Concord High School went into the fourth quarter tied up against the Goffstown Grizzlies after a rugged game on both ends.

It came down to the wire, as Concord’s senior quarterback, defensive back and kicker, Colby Nyhan, drilled a 37-yard field goal on fourth down with three seconds left on the clock to secure a 17-14 season-opening victory.

After Concord’s late punt was blocked by the Grizzlies on their home field and recovered at the 10-yard line with only five minutes left, it seemed that the Tide’s defensive wall could crumble. But after a few stellar stuffs by defensive lineman, Kenneth Mercado, and a flag, Goffstown was content to settle for a field goal.

With three minutes and change left on the clock, facing fourth and goal from the 16-yard line, Goffstown bet on their kicker. Fortunately for the Tide, the long snap was mishandled by the holder. A hush fell over the crowd and the defense forced a fumble and recovered the ball.

The clock was running but the fuel was lit under the Crimson Tide. Its backfield took the lessons learned earlier in the game, and between Colin Savard, Trevor Craigue and Nyhan they marched downfield, grinding the clock down as they approached field goal range.

“You see that happened last year in the Dover game, and I missed it. So I was just thinking about that and how I missed it. Gotta thank the O-line for blocking on that. They blocked well, and I just kicked it. Did my job,” said Nyhan, reflecting on the pressure he felt leading the game-winning drive and converting the field goal attempt.

Earlier, Goffstown’s first score came after Concord fumbled early in their opening drive, and running back William Schmidt was able to power through Concord’s defensive backs on consecutive rushes to set up the Grizzlies’ quarterback Jayden Pares to run in the right side of the end zone while Concord was busy covering the backfield.

The Tide responded quickly after a great return from the kick-off, and tied it up five minutes into the second quarter after quarterback Nyhan scrambled to the right side and dove to the pylon. Concord’s joy did not last long because the Grizzlies’ gained 59 yards and their quarterback snuck into the end zone on the next play to take back the lead.

The Tide’s boys went into the locker room down 14-7, and with two turnovers with seemingly no answers for how to get the offense rolling and stop the Grizzlies’ run-game.

“We were beating ourselves,” said Jim Corkum, Concord’s head coach. “Getting turnovers and fumbles was something that a lot of teams won't be able to recover from. So I'm glad we were able to.”

But those problems disappeared in the second half, as the Tide shut the Grizzlies out entirely and clawed back.

“We made a few adjustments on our defensive line the second half to help free up our linebackers a little bit with some of their power run game,” Corkum said. “And I think that that helped. I mean we shut them out in the second half and came up with some big stops in some key moments.”

The Tide came out of the gate fiercely and scored a quick touchdown to open the third quarter after a bullet by Nyhan to senior Angelino Rodriguez and then a 15-yard run into the end zone by Savard.

“It was great, I ran my hardest, gave it my all,” said sophomore running back Savard, who was Concord’s workhorse on the two second-half scoring drives. “I’m feeling pumped. I’m ready to come back against Manchester. Show ‘em how the Tide rolls.”

Overall, the team clutched up when it mattered most to start their season the right way. Timothy Fahnbulleh showed sparks of brilliance on both sides of the ball, and Sawyer McCready had over six tackles that stalled Goffstown’s power runs. Nyhan and Savard sharpened their teeth, but there’s still a long road ahead for the Crimson Tide.

“You know, ball security is going to be a big focus this week,” said Concord running back coach, Mike Leonard, “tackling and overall, just running through the ball.”