Opinion: A ‘Yes’ Vote For A New Rink Is A Choice For A Better Future

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Photo: Poster of the ‘Yes for the Rink‘ campaign

By Sheryl Grace, Kayla Wiggin, Lucinda Zuniga

On November 8th, Belmont voters have the chance to save two community assets by voting yes on the Debt Exclusion for the rink and field sports facilities. The Skip Viglirolo Rink and White Field House are both well beyond their useful lives. Reports dating back to 1999 document the code issues and decaying nature of the buildings leading the town to identify these buildings as part of the infrastructure plan along with many other facilities in Belmont. The identified facilities were treated with only small Band-Aids over the past 20 years because larger Band-Aids would have cost more and still not enabled the buildings to come off of the list. Belmont has chipped away at the list completing fire stations, schools, town buildings, the pool, etc. It is now down to the rink, field house and library.  

Twenty plus years after the infrastructure list was created, the rink and White Field House are on the brink of being shuttered. The Youth Valley League already pulled out of using the rink deeming it unfit. This means that the Belmont Youth Hockey program does not have any home games in Belmont. Other skating clubs have stopped using the rink as well. The White Field House was slated to be demolished because its issues are beyond treatment and when the initial number of parking spaces requested for the new high school was made, a plan to use the field house land was hatched. Because of pandemic related cost increases related to the high school project, the demolition did not happen. This is fortunate as there was no plan for replacing the functions of the field house. The high school football, hockey, ski and lacrosse teams would currently be without a locker room and the Department of Public Works would be without storage for field maintenance equipment. 

It is very important for citizens to understand that the use of these buildings cannot be extended with even large Band-Aids for very far into the future. When shuttered, there will be a significant cost to demolish and remediate the site; football, hockey, ski, and boys lacrosse will lose the use of a locker room area for storing their sports equipment; 400 BYHA families will be driving to other rinks the entire season; the Belmont High School hockey teams will look to the school and town budgets for the $250,000 or more each year to pay for ice time and transportation; the BHS hockey teams will have either very early or very late practice times and no longer benefit from the support of a hometown crowd; the women’s and men’s hockey leagues and the S.P.O.R.T. program that use the rink will be displaced; the public skates, puck-n’-sticks and PTA skating events will cease. 

On November 8th, Belmont has the chance to choose a better future scenario that will not only avoid the aforementioned outcomes but benefit the community greatly. The planned building will combine the current functions of the rink and White Field House, provide new functions, and be more energy and cost efficient to operate. The new functions include locker room opportunities for field sports. Many currently have no place to put their backpacks during practice or an indoor space for team discussions which is particularly unfortunate when it is torrentially raining. The building will provide bathrooms, concessions and a warming space for events in the rink and on the adjacent fields. A room above the front community area will provide additional viewing of the rink and fields to the west and be available for rental. Should the ice sheet be removed in the summer, the space would be available for Recreation Department programming which has not been possible for the past 15 years because of issues with the current sublayer of the ice. 

The cost, while not finalized, has been projected to be around $30 million. This is more than the cost of a “rink in the box” because it includes the required demolition and site remediation; design work to create a building that includes all the features requested by the Select Board that does not encroach on the fields west of the rink; a structure strong enough to support solar on the roof; the solar panels; and the green space and parking near the building. The new functions that are included in the new building that are not in the existing buildings enable support of more student athletes and enhance the energy efficiency and revenue potential of the space. Based on past ballot measures, the estimated debt translates into about $300 additional in property taxes per year for a median valued home for the duration of the debt. (This tax figure is an estimate and has not been officially provided by the Assessor’s office.) 

It is envisioned that the facility will be like other town-owned rinks in nearby communities that are revenue neutral or revenue generating. Income will come from ice rental by the Belmont Youth Hockey, mens and womens leagues, skate rental for public skate, the Valley League, nearby private schools, club programs, and recreation department programs. The building will service more than 800 student athletes a year through the youth and high school sport programs as well as all in the community that attend their games at the rink or adjacent fields. Thriving youth and high school sports programs feed community pride and are a sign of a healthy, vibrant town.

We hope that Belmont supports this tradition by voting yes on Ballot Question 6, the Debt Exclusion for the rink and field sports facilities. 

Sheryl Grace, Kayla Wiggin & Lucinda Zuniga are co-chairs of the Yes For the Rink

Welcome Home: Belmont Harriers Open New Course With A Double Victory [VIDEO]

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Photo: A Belmont High harrier on their home course for the first time

After three years wandering the Middlesex League to run as visitors on opponent’s courses, Belmont High Cross Country teams finally has a place they can call their own.

And what a place to hold a meet: a new course on the a gently rolling terrain of Rock Meadow Conservation Area off Mill Street. Using existing portions of the Western Greenway, the 2.9 miles multi loop course transverse the 70-acre of high grass meadow, tree-lined trails as well as the wooden boardwalk over the deep emergent marsh. Being a loop race course, fans can stand at one location and watch the progress of the runners during the competition.

Rock Meadow replaces the former trek around Clay Pit Pond and the fields surrounding the former high school which was abandoned with the construction of the new Middle and High School project.

“The coaches [Melissa Tkacs and William Brotchie] went through a long list and Rock Meadow is such a beautiful place,” said Adam Pritchard, Belmont Schools Athletic Director, noting the land had been used by other cross country programs – Belmont Hill and Harvard intermural – in recent years. “We decided to ask the town … and we were fortunate enough to have access for three home meets.”

With a course that embraces nature in protected greenspace that highlights the changing seasons as the autumn foliage starts to take hold, Belmont’s Rock Meadow home is one of the most esthetically appealing in the Middlesex League if not eastern Massachusetts.

At the first meet of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 29, Belmont’s runners secured 15-45 victories – taking the first five places – in the boys’ and girls’ races against Stoneham. Sophomore Jared Rife (16 minutes, 44 seconds) and senior Stella Lesnik (time to come) crossed the finish line first, giving them the inaugural course and Belmont High records for the new home.

Belmont will race on their home course twice more this season; hosting Lexington on Tuesday, Sept. 27 and Reading on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The meets start at 4 p.m.

Belmont Boys’ Soccer Miss (Many) Chances v. Melrose In Home Opener, Tie Watertown On Soccer Night In Belmont

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Photo: Belmont High senior Lucas Alvarez-Fernandez in action vs Melrose High on Monday, Sept. 12 at Belmont’s Harris Field

You don’t need to travel to the southwestern part of the US to witness a drought. You could have just come to Harris Field last week to see Belmont High Boys’ Soccer play its first two home games of the 2022 season to experience a real dry spell.

After a successful away campaign to open the season, with victories over Stoneham (3-0) and Winchester (3-1), the Marauders’ scoring prowess went hiding as the squad was shut out by Melrose 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Watertown under the lights on Soccer Night in Belmont.

But it was not for lack of effort. In both losses, Belmont held the majority of possession and had the better chances at the net. But where the team controlled the midfield with its trademark deft passing that led to open shots, none beat the opposing keeper.

Going into its home game against Reading on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Belmont stands at 2-1-1.

“We knew right from the beginning of the season that we had all the pieces in place, except for potentially those guys that are going to get the ball in the net,” said second-year head coach Niman Kenkre after the Watertown game. That wasn’t the case in the first two games as senior Lucas Alvarez-Fernandez and sophomore Daniel Liu opened their accounts with a pair of goals with goalie Thomas Borkowski keeping a clean sheet at Stoneham.

Against Melrose on Monday, Sept. 12, Belmont was on the front foot in the first half with Liu hitting the post, and a Patrick Tang pass/shot dribbled along the goal line unable to find a friendly foot to steer it home. The attacks continued in the second half with junior Nikolas Stefanovic‘s cleaver back heel in front of the net just missed being a highlight reel tally while junior Sachil Kenkre had a couple of attempts that sailed just over the bar. Those almost/nearly opportunities came to bite the Marauders

Before a large crowd on Saturday, Belmont demonstrated its skill in advancing the ball with medium to short passes through the heart of the Raiders’ midfield. But once again, shots on the net were launched over the bar rather than steered into the net or the Marauders’ attempted one-too-many passes or touches that allowed an good Watertown defense to take the block. While the game officially ended in a tie, the game went to penalty shots to determine the winner of the Phoenix Cup, the Soccer Night in Belmont trophy. Despite two excellent saves by Borkowski, Watertown would take home the silverware this year.

“I’ve got to figure out how we’re gonna get goals because we don’t have that hunger in the box right now, and I may need to change some things tactically. It’s two games in a row where we’ve had perfect possession, excellent chances, and we couldn’t bundle the ball over the line,” he said.

And while Belmont is facing admittingly “big games” in the week against Reading on Tuesday and Arlington on Saturday, there’s no panic on the Marauder sideline, among the coaches or players.

“It’s not the end of the world. It’s early in the season when we’re ready to right the ship,” said Kenkre.

“I’m not unhappy with the way that we’re playing. We just need to play that way for 80 minutes, not 40 or 60.”

A Race That Makes A Difference: 10th FBE Apple Run 5K/2K; Sunday, Oct. 2

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Photo: And they are off in the 10th FBE Apple Run

This is a run that makes a difference.

Now in its 10th year, the Foundation for Belmont Education Apple Run 5K/2K will see hundreds of runners take to the streets of Belmont to support public education and innovation in the Belmont Public Schools. Since the inaugural event in 2013, the Apple Run has raised more than $200,000 for the Foundation for Belmont Education, a 501c3 non-profit organization that awards grants to the Belmont Public Schools to enrich the education provided to Belmont students.

FBE APPLE RUN takes place on SUNDAY, OCT. 2, on Harris Field at Belmont HIgh School. The 5K will start at 9:30 a.m.; the 2K at 10:45 a.m.

The FBE Apple Run 5K follows a scenic, 5-kilometer route through Belmont. Starting and ending at the Belmont High School track at Harris Field on Concord Avenue, the course passes by four of the town’s six public schools – Burbank, Chenery, Wellington, and the High School – and the historic Payson Park Reservoir. The course ends back at the track.

Go get your sneakers, your family, friends, neighbors, classmates, and teammates, and get out and run at this great Fall community event.

REGISTER HERE TO RUN

There are many great reasons to run:

  • You get to run with your community, family, and friends!
  • The first 400 runners get a very cool 10th anniversary dri-fit T-shirt!
  • Run to win! Prizes available for the fastest per age group (10-year increments), the largest team, the fastest team, and the most festive running outfit!
  • Get motivated to run by the great tunes from FBE Apple Run DJ Paul Madden!
  • This event is for everyone, any age and any pace!
  • Run because the money raised funds grants to educators in the Belmont Public Schools to implement innovative programs and advanced technology that result in richer and deeper learning experiences for our students!
  • Belmont has been running for education for 10 years now – let’s keep running to fund our students and educators!

Please visit our website to learn more about how the FBE makes a difference in the Belmont Public Schools.

CAN’T RUN? VOLUNTEER!

Please sign-up here and donate a little of your time. Thank you for your support.

Questions?

racedirector@fbe-belmont.org

The Foundation for Belmont Education is grateful for your support!

Belmont High Field Hockey Opens Season 2-0 With Rival Watertown Set For Friday Night Visit

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Photo: Belmont High Forward Mary Mullan scoring her second and the team’s fifth against Stoneham in the Marauders’ 6-1 win.

Under a brilliant late summer afternoon, Belmont High’s Field Hockey squad got off an equally bright start to the 2022 season with a dominating performance against Stoneham, 7-1, at Harris Field on Thursday, Sept. 7.

The team would follow up with an away win, 3-1, at Melrose, on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

“Great way to begin the season especially how our offense looks. They really worked hard, always tooking to take the shot,” said Jess Smith, who is now in her 19th year at the helm of the Marauders.

Forwards Mary Mullins and Carly Gaziano each earned a brace joining Alex Townsend, Lola Rocci (2 assists) and MacKenzie Clark on the scoresheet with freshman center midfield Clark accepting the role of “quarterback” in directing the Marauder attack.

“MacKenzie’s amazing. She’s very unselfish, and sometimes she passes too much. I’d wish he’d be a bit more selfish in the attack,” said Smith.

Belmont broke open the scoring in the final five minute in the first quarter with three goals starting with Gaziano scoring with a push shot in close.

“It was really fun passing and connecting with my teammates,” said Gaziano.

Action from Belmont High Field Hockey’s season opener v. Stoneham

In Melrose, left wing Gaziano found the back of the net two more times in the first and third quarter, surrounding Devin Kelleher‘s first of the season in the first quarter. Smith noted the performance of Tess Desantis in the midfield controling the ball while getting two assists.

While Belmont has had the run of play for its first games, that may not be the rule when the Marauders “welcome” the reigning Division 3 state champions Watertown which comes to Harris Field under the Friday Night Lights on Sept. 16. A week ago, Belmont’s neighbor defeated the Boston Globe’s preseason number one team, Andover, 2-1, in what has been called the “Battle of the Giants.”

Smith said her chief task is to have her team focus on what they have control over, being athletic in disrupting Watertown’s relentless attack and protecting goalie Julia Herlihy.

“It’s Watertown so it’s going to be tough,” said Smith.

Belmont High Football Opens Season With Emphatic Win Over Cambridge, 43-24

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Photo: Belmont High senior WR Chris Cogliano on his way to the first of two TDs in the Marauders’ 43-24 opening win vs. Cambridge R&L

Where the offensive and defensive lines put their stamp on the game, Belmont High’s football laid down a marker for the season with a solid victory over Cambridge Rindge and Latin, 43-24, in the 2022 opener held under the Friday night lights, Sept. 9, at Harris Field.

“This year, it’s ‘No excuses, just results,” said Belmont’s second-year Head Coach Brian McCray, whose team comes out of the gates at 1-0.

“We practice hard every day and we’ll take that into the games. There are no starters, just guys playing football and we are going to play as many guys as we possibly can.”

Junior QB Jayden Arno showed greater confidence running the offense with a full pre-season under his belt, revealing a nice touch on mid-level passes and the ability to scamper when needed.

“I worked so hard this offseason, and it showed today,” said Arno after the win. “I came out here with no pressure on me because I know I had a good team, and I trusted everyone.”

The night was highlighted by the play of the offensive/defensive lines anchored by senior Asa Rosenmeier. A member of USA Rugby’s U18 national team, Rosenmeier’s size (listed at 6’4″ and 315 pounds) and quickness made him a menace on D and a presence in the running game and in pass protection. Joined by juniors Max Cornelius, Nate Moss and Harry Carlson and sophomore center Dan Martin, the Marauders’ demonstrated they will be a handful for most Middlesex League teams.

Along with showing a growing maturity running the team, Arno has the benefit of a string of offensive weapons at his disposal. In the backfield are returning starters junior Adrien Gurung and senior Jake Cornelius while the receiving corp is loaded with tall talent made up of seniors Ben William (6’2″) and Chris Cogliano (6’3″) and junior Brian Logan (6’5″).

Belmont’s first offensive series started on the ground with four straight running plays before Arno connected with William and junior Austin Lassiter to place the Marauders into the red zone before Gurung punched it in from 2 yards out for the opening TD mid-way through the first quarter. The score also brought Belmont’s first penalty of the season, an unsportsman-like call on Rosenmeier for a “Gronk”-like spiking of the ball as if the six points needed punctuation.

After the Falcon’s first drive effectively ended when Max Cornelius sacked the Cambridge QB, Belmont next score came on the first play when Gurung broke three tackles as he sprinted 84 yards for the Marauders’ second TD in the quarter. While known for his work on the lines, Rosenmeier got to show his running skills, lining up in the backfield (likely scaring a few facing him across the line) and scoring on the two-point conversion. Not that carrying the ball into the end zone is foreign to him, as Rosenmeier scored Belmont’s first try in the MIAA rugby championship game.

Cambridge came back with a great score of their, a 40-yard pitch and stretch, to cut the lead to 14-6. Belmont returned the favor when after a heavy dose of Jake Cornelius, Arno found Cogliano downfield and with a timely block from William took the ball 45 yards to the end zone to reup the lead to 22-6 after Lassiter passed to junior Bryce Hubbard. While Cambridge came close to cutting the lead in the final seconds of the half, the Marauders made a stance, halting the Falcons’ progress at the 2 on four plays.

After both teams spent much of the third grinding up the middle of the field, Arno called his own number to up the score to 29-6 before finding Cogliano again early in the fourth quarter for a strike down the right sideline to effectively end the game at 35-12. Cambridge scored twice as Belmont began pulling starters, allowing junior QB Isais Arce-Villon to march down the team downfield (with some outstanding passes) before handing off to junior Jayden Rodriquez to end the drive with a TD.

Next for Belmont will be a Thursday game, Sept. 15, at Harris Field against Wakefield, a Warriors team that laid it on the Marauders last season by a 41-7 tally.

“Wakefield is a big game for us because we honestly because we haven’t beat them in six years. So we want this game,” said McCray.

Turkey Day In Boston! Fenway Park To Host Centennial Belmont/Watertown Thanksgiving Rivalry Game

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Photo: Action between Belmont and Watertown on Thanksgiving Day.

The 2022 Belmont/Watertown Thanksgiving Day football game is always going to be extra special as it will be the centennial match between the school from the bordering towns. And the game just got that much more special as it was revealed Friday, Aug. 19, the rivalry game will take place in one of the great shires of sports, Fenway Park.

The word got out on the game during an interview on Twitter between Belmont Head Coach Brian McCray and New England Football Journal. Asked about his goals for the 2022 season, McCray said “obviously one of our big goals is we play Watertown at Fenway [Park] for our Thanksgiving Day game.” The game was mentioned on a second Journal interview with a Belmont player.

On the field where the Babe, Teddy Baseball, Yaz, and Big Papi stood, the Marauders and the Raiders will play in the shadow of the Green Monster likely on Wednesday, Nov. 23 as part of a high school doubleheader. There will be another set of games on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Last year, tickets were $20 for both games of the with luxury seats available for $40.

Last year, Winchester and Woburn of the Middlesex League played at Fenway with Woburn taking home a late 26-22 victory.

New Skating Rink Proposal Secures $200K In ARPA Funds To Keep Project Moving Forward; Public Meeting On Aug. 17

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Photo: The location of the new skating rink on Concord Avenue

In an effort to prevent the proposed Municipal Skating Rink project grinding to a halt, the Belmont Select Board approved on Monday, Aug. 8, the use of $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to allow the design team to begin hiring subcontractors to allow work on the facility to continue.

This additional funding comes as the project awaits a debt exclusion vote on Nov. 8 to pay for the new 46,000 sq.-ft. skating facility on Concord Avenue adjacent to Belmont High School’s Harris Field.

“We’d like to have an interim fund that will get us to sometime in October,” said Mark Haley, chair of the rink skating committee told the board Monday.

A public forum on the new skating rink facility hosted by the rink will take place remotely on Wednesday, August 17 at 6 p.m. A Zoom link and the meeting agenda can be found here.

Haley reiterated comments from when the Select Board put the debt exclusion on the ballot on July 28 that the project would need additional funds. Preliminary work on the rink beginning in the spring of 2022 after the town secured $250,000 in state ARPA funding. As of the first week in August, $95,000 remain from that initial amount.

Haley told the board the additional funding will allow the design team – headed by architect Ted Galante of Ted Galante Architecture Studio – to hire structural and mechanical engineers to firm up the price tag for the rink, which all sides agreed is a critical component before the vote in November. Currently, the list price to replace the antiquated “Skip” Vigilrolo rink has been calculated around $32-$34 million.

More detailed schematic drawings – for plumbing and interior design – will allow Galante to firm up the price of the new rink. “It sounds like a lot of money, but we’re at a point where [Galante] needs to bring on all these outside people to get the information we need” on the building as well as the parking and landscaping,” said Ann Marie Mahoney, a member of the building committee.

“So for us to have a really good and solid number to start advertising for the debt exclusion, we really need to do this and do it now,” said Mahoney.

In addition, the project will be able to quickly move from design to construction soon after the debt is “hopeful” passed by the voters, said Haley.

With a successful debt exclusion, the ARPA funds will be reimbursed to the town, said Haley. Even if the ballot question is defeated, this additional funding will be spent on necessary work such as the demolition of the White Field House and parking and field designs.

Initially, Haley sought $300,000 in ARPA funds which was reduced by $100,000 after the Select Board member Adam Dash said, while OK with providing this transfer, ”I’m just concerned that $300,000 was a little higher than I was expecting.”

In a compromise, the amount approved was lowered to $200,000 with the board placing on its Aug. 29 meeting agenda a possible vote on releasing an additional $100,000 for necessary design work. As part of the agreement, the building committee will inform both Town Moderator Mike Widmer and the Select Board on a biweekly basis “what we are spending and we’ll try to bring it in less than that,” said Haley.

”We want to be to the extent possible as detailed as possible in terms of what we report out to the community on this build,” said Mark Paolillo, select board chair. ”The more refined [the cost] we be on the expected cost and to inform the residents about that, the better.”

Belmont Boys’ Rugby Takes State Title Over Arch-Rival BC High, 20-7; Fourth Title In Program History

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Photo: The Belmont High School Boys’ Rugby squad celebrate its 2022 MIAA Division 1 State Championship with the tournament trophy.

Boston College High School rugby squad is known as the Eagles, but at MIAA Division 1 state title match, it was the Belmont High ruggers who flew to victory.

In a match where Belmont’s embrace of an all-encompassing kicking game proved decisive against the traditional muscle and brawn style employed by BC High, the Marauders dominated the Eagles, 20-7, on Saturday, June 17, capturing its second MIAA Division 1 state championship and the fourth title in the program’s 15-year history before a boisterous near capacity crowd at Curry College in Milton.

“We had a saying all year: ‘Don’t go through the wall, go over it.’” said senior fly-half and co-captain Erik Rosenmeier who scored twice from penalty kicks and on a pair of conversions resulting in half of Belmont’s points. “And that’s what we did today. Our kicking was amazing.”

Belmont’s kicking strategy which has become an important part of the program’s overall tactics mimics a trend in the professional game where world-class teams and national squads punt to challenge opponents, all a defense to reset and to “flip the field” with deep strikes placing the competitor on the back foot.

While kicking was an effective weapon against BC and St. John’s Prep in the semi-finals, Greg Bruce, Belmont’s head coach since he brought rugby to the school in 2007, pointed to the hard work the Marauders have placed in defense and tackling during the season.

“For the past two weeks we coaches built our defensive structure and put it into practice in training,” said Bruce. “The forwards played great, the backs, the defense. It was a team performance to be honest.”

“BC is an amazing team but they rely on their athleticism more than they rely on their skill. They really just want to get the ball and run it hard up the gut and hope we can’t tackle them. And, you know, that’s what we did, stop them,” said Rosenmeier.

Belmont came out of the gate fast and used their inside running to great effect to set up Loose Head Prop Asa Rosenmeier – Erik’s younger brother – to barrel into try from six meters out just four minutes in the match to give Belmont the early 7-0 lead. But 10 minutes later, a series of quick hitting runs by BC allowed senior Jack McNicholl to slalom 30 meters to tie the game at 7-7.

Belmont spent the first half placing the Eagles under pressure with sustained tackling against the BC frontline and a number of clearing punts that kept putting the Eagles behind the midfield line. On the offensive side, the Marauders’ were able to string together drives that got them within kicking range when penalties were called against BC. Bruce didn’t hesitate to put the ball on Rosenmeier’s toe as the senior scored twice at the 23 minute and 32 minute marks as the lead climb to 13-7.

The ability to keep momentum on its side turned out to be critical in Belmont’s final score, a gutsy drive after time expired in the half in which the Marauders’ protected each ruck and finally opened a small gap in the BC line allowing Lock Viktor Insanic to run straight into try to give Belmont a two score lead, 20-7.

The final 35 minutes was a near masterclass by the Belmont XV in denying BC the momentum or big plays needed to get back into the match. When the Eagles threatened 10 minutes into the half, Belmont backs came up with a great stand inside its 22 meter preventing runners from turning the corner, stalling BC’s drive eventually resulting in a Rosenmeier kick that was “knocked on” by an Eagles back giving possession to the Marauders in the BC half.

While BC kept to its strategy of quick, hard hits into the body of Belmont’s line, the tactics proved exhausting to the Eagles which was only compounded by a series of deep kicks that allowed Belmont to reset its defense and force BC to travel ever further to attempt to cut the margin of Belmont’s lead.

“The second half was a little boring; a lot of whistles, we got a yellow card and then it got really, really choppy after that. But they did what mattered most when it mattered most and that’s why we’re here,” said Bruce.

In its final venture close to the try line, Marauders’ Number Eight Max Cornelius made a critical steal ending all of BC’s hopes. Soon after the starters started coming out and the reserves got a chance to be on the pitch for the final whistle.

The 2022 crown joins Belmont’s MIAA Div. 1 state championship won in 2019 and MYRO titles in Division 1 in 2013 and Division 2 in 2011.

“Coming into the season, there’s this kind of pressure. I really wanted to win a state championship to finish my high school career,” said Rosenmeier. “When we lost our very first game to Milton [17-12 on April 8],it was kind of like a wake up call for us that we needed to get our act together. And we just worked our [posterior] off for the rest of the season and now we’re here with this,” said Rosenmeier hold the state trophy.

“Amazing!” he said as the celebration continued on the pitch.

Four For Four: Belmont High Girls’ Rugby Defeats Lincoln-Sudbury, 34-0, For Fourth Straight Div. 1 State Crown

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Photo: Belmont High School Senior Capt. Evie Hamer holds aloft the MIAA state championship trophy after Belmont defeated Lincoln-Sudbury, 34-0, to win its fourth consecutive Division 1 rugby state title

After a first-half where it was forced to rely on its underrated defense by a gutsy Lincoln-Sudbury Regional team, Belmont High School Girls’ Rugby flipped the switch on its dominating attack scoring five tries in the second half as the Marauders defeated the Warriors, 34-0, to take home the program’s fourth consecutive MIAA Division 1 state championship before a near full house at Curry College. Saturday, June 18.

“Man, every time it’s really hard,” said Kate McCabe, Belmont’s head coach since the program began in 2015. Belmont has won each of the four Division 1 tournaments contested since the MIAA sanctioned the sport in 2017. (The 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid while the girls’ played Rugby 7s in a non-title post-season.)

Having taken on Lincoln-Sudbury for the third straight title game, McCabe said every meeting with the Warriors “is a battle and whatever the first game of the season [a Belmont win, 39-26, in April] is doesn’t guarantee what the last game of the season is.”

The match was a tale of two halves, with second-seed Lincoln-Sudbury (5-3) playing a possession game from the kickoff, holding onto the ball for nine of the first 10 minutes while putting Belmont (7-0) under pressure by employing a wide-open game from the back. L-S came close to scoring midway through the half when the Warriors appeared to have crossed the try line but lacked control of the ball.

“We weren’t expecting them to be coming this hard,” said Belmont’s Number 8 Val Detheux. “They’ve been more wide offense and I think we got surprised by that.”

That first half Belmont demonstrated its tackling ability which is the underrated part of its game. An example occurred with the Warriors driving five meters to try, standout tackling first by open-side flanker Alex Townsend then inside center Helen Feldhaus sent L-S ball carriers back 10 meters stalling the push.

“We had amazing tacking from our captain, [senior fly-back] Evie Hamer, who shouldn’t have had to make those many tackles. She was phenomenal,” said McCabe, who also gave kudos to all the backs for shutting down the tightly organized L-S attack out wide.

In the waning moments of the half, Belmont finally took advantage of a sustained possession finding room on its right side to come within a few meters of the try. Despite being knocked off the play earlier, Detheux reentered the pile of players and squirmed the ball over the line for the game’s first score with three minutes remaining. A missed conversion allowed Belmont to walk off the pitch with a precarious 5-0 lead.

The halftime break provided the opportunity for Belmont to regroup and reset its offensive.

“We were able to to kind of settle down, play our pattern, really work what we know and then some of that space finally opened up,” said McCabe, who pointed to Marauders forwards especially the two locks, Lulu Conroy and Giulia Vecchi, who ran up the gut of the Warrior line luring the L-S forwards into the middle of the field, allowing more space for Belmont’s backs to “strike out wide.”

The Marauders’ quickly brought the ball down to the Warrior end and five minutes into the half, sophomore left wing Mia Taylor took the ball from 20 meters out, broke two tackles and dove over the try line to up the score to 10-0. Just a few minutes later, Taylor once again sprinted down the left side to found clear sailing to give Belmont a 15-0 advantage at the 46 minute mark.

Belmont’s third try of the half was its most creative as right wing Allie Caputo gathered a Belmont downfield kick at midfield and laid off to a streaking Detheux who outsprinted the L-S back line for her second and the rout was on at the 55 minute mark. In a moment of rugby camaraderie, Detheux was congratulated with a hug by a L-S player after the touch.

“I play a lot of outside club rugby and I know half of these players,” said Detheux. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

Belmont finished the scoring with 40 meter treks from Caputo – who paid for the try by being knocked off the pitch with a NFL tackle – and de la Fuente who sprinted clear then lunged for the try line after getting caught five meters out.

With the final whistle, the Marauders completed its perfect season and is taking home another state championship trophy to the newly-built high school which has yet to have a display case installed.

“We’ll find a closet to put them in for now,” said Adam Pritchard, Belmont’s acting Athletic Director.

“I’m so honored to be able to play with all these amazing seniors in their last year or as they go off to play rugby in college,” said Taylor. “I’m just so honored to be chosen to wear this jersey and be a part of this champion team.”

In the year marking a half century since the enactment of Title IX, McCabe sees her sport as a vehicle for equality in sports.

“I just want so many girls in Massachusetts to have the experience of stepping on the field and knowing that they are playing a full-out contact sport where they are dominating, where they are strong, where they’re recognized for their athleticism that they’re putting on the field,” said McCabe.

“In a world that’s seeking egalitarianism, that’s what rugby is. It’s fun and I want more teams out here.”