The single light shone above the crimson mat, illuminating the inner white circle as Hunter Jeffers stepped to shake Jordan Fontaine’s hand.
Jeffers, the starting wrestler at 285 pounds and one of Concord High’s captains, pinned Fontaine in only 19 seconds. The senior quickly turned toward the visiting Salem fans and raised his arms above his head after pointing to his wrist as if a watch rested on it.
His celebration was enough to stir both crowds and the gym on Warren Street echoed with cheers. Jeffers’ pin, however, was the last of the noticeable bright spots as the Crimson Tide lost, 51-22, to the Blue Devils on Wednesday night.
It’s been some of the toughest few years for the “brotherhood.” Because of the pandemic and its effects on the sport, many within the program, from 26-year head coach Ham Munnell to the senior class, noted that some of the offseason infrastructure has been lost as the program has had to navigate through protocols and other procedures.
Along with missing framework, the Tide graduated a bulk of their experienced talent last year, and in many weight classes this season has merely been about getting caught up to speed with the ebbs and flows of varsity wrestling.
“It’s showing,” Munnell said about not having the offseason opportunities. “They’re working hard; we’ve got to get better. But we’ll get back into the room, go over what we did wrong and get back after it.”
After winning their first two matches of the night behind Jordan Reyes (145) and Kaevryel Madison (152), the Tide suffered three consecutive losses by pin and found themselves in an 18-7 hole.
However, the Tide are experienced in their bigger weights, and it showed. Kody Rashed (195), Jaycee Haskell (220) and Jeffers all dominated in their matches. Rashed pinned his opponent in 51 seconds, and Haskell won his match, 7-1. With Jeffers’ victory, Concord retook the lead roughly halfway through the meet.
“Those big boys are top in New England,” Munnell said. “They’re really good kids, and it’s nice for us to have them on our team.”
While it’s easy to see what the Tide bring in terms of on-mat talent, Munnell mentioned their talents outside of the physical aspect. They’re setting an example for his younger wrestlers by setting the standard. All three of the Tide’s biggest wrestlers are seniors and have been anchors all season long for the program.
Jeffers’ win was the last taste of victory for Concord, however, as Salem’s lighter weight classes won the remaining six matches, four of them by pin.
Concord still has a few more tuneups before tournament season starts. Its biggest event of the regular season, the Capital City Classic, will take place on Sunday, and teams from around the state will venture to the Tide’s home gym.
They also have three more dual meets before tournaments with Londonderry, Windham and Timberlane. The tournament is currently scheduled for Feb. 19.