Sports: Upset-Minded Belmont Football Falls to Final Minute Watertown FG, 24-22

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Photo: Belmont RB Ben Jones runs through a wide opening in the line to score late in the fourth quarter against Watertown.

In what will be remembered as an epic Thanksgiving Day clash, Belmont’s bid for a memorable upset of arch rivals and host Watertown was derailed by the foot of sophomore Conor Kennelly as the Raiders’ kicker hit a field goal from 35 yards out with 56 seconds remaining to give Watertown a 24-22 victory over the Mauraders on Thursday, Nov. 26 at Victory Field.

“We played a great football game, all aspects of it. Our coaches did a tremendous job, planning it up for them. I was really proud of the effort we put forth in this game,” said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kuman, who fought off his emotions to reach out to his players.

“I hope that we sent a message to people in general that Belmont football is on the rise and Belmont football is here to stay. Get ready for us because we’re going to lick our wounds and in a month we will be back in the weight room getting ready for 2016,” said Kuman.

Calling his team’s performance Thursday, “the season’s most complete game from both sides of ball,” Kuman said the players and coaches stayed with the plans mapped out in the past two weeks in preparation for Watertown’s rushing attack and strong defensive line

“We stuck with [our plan] even though we had some execution problems in the first quarter of defense, we didn’t abandon what we practiced and prepared for,” Kuman said. 

But for the fourth time in time this season, Belmont could not find a way to score or hold the lead at the end of the game.

“We have to be like the experience teams and know how to close out a game,” said Kuman.

One of Belmont’s season-long bugaboos raised its head once again as Watertown quickly marched down the field – aided by four offsides penalties against the Marauders – towards a go-ahead score. But Belmont’s interior defensive line spearheaded by senior Justin Aroyan and stopped Watertown’s running game inside the 5-yard line.

“The guys did a lot of work this week, and the coaches put in a lot of hours on the grease board and we came up with a good package,” said Kuman.

“We had faith in the guys in doing the job, and they did it,” he said., 

On his first passing attempt, Watertown junior QB Deon Smith threw the ball into the arms of junior Marauder defensive back Kevin Martin in the end zone at 4:43 in the first quarter.

After gaining a first down, Belmont’s drive stalled and on the subsequent punt attempt, the ball sailed over punter Aidan Cadogan’s head. When all was said and done, Watertown had the ball on the Marauders’ 19 when on their first play, Watertown’s Smith juked down the right side 19 yards for the opening touchdown with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.

After the kickoff, Belmont kept the ball for nearly eight minutes, mixing short runs by senior Mehki Johnson – which Watertown successfully bottled up for most of the game – and junior Ben Jones and passing by junior QB Cal Christofori to senior WR Justin Wagner (including a six-yard pickup on fourth down and four yards at the 18 yard line) culminating in Christofori finding senior WR Joe Shaughnessy on a seven-yard slant for the game-tying touchdown at 4:07 to the half.

Watertown quickly went downfield – helped by a Smith 30-yard run – finishing with senior running back Kyle Foley scoring on a 7-yard run with 41 seconds left.

But that was enough time for Christofori to complete three passes and for Johnson to break a 30 yard gain that allowed Cadogan to hit a line-drive field goal with three seconds remaining to cut the halftime lead to 14-10.

Watertown caught a break when the third quarter pooch kickoff eluded Belmont’s return team, and the Raiders recovered the ball on the Belmont 22. A few plays later, the score was 21-10 as Foley ran the ball in from 2 yards out early in the third.

But Belmont would not fold, coming out with a masterpiece of a drive,a 19 play, 11-minute possession (including a 15-yard roughing the passing personal foul on the Raiders) in which Belmont, behind the ever-improving offensive line – sophomores Dennis Crowley and Ryan Noone along with seniors Chris Piccione, Lowell Haska and Aroyan – and the bruising blocking from sophomore fullback Adam Deese saw Jones and Johnson eat up yards while Christofori connected with his favorite target Wagner.

The Marauders took the ball 81 yards where Johnson busted through for his 22nd touchdown of the season to shrink the lead to 21-16 with 9-minutes remaining. While it appeared Johnson had scored on the two-point conversion, the referees said the Belmont runner’s knee had first hit the ground.

A good kickoff return by Watertown was negated by a 15-yard personal foul penalty, and Belmont’s defense stuffed the Raiders on three consecutive plays. On fourth down, Wagner used his basketball reach to block the Watertown punt, and Belmont recovered the ball on the Raiders 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jones scored on a 4-yard run with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving Belmont a 22-21 lead after missing the two-point conversion.

Watertown had the ball on the Belmont 45 and nearly lost the ball on a fumble and a near interception. On fourth down and 4 yards at the 38, Smith’s pass was a poor one, and Belmont took over on downs with 3:56 to play and up by a point.

A Christofori sprint pass to Wagner and Deese run gave Belmont a first and ten at its 48-yard line with 2:56 remaining. It appeared Belmont had sealed the upset when Johnson sprinted to the Raiders 20-yard line with 2:39 left, but the Marauders were penalized for holding. Belmont punted with 1:39 left giving the Raiders the ball on its 19.

Some hard running by Smith and a timely pass to senior Tyler Poulin coupled with two near interceptions by Belmont where Watertown receivers had to play “defense” gave Kennelly the opportunity to play the hero of the day.

Watertown now leads the yearly contest 46-43-5.

Players and coaches were resolute in defeat, showing their disappointment but also congratulating each other for the season they completed.

“The big statement of this game would have been winning it. But we’re proud of what we accomplished. This was a program with one win in two seasons, and now we’ve won seven in two [years] and competitive in all but two games this season,” Kuman said.

“The only emotion I have right now is pride. I’m proud how the kids played this year, how the coaches led the players. We’re proud where we are and really proud of what we did,” he said.

Jason Gay Reads From New Book as Mom Steals the Show

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Photo: Stealing the show: Author Jason Gay with his proud mother, Marilyn.  

You can go home again. But you’ll probably have to share the moment with your mother.

And that was the case for the Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay as the Belmont-raised writer came back to his old hometown for a reading of his first book, “Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living” (224 pages, Random House) at the Belmont Public Library on Nov. 12.

While the night was advertised as a night with Gay, someone forgot to tell his “mommy,” long-time and well-known Winn Brook Elementary teacher Marilyn Gay, who, like any proud mother, was ever present to provide praise and more than a few words of encouragement for her son.

Gay did note his mother rated his book on the book website Goodreads with four stars out of five. While saying he’d happily take a four-star review from any other reviewer, “this is my mother!”

“Even if mom thought the book was above average, four-star material, isn’t your mom suppose to give you a charity star?” pondered Gay.

“Had I done something to offend mom?” said Gay, going so far as to think maybe the fourth star was the charity star. When he finally broached the subject with her, Gay’s mother said, “I thought I gave you four our of four. Let me change that right NOW!”

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“Anyone who knows me knows about my immense technological skills,” said Mrs. Gay.

“Mommy, this is my reading,” said Gay, to the amusement of the overflow crowd.

“For those of you who bought the book, Marilyn Gay will be signing them at the end of the evening,” he said. 

It was more a reunion than a book reading as the Assembly Room was well-packed – Gay said he was thankful a fire official wasn’t in attendance – with longtime friends, his mother’s longtime friends, relatives, family, neighbors, former Chenery Middle School English teachers, those who took tennis lessons from Jason and on-and-on.

“This is not necessarily thought I would say when I left Belmont in 1988 … There’s nothing like the passage of time to make you appreciate a place. And there is certainly nothing like having children of one’s own to understand what brought your parents to a place like this,” said Gay.

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After a journalistic odyssey that included stops at a weekly newspaper in Martha’s Vineyard, the Boston Phoenix, New York Observer, GQ, and Rolling Stone, Gay is the WSJ’s humorous sports columnist, which he wrote in the book is “about as stupid as lucky a job you can have.” 

“The kind of job that makes you think that one day a stern-faced man will appear at the door and say, ‘There’s been a terrible mistake. You’re supposed to be managing a karaoke bar for dogs’.”

Gay’s quirky and wry observations of sports and its absurdities has won him a following among Journal readers. He is also known for his annual column on rules for the Thanksgiving afternoon family football game.

The book has been receiving outstanding reviews – People magazine called it “Hilarious … a tasty collection of advice about, for instance, mastering the office Christmas party or how to dress a slightly exhausted hipster dad.” – making it an Amazon Best Book for November.

The collection of “advice” trends from the humorous (the family Thanksgiving chapter), pointed (the impact of being fired) and heartfelt.

Gay said with two very young children back with his wife in Brooklyn, “I will go anywhere to support this book. This could be a truck stop on Route 9,”

When asking a fellow writer from Brooklyn who Gay calls “the cynical author guy” told Gay to get used to readings at libraries or bookstores “where no one will be there!” Gay pulled out his phone and took a “selfie” with the overflow audience to send to his “grizzled” acquaintance.

“I’m going to send this to Sebastian Junger,” said Gay, noting his fellow Belmont-raised author “got just about the same number of people.

Little Victories “began as a silly idea” as “a rule book basically for people who can’t follow rules,”

But it changed to a collection of incidents, events in Gay’s life that were every day but still important. 

“This is the truth. I don’t really believe that … the most important things in life are these seismic events, whether it’s going to college or having a family or … swimming under all the chairs at the Underwood Pool. The truth is it’s often the little things – if I can remember to plug my cell phone in before going to bed, if I can get the children out the door without either one of them crying, if I can get the children out the door without me crying – those are little victories.”

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Gay then relayed the story of his father, educator and Cambridge Ringe and Latin tennis coach Ward Gay, and his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2014, and how friends and colleagues would be there for him, providing “simple things such as companionship, a conversation, a walk around the block when he felt up to [it].”

“These were small things, mundane life events but they became incredibly meaningful to all of us,” Gay recalled. And towards the end of his father’s life, it was “giving my dad these little victories, a little happiness, a little joy.”

“This isn’t just a business trip for me to come here to talk about a book. This is very personal not just because I grew up here but because my family has the deepest of deep roots here. This community has been here for my family repeatedly so thank you so much for that,” he said.

“That got a little heavy there for a second,” Gay said, flashing his trademark impish smile.

The remainder of the night was filled with stories, acknowledgements, and readings before both Gay and his mother ended the night autographing books.

Chair’s Sudden Resignation Has Planning Board Scrambling for New Member

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Photo: Mike Battista (right) and current Selectman Sami Baghdady.

The sudden and unexpected resignation of the popular chair of the Belmont Planning Board has town officials scrambling to fill that slot just as the board tackles several high-profile tasks.

The departure of Mike Battista on Nov. 11 is a significant loss to the board as he takes half a decade of experience and institutional history with him, having been on the board since 2010 and chair since 2013.

“I enjoyed my time as a member and as chair, I got to work with amazing people, both my colleagues on the Board as well as Town Staff and Residents. Giving back to a great Town was worthwhile and fulfilling. I leave with wonderful memories knowing the Board is in good hands,” he said, as former Warrant Committee Chair Elizabeth Allison temporarily takes over the board’s reins.

“Five years is longer than I hoped to be involved and I felt it was a perfect time to move on. My travel and work schedules are more demanding leaving less time for the important business of the Planning Board,” said the president of Moniques Bath Showroom in Watertown.

Battista leaves as the board is working to establish a sweeping town-wide zoning realignment for residential structures while shepherding the long-delayed Cushing Village complex towards a conclusion.

To fill this critical post, the Belmont Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers interested in serving on the Board for the remainder of Battista’s term that will expire on June 30, 2016.

The primary objective of the Planning Board is to protect and preserve the character and the quality of life that defines Belmont. The Board addresses numerous issues that will likely have an impact on Belmont’s future, such as:

  • drafting zoning proposals,
  • studying land-use patterns,
  • reviewing traffic concerns, and
  • evaluating specific development projects.

There is no set criteria for membership and those with a variety of backgrounds will be considered. Residents with a knowledge and experience in the areas of land use, planning, and related law are highly encouraged to apply.

To apply, residents must complete a Community Volunteer Interest Form and submit it to the Office of the Board of Selectmen along with the requested supporting documents.

Interest forms can be obtained on the Selectmen’s page of the Town website or by visiting the office during regular business hours. The Office of the Board of Selectman is located in Town Hall; forms can be submitted via e-mail to selectmen@belmont-ma.gov.

The deadline for applying for the position is Wednesday, Dec. 9.

 

Sports: Nally Steals Show at All-Star Showcase

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Photo: Serena Nally at the “Best of 60” all-star game.

Belmont High School senior Serena Nally stole the show at an all-star game for the best field hockey players in Massachusetts on Sunday.

A co-captain on Belmont’s 16-3 team, Nally scored two goals and handed out an assist as the North team defeated the squad from central Massachusetts, 4 to 1, at the “Best of 60 Senior All-Star Game” held Sunday, Nov. 22 at Bentley College. 

Nally is only the second Belmont High player to have been selected for the showcase game sponsored by the Massachusetts State Field Hockey Coaches Association, joining Becca Moore, who went on to play four years at Bentley.  

Town Wide, Town Meeting Nomination Papers Available Next Week

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Photo: Nomination papers 

Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman told The Belmontonian nomination papers for Town Meeting and Town-wide office will be available at the Clerk’s Office starting next week. 

Cushman said she has yet to set the deadline for returning nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s office. 

The 2016 Town Election will take place on Tuesday, April 5. 

If you’re thinking of running for elected office in Belmont, Cushman is advising potential “runners” to take a look at the guide for Belmont’s elected government and how to run for elected office in the “Town of Homes.”

To be considered a candidate for town-wide office (such as selectman, school committee and several boards), you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter in Belmont.

All candidates for town-wide office must secure the signatures of at least 50 registered Belmont voters. Cushman recommends that more signatures are collected and submitted in the event that some signatures are invalid. Holiday parties and get-togethers are great places to start gathering signatures.

Town Meeting Members whose terms expire in 2016 will receive a letter from the Town Clerk’s office by January asking if you would like to be considered a candidate for re-election. The member must sign and return the affirmation form to the Town Clerk’s office to be considered a candidate for re-election. 

Candidates for Town Meeting must secure the signatures of at least 25 registered voters from the precinct and return the signed nomination papers. Once again, Cushman recommends that more signatures are collected and submitted in the event that some signatures are invalid.

Sixty-six Belmont Student Musicians Earn District Honors

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Photo: Belmont High student musicians.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, 143 Belmont High School music students traveled to North Andover High School to audition for the Massachusetts Music Educators Northeast District Senior Festival. These students were among the 1,127 students from surrounding towns vying for the opportunity to perform in one of the District Honors ensembles: Band, Chorus, Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble. Each student worked for months to prepare for their audition, which required a great amount of time, effort and courage.

Belmont is proud to announce that 66 Belmont student musicians were accepted to perform in the Senior District Festival. The number of students choosen matches the all-times high for acceptances from BHS set in 2014, which included many of the same musicians.

Additionally, more than half, 36, of those selected also earned All-State Recommendations, offering them the opportunity to audition for the MMEA All-State Festival in January.

Join the district in congratulating the following students on their acceptance into one of the Senior District Honors Ensembles (*denotes All-State Recommendation):

  • Jason Ackerson, trombone
  • Sam Bastille, chorus
  • James Boyle, chorus
  • Anthony Bulat, chorus
  • Caroline Burns, chorus
  • Erin Cantor, viola
  • *Eleanor Carlile, French horn
  • *Jessica Chen, viola
  • Josie Cooper, clarinet
  • Ben Crocker, chorus
  • *Jocelyn Cubstead, chorus
  • Benjy Cunningham, chorus
  • Victor Dankens, chorus
  • Eleanor Dash, trumpet
  • *Ammu Dinesh, bassoon
  • * Julia Fontana, cello
  • * Mary Gastian, chorus
  • Christopher Giron, bassoon
  • Fiona Grant, clarinet
  • * Tenny Gregorian, chorus
  • Peter Grifiths, chorus
  • * Hisako Gutterman, trombone
  • Sammy Haines, chorus
  • Seneca Hart, chorus
  • * Kiara Holm, clarinet
  • * Wonyoung Jang, euphonium
  • Rachel Jansen, cello
  • Kevin Ji, violin
  • * Eliza Jones, French horn
  • * Brandon Kim, violin
  • * Helena Kim, euphonium
  • Isabelle Kim, violin
  • * James Kitch, cello
  • Elizabeth Knight, string bass
  • * David Korn, chorus
  • * Oliver Leeb, chorus
  • * Stephen Lucas, clarinet
  • Meggie MacAulay, chorus
  • Anna Makar-Limanov, chorus
  • Wilder Manion, chorus
  • * Raffi Manjikian, chorus
  • * Eli Martin, trombone
  • * Hannah Messenger, French horn
  • * Alex Park, jazz trumpet
  • * Georgia Parsons, chorus
  • * Maerose Pepe, chorus
  • * Calvin Perkins, trumpet
  • * Olivia Pierce, chorus
  • * Audrey Quinn, violin
  • * Connor Quinn, chorus
  • * Hannah Read, flute/piccolo
  • Paul Rhee, violin
  • * Annalise Schlaug, cello
  • * Lila Searls, alto saxophone
  • * Ned Searls, trumpet
  • * Sam Sorensen, chorus
  • * Lea Grace Swinson, chorus
  • Gillian Tahajian, flute
  • Swapnil Thapa, chorus
  • * Rafi Wagner, trombone
  • Tina Wang, euphonium
  • * Quincy Webb, chorus
  • Alexander Wilk, viola
  • Jiwon Yoon, cello
  • Lara Zeng, violin
  • * Anya Zhang, flute

This Week: Thanksgiving Day Game, String-a-Rama Monday, Small Business Saturday

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Photo: 2014 Thanksgiving Game between Belmont and Watertown. 

On the government side of “This Week”:

  • The Other Post-Employment Benefits Funding Advisory Group is meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall where members will report on what they are doing and the public can express its opinion.

• Music & Movement with Rubi, a movement and music program recommended for ages 3 to 5 (but 2-year-olds are welcome) will be held in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room on Monday, Nov. 23. There will be two sessions: 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• ESL Conversation Circle for beginners takes place on Monday, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• Help test a new product before it goes into production. WatchRx is holding a focus group meeting open to all, on Monday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. Their device, now in development, reminds wearers when they need to take medications. Give your feedback on how it works and how it could be improved. Please stop by to share your opinions with staff from the WatchRx company.

• The holidays are underway with the first of the “Rama”s as Belmont’s Fine and Performing Arts Department hosts “String-a-Rama,” the town-wide orchestra concert. The concert is being directed by orchestra director Margot Reavey. The concert begins at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, in the Belmont High School auditorium.

• Wednesday, Nov. 25, is (yet another) Early Release Day for all grades in the Belmont Public Schools. Using a baseball term, Wednesday is a Getaway Day. But before closing, Belmont High School will be holding its annual shenanigans known as the Pep Rally with each class attempting to best (or embarrass) their peers.

• If you’re looking for a great book or a holiday movie to watch over the holiday weekend, remember the Belmont Public Library will close early Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m.

• Thursday, Nov. 26, the annual Belmont/Watertown Thanksgiving Day Football game will this year take place at Watertown’s Victory Field with kick-off scheduled at 10:15 a.m. Also featured will be the 100+ member Belmont High Marching Band. And, yes, they do serve hot dogs at the Watertown concession stand.

• All Belmont town offices and the Belmont Public Library will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26 and 27, for the Thanksgiving

• Saturday, Nov. 28 is Small Business Saturday, the relatively new annual event – conceived and promoted by American Express – encouraging holiday shoppers to patronize small and local businesses in their hometown and surrounding communities. This is especially true this year in Belmont as all three business centers experience (or are continuing to experience) big construction projects impacting the bottom line.

Sports: Despite Blake-West, Kalavantis Double Firsts, Belmont Second Again in Swimming Championships

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Photo: Belmont High’s Swimming and Diving with their Finalist Trophy.

Despite winning five events from a veteran superstar and a young phenom, Belmont High School Girls’ Swimming and Diving team could not match the depth of Bishop Feehan High School of Attleboro as the Marauders finished second behind the Shamrocks for the third consecutive year at the MIAA Division 2 Swimming and Diving Championships held at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool on Sunday, Nov. 22.

“I couldn’t be prouder of these girls and how they swam,” said Ev Crosscup, Belmont’s long-time coach at the end of the meet.

“Give all credit to Bishop Feehan, they have excellent swimmers and great coaches. I take the blame for not having the girls ready for this meet. I thought we could get some of the same times as in the sectionals but, I can’t think of it right now how we could have prepared any better than we did,” said Crosscup. 

Belmont’s 293 points total tops last year’s 239 points and the team’s previous high of 287.5 points in 2013. Bishop Feehan’s 21 point margin of victory, 314 to 293, is half the difference of 2014. It is the second time Belmont has finished second for three consecutive years, the first time in 1984-6, behind Acton-Boxborough.

“We had to swim an almost historic meet to win,” said Assistant Coach Gretchen Turner. “We just missed it.” 

While Belmont topped Bishop Feehan in overall event victories, five to one (the Shamrock’s only win was senior Hannah Phelan narrow victory in 1-meter diving), Feehan’s overall strength were swimmers who scored high in each event – coming in third six times and second once with two swimmers scoring in the top 10 several times – while Belmont and Reading, which finished third, did not score or only garnered a few points in a handful of events.

But this year’s meet will be known for the performance of two Belmont swimmers; senior powerhouse talent Jessie Blake-West and freshman sensation Nicole Kalavantis.

The most versatile and complete athlete seen in Division 2 in years, Blake-West stole the show with a pair of memorable victories in her final high school meet. 

Blake-West’s most impressive performance was her solo swim in the 100-yard butterfly, where she was the two-time defending champion, winning in a season’s best 54.66 seconds, destroying the previous meet record by nearly two seconds and solidifying her automatic National Scholastic All-American status, the only swimmer who came close to that honor at the event. 

“It’s a challenge when you’re out-in-front, and you have to race the clock and yourself rather than people next to you,” said Blake West.

“But it’s a lesson that I’ve learned throughout all my [state championship] races and I’ve definitely learned to race myself. So it was great, I definitely going for my own record from last year and I got it! I’m really happy with that,” she said.

What made Blake-West’s accomplishment even more impressive is it came less than 30 minutes after the state’s most dominant swimmer took apart a veteran field to win the 50-yard freestyle sprint in 23.85 seconds, defeating season leader Lily Gribbel of Wellesley by .40 seconds. Blake-West, who is expected to attend and swim for Brown next year, declined to defend her 200 Individual Medley title in a strategic move to allow her to have something left in the tank for a possible deciding final relay. 

Championship Sunday was also the coming out party for potentially Belmont’s next great swimmer. Kalavantis took her first title in dramatic fashion, storming from behind in the final 50 yards to shot by the leader, Central Catholic’s Kylee Dion, to win by two lengths, dipping under two minutes with a 1 minute, 58.91-second mark. 

“I was seeded first and I knew I was really far behind so I said, ‘I got to win this for Belmont so I kinda like sprinted and I won,” said Kalavantis.

If her first victory was close, Kalavantis’ second, the 500-yard freestyle marathon, was a runaway as the 9th grader left fellow freshman standout Molly Williams of Melrose after 100 yards and put together a command performance as she took the title in 5:17.97, just off her season’s best of 5:16.45 set last week at the North Sectionals. 

“It was really exciting, I was a thrill,” said Kalavantis of her duel victories.

Belmont started the meet behind the eight-ball after the first event when Reading defeated the defending champions Marauders, 1:51.76 to 1:52.04, with seniors Emily Quinn (breaststroke) and Blake-West – both were seeking to be on the victorious relay for the third time – could not bridge the gap and provide enough of a lead to allow Belmont to take the title. Coming in second saw Belmont give up six valuable points.

In the 100 breaststroke, co-captain Quinn broke 1:10 (1:09.57) to finish third behind freshman Olivia Mozoki from Marshfield, who was the only other winner of two individual events, going along with the 200 IM. Quinn was joined by junior Dervla Moore-Frederick, who took sixth (12 points) in 1:12.17 and freshman Angela Li in 13th (4 points) in 1:14.12. Sophomore Caroline Daskalakis rounded out the field in 21st.

While giving back a bit of time from sectionals, Belmont’s swimmers took the challenge and swam with a lot of guts as they faced a steep climb against two talented teams (Reading defeated Belmont at Higgenbottom Pool last month).

Freshman Sophie Butte swam backstroke in the medley relay, scored 7 points each time finishing 10th in both the 50 and 100 yards free (25.89 and 56.78). Sophomore Julia Bozkurtian also swam on the medley relay and finished 16th in the 50 yard free.

Senior captain Sara Noorouzi and Elizabeth Levy scored in the 200 free in 13th and 14th while Moore-Frederick took 9th in the 200 IM in 2:20.80 with Li in 14th (2:24.36) in the same event. Quinn took a 13th in the butterfly (1:03.51).

Joining Kalavantis in the 500 with points were Levy in 9th (5:35.15), and Noorouzi (5:40.70) and junior Allie Beecroft (5:40.93) in 14th and 15th.

Junior Molly Thomas placed 12th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:03.90) joined by sophomore Stephanie Zhang and junior Grace Newberry in 17th and 19th.

Belmont’s freshman-laded 200-yard relay of froshs Butte, Li and Kalavantis with senior Solvay Metelmann (who also swam the 50 free) swam under its qualifying time by nearly half-a-second to claim 5th in 1:44.73.

By the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, Belmont was seeking to place its own explanation point on the night while nailing down second place. Bozkurtian led off with a stellar swim keeping up with a pair of strong swimmers from Reading and Bishop Feehan. 

Levy in second held the gap to a reasonable distance in third as Kalavantis entered the pool for the fourth time having gone nearly half-a-mile in the water against two fresh swimmers. 

As with her earlier races, it took some time for her to get up to speed but was able to touch off to Blake-West even with Reading and Bishop Feehan. 

Swimming against 100 yard free specialists who finished third and fourth in the event, Blake-West separated from the pack early and hammered home in 3:40.84, defeating Bishop Feehan by a three-and-a-half seconds, giving her and Kalavantis their third title of the afternoon. 

“I loved going out on a high note with a third win. High School season is definitely has been one of the best experiences I’ve had so I’m really excited to take these successes and take them to college and see how I’ll do with them there,” said Blake-West, just before joining the team and Crosscup for photos with the state finalist trophy.

Sports: Brams Takes 14th in All-States X-C Championship, Belmont Girls’ Race to 14th

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Photo: Belmont’s Leah Brams in the lead pack early in the Div. 1 All-States meet. 

Belmont High four-year star Leah Brams finished her brilliant high school cross-country career running to a 14th-place finish in a stacked field in the MIAA Division 1 All-States Cross Country Championships held at Stanley Park in Westfield on Saturday, Nov. 21.

The three-time Middlesex League champion led Belmont to a 14th place finish with 312 points, the first time Belmont has been in the championship in more than a dozen years. 

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Belmont’s Sara Naumann.

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Belmont senior Sophia Klimasmith.

Brams’ time, 18 minutes, 32.56 seconds over the 5 kilometer (3.1 miles) course, is a personal best in the state championships for the senior. The race was won by Lincoln-Sudbury senior Ariel Keklak in 17:25 with Needham taking the team title. 

Following Brams in second was junior Sara Naumann (who also finished her career at Belmont High School with the championship race) who scored 41 points for Belmont racing in at 19:.37.8.

Running her strongest race of the year, senior Sophia Klimasmith once again scored top points for the Marauders with 64 points finishing in 20:10.3.

Finishing up Belmont’s scoring was freshman Audrey Christo in 20:23.8 (81 points) and senior Meredith Hughes in 21:15.8 (114). Sophomore Camilla Carere (21:44.2) and senior Emma Chambers (22:16.6) rounded out the effort. 

Now the top runner in the state can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they don’t have to worry about Brams’ day-glo socks tracking them down as the Belmont resident transititions to her strongest sport, nordic skiing, and an opportunity to seek national recognition in cross country skiing. 

Sold in Belmont: Somerset Street’s Shooting Star Flares Out

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Photo: The drone view of 240 Somerset. 

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240 Somerset St. Failed modern residence (2010). Sold: $2,300,000.

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17 Hammond Rd. Side-entry Colonial (1925). Sold: $930,000.

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97 Channing Rd. Side-entry Colonial (1935). Sold: $654,500.

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39 Sharpe Rd. Split-level Ranch (1955). Sold: $800,000.

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6 Stella Rd. Brick and shingle Tudor (1931). Sold: $1,000,000.

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65 Bow Rd. Garrison Colonial (1932). Sold: $1,154,000.

 

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 240 Somerset St. Failed modern residence (2010). Sold: $2,300,000. Listed at $3,450,000. Living area: 4,166 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. On the market: A year-and-a-half.

• 17 Hammond Rd. Side-entry Colonial (1925). Sold: $930,000. Listed at $999,000. Living area: 2,481 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 82 days. 

• 97 Channing Rd. Side-entry Colonial (1935). Sold: $654,500. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,481 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 77 days.

• 6 Stella Rd. Brick and shingle Tudor  (1931). Sold: $1,000,000. Listed at $1,095,000. Living area: 2,560 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 105 days.

• 39 Sharpe Rd. Split-level Ranch (1955). Sold: $800,000. Listed at $799,000. Living area: 1,485 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 77 days.

• 65 Bow Rd. Garrison Colonial (1932). Sold: $1,154,000. Listed at $1,125,000. Living area: 2,732 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 57 days.

Do you smell smoke on Somerset Street? Oh, don’t worry, it’s only the owners’ hoped for sales price for an ever-so-hip manse that crashed and burned around them. The mansion that was described as “look[ing] like a space capsule” fell more than $1 million short of its original list price after taking nearly a year-and-a-half to find its actual value. 

So how did a house designed by a signature Boston architect and built on Belmont Hill across the street from the Habitat – that itself cost seven figures to purchase – take such a dive, falling from an asking $3.45 million to sell at the bargain of $2.3 million? Well, how about a little history.

Before 2005, there was a modest house owned by the artist Elizabeth Archer on an acre-and-a-half at the tip-top of Somerset Street. Looking at the site and calculating all the money he could make developing the site, developer Ed Fay of Belmont Builders Trust gave Archer an offer she could not refuse: $2,250,000 for everything, building and land. No fool, Liz took the money and Fay kept the property in his back pocket looking to sell the property for a quick profit down the road.

But Fay waited a bit too long as the real estate market for upscale homes softened considerably with the financial meltdown of 2008. By 2009, Fay was only too happy to unload the site for $2.5 million ($1.3 million for 240 Somerset and $1.2 for 250) to a pair of “long-time friends who desired residencies in proximity to each other, and who intend to reside in these new homes with their families.”

The two were Dr. Alexandra Vacroux and Andrea Rutherford, besties since the time they were working finance in the Wild West known as post-Soviet Russia when oligarchs ruled the land and money flowed like Tovaritch vodka in a Moscow nightclub. Since Vacroux was at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies and Rutherford was attending THE Law School, why not plop down a little over a million each and the pair can be a real life Rhoda Morgenstern and Mary Taylor Moore.

While Vacroux, at 250 Somerset St., went with a more traditional semi-Colonial/Farm House design (which, in itself, is quite interesting and aesthetically pleasing), Rutherford and her husband, former Wall Street Journal journalist, author and Pulitzer Prize winner David McClintick, decided to build with a concept in mind; the heavens and the road home. As a rock album in which all the songs relate back to a central story (re The Who’s “Quadrophenia”), this house’s narrative would be the North Star.

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250 Somerset St.

And talk over the top: dubbed the “Polaris House,” the 4,000 sq.-ft.-plus abode was designed by Boston architect Robert Augustine (you can see another of Augustine’s designs – and wonderful success – on the Cambridge-side of Grove Street at 219 Grove) is a modern-day manse representing “New American Architecture” in three parts, a pair of stubby wings centered by a zinc-clad silo. You open the front door and just hope a cascade of corn doesn’t bury you. To get to the living quarters, you need to hike up a not-so-special metal circular stairway up into the circular room with the 19-foot high ceiling. Getting dizzy?

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Robert Augustine’s-designed house at 219 Grove Street in Cambridge.

Upstairs, one bedroom has the North Star skylight, there are large windows that overlook the Habitat and a kitchen finished in “a burnt orange, metallic, automobile-quality paint.” To each, their own.

The couple spent about $2 million building the home, completed in 2011. All totaled, think at least $3.5 million for the land, construction and landscaping the one-acre.

But it didn’t appear living in the ‘burbs – where your closest neighbors is the stray pack of Eastern wolf-coyote hybrids – in a big ol‘ house where you had to descend Somerset St. (last paved in the middle of the last century) to get to Belmont’s single renowned restaurant made it for the couple. Like the reverse of Green Acres:

Darling, I love you,

But give me Park Avenue!

Which for the couple, it was decamping to Andover (Belmont North, with better roads). 

So, what to do with Polaris? And here’s the issue for any salesperson: when it comes to custom homes: one couple’s concept and vision are a potential buyer’s deal buster. Whenever the term “eccentric” and “quirky” are used describing a house, you’ve got your work cut out for you.  

Just take a look at the big feature: the skylight aligned with Polaris. It’s all well and good that you can peer out to see the North Star, but unless you’re an astrophysicist, after the first dozen times most people could care less as it’s covered with three feet of snow and ice for four months of the year. For the select number of buyers who are looking for a multi-million home on a road that resembles a cow path in the Swiss Alps, you want some practical features along with the unique. And how many times did the salesperson hear, “How much is it going to cost to have some beautiful wooden cabinets put in the kitchen? We’re not into auto parts.”

Not that the seller didn’t pull all the stops, going so far as getting Boston Magazine – the Hub’s version of Tatler for the smart set – to run an ad/article last year.

But nothing seemed to help. And the fall was brutal: It went on the market on Memorial Day weekend in 2014 and sold a week before Thanksgiving, 2015. It must have felt like being in a meat grinder. 

May 27, 2014: $3,450,000

Oct. 7, 2014: $2,950,000

May 5, 2015: $3,200,000

July 13, 2015: $2,950,000

July 17, 2015: $2,795,000

Aug. 12, 2015: $2,650,000

Sept. 15, 2015: $2,699,000

Oct. 19, 2015: $2,599,000

Nov. 18, 2015: $2,300,000 and sold.

Minus original costs, commissions, taxes and other expenses, the former owners took a bath of more than a $1 million on their trip to Polaris. 

In a funny way, the problem with the house was location, location, location. Polaris would be a big hit in Palo Alto or Mercer Island, where some 30-something app millionaire would find it cool to put his “man cave” in the skylight room and have the North Star shine in as he plays “Fallout 4,” and not so much the staid mutual fund exec or medical insurance senior VP who are seeking a three SUV garage and hates the idea of walking up all those steps, despite the celestial view.