It wasn’t the way Concord football envisioned ending its season. The Crimson Tide allowed three unanswered touchdowns and fell to Londonderry at home on Friday night, 21-12.
Despite closing out the regular season with a loss, Concord’s 5-3 record earned them the eighth seed in the Division I playoffs. It’s now likely, though not confirmed as results roll in and standings are finalized, that they will host No. 9 Salem (4-4) in the first round next Friday.
Players left the field with disappointment in their eyes, but there was excitement, too. Head Coach Mike Leonard and his staff encouraged the boys, shaking each one of their hands as they exited and congratulating them on a successful season.
“We feel like we’re pretty battle-tested throughout the season with the teams we’ve played and some of the scenarios we’ve gone through,” Leonard said after the loss to Londonderry, looking ahead to playoffs.
The first half showed plenty of promise for Concord. Londonderry (7-1) showed why it’s consistently one of the toughest teams to beat in Division I.
Junior defensive lineman Sebastian Telus forced a turnover on downs with a sack on senior Lancer quarterback Sully Daron on the first series. Junior quarterback Rhys Craigue got the Tide moving with his legs, taking a scramble down the sideline for 42 yards down at the 18.
The next three plays were all incomplete passes to junior Nick Marquis, and on fourth down, Craigue scrambled for a first down to the six-yard line. He connected his first pass on an outside flat route to senior running back Colin Savard for a touchdown. The extra point hold was muffed, and the score was 6-0.
Concord would force a fumble on the kickoff but couldn’t convert. Later, in the second quarter, Concord forced another fumble and found a way to score that time. Craigue started the drive with a big rush and sent a pass to sophomore Methuselah Doe for a 14-yard touchdown across the middle of the field. The two-point pass attempt was no good, leaving the score 12-0.
Londonderry scored on the next drive with strong running and a pair of completions for big chunk gains. Daron scrambled to finish out the drive with a carry for 15 yards and a one-yard touchdown.
A pair of interceptions and short drives ending in punts stymied Concord, and Londonderry took advantage. The Lancers scored on a short field after Concord was intercepted on the opening drive of the second half, this time through senior quarterback Broch St. Gelais. Londonderry took the lead, 14-12, and did not look back.
“This one stings; it’ll sting for tonight, and then moving on to our third season, third part of our season, which is playoffs, which is exciting,” Leonard said.
The defense held its own despite the loss, with juniors Jax Diachenko, Ethan Dunbar and Telus notching multiple tackles for losses. Diachenko had an especially big day with three sacks.
Looking ahead and behind, this will be Concord’s third consecutive year in the playoffs and is the first time the Crimson Tide enters with a winning record since 2021. They are still hunting for their first playoff win since 2013, when they last won the championship.
Concord beat Salem earlier this year, 28-19, away from home and will look to do the same next weekend if that’s the pairing in the end.