You've got to feel a little sympathy for Concord wrestling coach Ham Munnell.
Every year, Munnell puts together one of the finest teams in New England, only to be overshadowed by Timberlane.
The Crimson Tide always boast a superb record, capture the local Blue Devil Classic virtually every year and produce standouts like New England champ Tyler Saltsman, Marshall Gleason and Dan Breen among others. But they nearly always play second fiddle.
In Munnell's 13-year career, Concord has only beaten Timberlane once in a dual meet, a 28-22 barnburner two years ago that snapped a 69-meet winning streak, and they're almost always the bridesmaid at the state meet to Timberlane, which has won nine straight Division 1 state titles.
And don't even talk about New England. Concord has rarely been within sniffing distance of the team championship. Timberlane has won New England a record-tying (with Vermont power Mount Anthony) six times and also finished second four times and third once in the last 14 years.
Even Salem, which was New England champion in 2003 and New England runner-up three times in the last seven years, has overshadowed Concord.
It's a testament to the strength of wrestling in the state, and particularly in the southern part of the state, a situation which will not change any time soon. Defending New England champion Timberlane is loaded again and, in a recent shift of power, Pinkerton is brimming with talent and could provide the Owls with a challenge.
Timberlane returns three New England placers (Cam Sullivan, Alex Smith and heavyweight champ Brian Nicoll) and boasts at least three other returnees capable of scoring points at New England, while the Astros return New England placer James Herlihy and several other potential placers.
Basically, Pinkerton is — at least temporarily — replacing Salem as the Owls' chief challenger and becoming another thorn in the side of the Crimson Tide.
Of course, it's not just Concord that has been frustrated by the Owls. Top teams in Massachusetts and Connecticut view Timberlane with either envy or resentment, claiming that it has an easy route to the New England tournament and an unfair advantage when it gets there.
Although, only the top three from the N.H. Meet of Champions qualify while the top six from the Mass. All-States advance.
And the Owls wrestle the toughest regular season schedule in New England, usually winning the highly regarded Lowell Holiday Tournament and Redskin Classic in Maine, battling Lowell in a dual meet and competing in both the Eastern States Classic and "Beast of the East" in Delaware.
In these even playing fields, when there can be no advantages, Timberlane establishes its credentials for both itself and southern New Hampshire. Lesser teams can only shake their heads and, like Concord, try to catch up.
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