
How they got to the stage matters too, since not everyone qualifies.
All three finished within in the top six of their respective weight classes at the Division I meet a few weeks back, which earned them a spot at the Meet of Champions. Rashed placed first at the meet with Haskell and Jeffers earning third place.
They now only have one more sanctioned competition, not just in wrestling, but in high school and perhaps forever. To them, the last four years went from a slow creep to a sprint. While their chapter of wearing the crimson and white is coming to a close, the memories they made will continue to serve as a reminder of these seasons.
“Thinking about how this weekend is my last match for Concord High ever, it’s kind of sad,” Rashed said. “It goes by fast. You’ve got make the most out of it – as much as you can right away.”
“Don’t think twice about what you want to do, just do it.”
Rashed and his fellow seniors also played football throughout their time at Concord. Their final season on the gridiron featured reshaping the culture of the program with the introduction of a new head coach and laying down the pieces to the foundation for the future.
They were also tasked with that in wrestling. Plenty of high school athletes dream of their senior seasons ending by hoisting up a championship trophy with a medal proudly wrapped around their neck.
Specifically with the wrestling program, it’s affectionately called the brotherhood and it’s not taken lightly. The collective growth of the group has been the most important part of this season for the Tide’s leaders.
“It’s a family,” Haskell said. “It’s a group of people that you can rely on.”
While the path that Haskell, Jeffers and Rashed traveled have been unique to their experience – after all, they wrestle in different weight classes and in football played different positions – the destination is the same.
Four years where everything was left out on the field and mat.
There’s nothing like high school sports. It’s the only form of sport where athletes get to play the game they love and to do so with neighbors and friends they’ve had since before they could walk. There might be some college opportunities for Rashed and Haskell to extend their football careers, but nothing certain yet. Jeffers plans to get into coaching and has already had conversations with the wrestling staff at Rundlett Middle School.
Soon enough, the singlets will retire next to the jerseys that have already begun to wrinkle a bit since that final October game. As the playing days slowly fade into the past, the memories will always be present.
And more opportunities to sit around and reminisce, as old friends do.