Ledyard — Allyn Quibble's perch for his coaching debut Wednesday night at Standish Gym:

Behind him: Twenty-two state championship wrestling banners crowding the walls.

In front of him: His high school coach and mentor, Steve Bilheimer, a man who authored nine of those 22 titles, watching from the bleachers adjacent to the mat.

"No pressure, right?" Quibble said with a grin.

Ah, but Quibble's debut went like most of the other matches have gone inside Ledyard's venerable gym. The Colonels won, this time dispatching Waterford 48-28.

"I was nervous the whole day," said Quibble, a 2001 Ledyard grad who wrestled on two state championship teams. "Thankfully, I have Bill (Glenney) who is a really good assistant and I have Steve I can still talk to. He keeps me calm."

Nine different Colonels won matches, including Connor Doran, who edged Mason Concascia 4-3 at 126 pounds. Concascia defeated Doran two of three times last season.

Justin Kinney (220), Davin McIver (heavyweight), Juan Garcia (113), Doug Sattler (120 by forfeit), Jacob Foster (132), Caden Foote (145), Mason Bennett (152) and Brayden Grim (170) also won matches for Ledyard.

"I liked how enthusiastic the kids were," Quibble said. "They all went out and did their job. We know what the expectations are here. That's why we just want them to focus on not looking too far ahead. You start doing that and you're all over the place."

Jackson Harshberger (195) won for Waterford, as did Brody Ruest (106), Joe Morgan (138), AJ Sachatello (160) and Eli Morosky (182).

Giuseppe Satti (195) of St. Bernard, who is wrestling with Waterford this season, also won a match by pinfall. Satti and Jeremy Foular of St. Bernard, while wrestling with Waterford, still represent St. Bernard as a "team of one," under CIAC rules.

"It's not an easy place to open, but it's good to start here because Ledyard is always prepared and well-coached," Waterford coach Chris Gamble said. "I saw some inexperienced kids for us on the mat tonight, but also giving everything they had. Some kids are only a few weeks into this. That's a challenge."

m.dimauro@theday.com