BY MATT STOUT
Every year is “the year” for the Concord wrestling team. No matter who they lose, what they bring back or the situations they face, the Crimson Tide believe they have what it takes every winter to overtake Timberlane.
Every year is “the year” for the Concord wrestling team. No matter who they lose, what they bring back or the situations they face, the Crimson Tide believe they have what it takes every winter to overtake Timberlane.
So after six years of Timberlane titles – including second-place finishes for Concord in the last three – what makes this season any different?
Concord hopes a lot.
Coach Ham Munnell welcomes back one of the largest senior classes he’s had in his 12 years with the Tide, and, if the early results are any indication, the veterans and rookies alike are set on claiming the school’s first state title since finishing in a three-way tie in 2000.
After opening the year with a 65-3 dual-meet victory over Merrimack on Dec. 6, Concord took two regular-season tournament titles on Saturday, Dec. 9, the first coming at the nine-team Blue Devil Classic in Salem with the majority of its varsity wrestlers, and the other at the nine-team Bronco Invitational courtesy of its ‘B’ team.
But, of course, all of this – the dual meets, jamborees and tournaments – are “preseason up until the state tournament,” said Concord senior captain Harry Paul.
“This is a better team than we’ve had in the past,” Munnell said. “(But) we’ll see if they’re special. I wouldn’t crown them anything right now. They’re good guys and they’ve worked hard, but they’ve still gotta do it. We’re state runners-up and (Timberlane’s) still the champs.”
Concord’s experienced 15- man senior class and 49-man roster would like to change that, especially after coming excruciatingly close to unseating Timberlane at both the Division I championship and the Meet of Champions last year.
Leading the charge are senior captains Paul, a two-time New England qualifier now at 160 pounds; Tyler Saltsman, a three-time state champion who actually moved down from 135 pounds to 130 this year; Alex Buessing, the defending state champ now at 135; and Levi Byers, an 189-pounder who placed second at the Meet of Champions a year ago.
Senior Dan Breen should challenge for the state title at 103 pounds, while senior Pat Boyle mans the 171-pound weight class, senior newcomer Alex Stanford takes over at 140 pounds and junior Marshall Gleason reprises his starting role at 215 pounds.
Junior Zach Eaton is expected to wrestle at 145 pounds.
The rest of the lineup is young but talented. Sophomores Derek Bisson, at 152, and Brandon Paige, at 119, both return to the varsity lineup, and Dan Herrick is wrestling in the heavyweight division.
Sophomore Nick Poulin is at 125 pounds, while on Saturday, Munnell entered two 112-pound wrestlers, freshman John Hall and sophomore Anthony Absolar, who placed second and third, respectively.
Timberlane, Munnell pointed out, hasn’t gotten any worse, and contenders like Salem, which finished third on Saturday, Dec. 9, and D-I newcomer Goffstown, which finished second, may be even better as both returned at least 10 starters from last year. But it helps, Paul said, that Concord retained mostly everyone from the first day, creating a “good spirit” in the practice room.
“I think part of it is the depth, part of it is the support from the school,” Paul said. “In our first home match, the bleachers were packed. Over the last couple years, we’ve grown kind of a following.” That’s ironic, since following is the last thing Concord wants to do.