Dozens Of NH Wrestlers Hit The Mats At Concord High School’s Capital City Classic

CONCORD, NH — Wrestlers from five New England states representing dozens of schools will be in Concord on Saturday for the Capital City Classic Wrestling Tournament.

The tourney, in its 33rd year, will feature more than 250 wrestlers from Amherst (Souhegan), Bedford, Bow, Concord, Hampton (Winnacunnet), Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Windham, as well as other schools in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The event is also the year's biggest fundraiser for the Concord wrestling boosters. Organizers hope to raise between $10,000 and $12,000 for the program.

Wrestling begins at 8 a.m. at Concord High School, 170 Warren St.

Ham Munnell, one of Concord’s wrestling coaches, said the school was looking forward to hosting the event.

“This is a great weekend for the Concord wrestling program,” he said. “It’s always a great event and brings a lot of excitement to the community.”

Businesses and supporters assisting this year include Angelina’s Ristorante Italiano, The Barley House, Chris Bartlett, Mapolo Buessing, Capital City Garage Door, Checkmate Pizza, Shirley Colby, Concord Food Co-Op, Crust and Crumb, Flanagan’s South Ender, Lee Miller, Olive Garden, Harry Paul, Shaw’s, Tyler Saltsman, Christine Schinella, Smokeshow Barbeque, Speedy Printing, Starbucks, Eaton Tarbell, Tuckers, The Weathervane Restaurant, The Windmill Restaurant.

Munnell said the school’s varsity wrestling squad was “eager to compete Saturday and is hungry for the challenge.”

Since 1991, 40 CHS wrestlers have won in the tournament, including Austin Wells last year in the 220-pound weight class and Jordan Reyes in the 145, Kaevryel Madison in the 152, Kody Rashed in the 195, and Jaycee Haskell in the 220 in 2022. Coach Nick “Tiny” Zeras, who is also an SAU 8 teacher, won in the 275-weight class in 1997 and 1998, while another teacher and coach, Dan Breen, won in the 103-pound category in 2007. George Tarwo, a Concord police officer and prior coach, won in 2016 and 2017 in the 182-pound weight class.

The Crimson Tide team has about 36 wrestlers for the 2023-2024 season.

“I want to thank all the people who work so hard to make this such a great event,” Munnell said.

Donations can also be made via Venmo at @CHSwrestlingboosters.

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