Concord High junior defensive back Nick Marquis looked right at home under the Memorial Field lights on Friday night.
Marquis’ first-half interception and fumble recovery were key to the Crimson Tide’s 40-0 homecoming football shutout of Manchester Central. He was in the right spots at the right times with familiar grass under his feet. Both turnovers ignited drives ending in touchdowns for the Tide.
Concord played its Division I home opener in Pembroke at the National Guard field in the Edward Cross Training Center earlier this month — its first home opener not played at Memorial Field since 1929. This time, it felt good to truly be at home.
“It definitely meant a lot. We like the National Guard (field) but this is our home, so we just want to protect it,” he said after the blowout victory.
The Tide’s hot roll this season continued with Friday’s thrashing of the Little Green. The defense forced multiple turnovers, including a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage for an interception and two forced fumbles. Concord’s defense also stopped Central on downs on multiple occasions.
A defensive line led by junior Sebastian Telus and senior Jax Diachenko exerted significant pressure on Central junior quarterback Drake Jamies and senior running back Kingston Patten to hold the visitors away from the red zone.
Since losing to Windham on opening night, Concord has improved to 3-1 with consecutive wins against Alvirne, Salem and the Little Green.
The Tide’s offense stayed hot with running backs Colin Savard and Ramon Reynolds III moving the chains consistently. Savard erupted for some big plays, turning in a three-touchdown day. Junior quarterback Rhys Craigue accounted for three total touchdowns on the night, one rushing and two passing.
Marquis had three catches on crucial third downs as well, converting a first down with one and setting up fourth downs with short yardage on the others to keep the offense moving.
“He always knows his assignment, right? So the mental piece for him is always on point,” Concord coach Mike Leonard said about Marquis’ big night on both ends of the field.
The Monitor received letters from concerned parents last week about the seating situation at Memorial Field on game day and the impact it has on both players and fans.
On Friday, those mixed feelings were on full display — excitement over the team and disappointment over the restricted views and lack of seating. The needed overhaul of Memorial Field, from drainage to a new multi-purpose stadium for football and other sports, is still pending final design and permitting funding approval from city council.
The Friday night lights at Memorial Field looked a little different for homecoming after the demolition of the old bleachers over the summer. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
The Concord marching band overlooked the football sideline, sat in the temporary bleachers purchased by the district after the old ones were demolished this summer. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Jay Zinis’ son played for Concord High a few years back. He was there as a fan standing behind the fence on one end of the field. Looking over and not seeing the bleachers with students was disheartening.
“The school’s spirit was in those things. They took the whole section where all the students went, the left side; they brought the school to the field,” he said.
Another fan, Marc Nailor, has been to many Concord games before. He, like many fans, believes there’s still a need for more seating. The game-day experience, he said, was still kind of cool seeing everyone spread out and running around. On the sidelines, he didn’t feel significantly impacted by the changes made to Memorial Field.
Bruce and Kimberly Lavoie, parents of a senior on the Crimson Tide, felt the difference. As they sat near the bleachers and the band, they struggled to catch glimpses of the game.
Bruce Lavoie remembered coming to Memorial Field for a track meet when his son was in middle school nearly a decade ago. He recalled an opposing coach complaining to him about the condition of the track, which is now unusable for competition. He thinks something should have been done a long time ago before the facility got to the state it is in now.
“For what they’ve got right now, it’s alright. But, you know what? They should have dealt with this a long time ago, because its not like these stands rusted out overnight. They’ve known this was coming,” he said.
Regardless, returning to Memorial Field had an impact on the Tide’s Leonard, even if it had a different feel.
Looking across the facility from the entrance, the band just poked through over the players’ helmets on the sideline. The fences were lined with fans all across, and the student section stayed by the far end zone, just in the shadows behind the goalposts.
Some things stayed the same. Kids played in the grass on the edges, focused on having fun outside of sitting and watching Concord’s rout. Fans lined up for concessions as the band’s halftime show echoed throughout the park.
“They love it,” Leonard said about his team playing back at Memorial Field. “Obviously looked a little different but the community came out to support us, which was great.
“Under these lights, it always feels different out here.”