One Run Playoff: Belmont High Baseball Bows Out To Arlington In First Round

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Senior Steve Rizzuto crossing the plate after hitting a home run in the bottom of the 10th against Arlington.

The playoffs ended way too soon for Belmont High baseball.

A pair of errors on fly balls in the outfield proved the difference as Belmont walked off Brendan Grant Field as 12-ranked and Middlesex League rival Arlington (12-9) celebrating a 5-4 upset victory over the fifth-seed Marauders (15-6) in the first round of the Division 2 North sectional playoffs on Thursday, June 7.

“It’s a tough one,” said Head Coach Jim Brown after the game. “We were winning those lately.” 

The senior-heavy team nearly made off with another last inning victory, scoring three runs with two outs in the bottom of the 7th off Arlington reliever Jay Masci on four consecutive singles by seniors Dennis Crowley, Ryan Noone, Connor Dacey and Steve Rizzuto to tie the score at three. 

“That’s what is great about this senior class and these kids. They don’t panic and fight to the very end, to the last out. They never quit,” Brown. 

After allowing two runs to score on a two-out dropped fly ball in the top of the 10th off hard-luck loser Martin Marintchev who relieved senior starter Nate Espelin, Belmont quickly reduced the lead to one with a home run by the game’s hitting star Rizzuto, who went 4 for 4 with a double and the dinger, scored a run and drove in a pair. 

But with a man on second, a line drive to the Arlington shortstop started a 6-3 double play and an easy fly to right field ended the season which saw Belmont win consecutive Middlesex League championships, the first time since 1961 Belmont captured the league two seasons running. 

The one-run defeat was apropos for the team; in 21 games the Marauders played this season, 10 were decided by a single run.

“I love playing with this team. It was awesome,” said Espelin, Belmont’s ace southpaw who struck out 17 SpyPonders over nine innings while giving up two earned runs on five hits. “It was frustrating how it ended. It’s memorable the character that they all showed, how we stayed together no matter what.”

On Espelin’s first pitch of the game, leadoff hitter Brendan Jones sent the ball to deep center where the Marauder center fielder stumbles, recovers but then stumbles a second time to see the ball fall beyond his glove. Jones scored on Dara Conneely’s double.  

In the hole by a run after half an inning, the Marauders’ had its chances against Arlington starter Adam Bowler including leaving the bases loaded in the 2nd and 4th innings and stranding 12 men on base, 8 in scoring position. 

The SpyPonders increased its lead scoring twice in the top of the 4th with two singles and a double off Espelin.

It didn’t appear Belmont had anything in the tank offensively until the 7th when the bench erupted with each clutch hit by the middle of the order. But the team could not muster the one extra run to take the game.

Brown said despite the early exit, “it was definitely a good season. Obviously, these seniors, many who were three-year starters, wanted to go further in the playoffs. But I’m proud of them,” he said. 

 

Both Rugby and Tennis, Boys’ Lacrosse and Baseball Seek Postseason Success

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Steve Rizzuto in last year’s playoffs.

It’s playoff time for Belmont High’s spring season’s teams highlighted by both rugby squads finishing the season undefeated and ranked number one in the state Division 1 playoffs.

The defending state champions and number 1 ranked Belmont High Girls’ Rugby will host fourth-seed Needham in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12 at Harris Field. The 6-0 Marauders defeated the first-year varsity Rockets 84-0 in Needham on April 10, and will meet the winner of the two-seed Lincoln-Sudbury Regional and third ranked Algonquin Regional semifinal held on June 13. The state championships for boys and girls will take place on June 23, place and time still up in the air.

Top-ranked Belmont High Boys’ Rugby will take on the team that knocked the Marauders out of the playoffs last year, St. John’s Prep, on June 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Harris Field. Belmont defeated the Eagles 38-23 in the season opener on April 11 at Belmont. If they win, Belmont will take on the winner of the match between Boston College High, last year’s champs, and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional on June 23. 

The first round game for Belmont High’s Boys’ Tennis (10-6) will be the rubber match with its opponent, Reading Memorial High (11-5) , to be played away on Wednesday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m. The 9th-ranked Marauders and 8th seeded Rockets split the season series at one game each, with the away team winning 3-2. Belmont’s Girls’ Tennis (9-7) will travel up Route 2 to tackle Concord Carlisle Regional (10-4) on Wednesday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m. 

They took it until the penultimate game – just like last year – but an 8-6 victory over Weston to conclude a three-game winning streak put the Belmont High Boys Lacrosse team into the playoffs. At 9-9, the 11th-seed boys’ will have a first-round match in Division 2 Central/East on the Rhode Island border as they travel nearly 45 miles to meet sixth-ranked North Attleboro High, 14-4, on Wednesday, June 6 at 4 p.m.

Involved in 10 one-run games out of the 20 played, Belmont High Baseball has earned a reputation of finding a way to walk away with the victory despite sometimes playing less than stellar ball. They will need to pick up their game beginning Thursday, June 7 at 4 p.m. as the 15-5 Marauders will begin the Division 2 North playoffs with a home game at Brendan Grant Field against Middlesex League rivals Arlington High. Belmont swept the SpyPonders this year, winning 3-0 away on April 30 and 9-4 at Grant Field on May 17. If victorious, the Marauders could face another Middlesex team as they will play next week the winner of the Reading vs. Greater Lowell tussle.

Track: Krafian Repeats As Hurdles State Champ; Perkins 2nd In Record Time

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Anoush Krafian

Belmont High School Senior Anoush Krafian finished her Massachusetts High School track career in style by repeating as champion in the 100 meters hurdles, coming within one-one hundredth of a second of the state record as she left a talented field in her wake at the MIAA All-State Outdoor Track and Field Meet held at Fitchburg State University on Saturday, June 2. 

The Dartmouth-bound Krafian flew over the 10 33-inch barriers in 14.26 seconds, a personal best and a Belmont High School record to win by more than half-a-second over runner-up Saige Tudisco of Pentucket Regional in 14.80. Krafian’s time was .01 of a second back of the state record of 14.25 set in 2011 by Brockton’s Vanessa Clerveaux who currently runs for Haiti internationally.

Earlier in the meet, Krafian jumped to a fourth-place finish in the high jump with a 5-foot, 6-inch effort, which tied with two other athletes for the second highest attempt (Krafian took fourth on the number of misses she accumulated in the meet) behind Anna Jordahl-Henry of Wellesley who won scaling 5’8″.

On Thursday, Krafian came close to repeating as the state’s pentathlon champion – a title she won indoors in February – as she broke her own state outdoor record by nearly 150 points. But she was overtaken by sophomore Jada Johnson of Sharon who destroyed her own personal best by 300 points to win the five-event competition, 3,529 to 3,408.

With her first, second and fourth place showings, Krafian earned all of Belmont’s 23 points to place 6th out of 71 schools scoring in the meet. 

On the boys’ side of the ledger, Belmont High Senior Calvin Perkins repeated last year’s All-State result placing second in a school record 48.16, this time to Phillips Magre of Somerville who dipped below the 48 second line in 47.98. Perkins took a half-second off last year’s race time to come close to the state record set by Boston College High’s Mike Greene 35 years ago. 

Belmont’s 4X400 relay team of seniors Max Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima, Bryan Huang and junior Nicholas Picardi took 7th in finals in 3 minutes, 24.75 seconds. 

Belmont’s Boys finished 25th with 10 points out of 77 teams scoring.

Krafian Smash EMass Division 2 Pentathlon Record

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Anoish Krafian (far right) with her fellow competitiors.

Belmont High School Senior Anoush Krafian destroyed the EMass Division 2 record in the multi-event pentathlon at Greater New Bedford Voc Tech High School on Thursday, May 24.      

The Dartmouth-bound trackster compiling 3,409 points, nearly 500 points greater than the record set last year by Tyler Orlandella of Beverly. Krafian’s dominance was seen by finishing first in three of the events (100-yard hurdles, long jump, shot put)  and second (high jump, 800 meters) in the other two. 

Also competing on Thursday were Belmont’s two pole vaulters, sophomore Soleil Tseng and freshman Sarah Firth. Tseng, a member of the 2018 All-American indoor 4X400 mix relay, vaulted 8 feet and a half for 7th place, while Firth just missed on her attempts.

Krafian now looks to Monday, May 28, where she’ll compete in the individual events in the EMass D2 championships. Having run in Division 3 last year, Krafian will be seeking her first titles in her dominate event, the 100 hurdles, and compete in high jump and long jump. 

Next Thursday at Fitchburg State, Krafian will seek to defend her All-State pentathlon title as she meets last year’s runner-up Natalie Marshall of Newton North. Marshall set the Division 1 record on Thursday with a season leading 3,426 points.

Belmont Track’s Krafian, Calvin, Relays Shine At Coaches’ Invitational Meet

By Leave a Comment

Photo: MSTCA State Coaches Meet director Mike Miller and the field of an athlete of the meet Shira Stoller (left) and the Overall athlete of the meet Anoush Krafian (right). (photo credit: MSTCA)

In a warm-up for the league, division and state championships upcoming in the next three weeks, Belmont High top track athletes are hinting at some big results after putting forth some outstanding performances at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches’ Association Invitational on Saturday, May 12.

At the boys’ events held at Durfee High in Fall River, senior Calvin Perkins destroyed a talented field in the 400 meters, powering home to win in 48.98 seconds, a full second and a half in front of Boston College High sophomore Shawn Carter. Perkins then anchored Belmont’s 4×400 relay to his second victory of the day, again in impressive fashion as the quartet finished in 3 minutes and 27.95 seconds, two seconds clear of the second place squad.

Also showing his talent in two events, junior Merrill Barnes finished in fifth in the long jump (19 feet, 2 and a quarter inches) and tied for eighth in the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches). Senior Mike Pomer raced to 10th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.64.

As for a glimpse into the future, Belmont freshman Preston Jackson-Stephen won the freshman 100 meters in 11.88 seconds, the Marauders’ sophomore 4×100 placed fifth and sophomore Stephen Carvalho dipped under 10 minutes in the two miles in a time of 9:56.77 to place 10th.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Belmont senior star Anoush Krafian came away with her share of silverware as she strode to an easy victory in her specialty, the 100 meter hurdles, in 15.31 second (she qualified for the finals in 15.17) while finishing second in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) and a tie for ninth in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and a half inch. At the end of the competition held a Sharon High School, despite some outstanding performances – including Natick junior Grace Connolly breaking Olympic bronze medalist and New York City marathon winner Shalene Flannigan’s state two-mile record set in 1999 – Krafian left with the Outstanding Overall Athlete of the Meet.

Belmont Girls’ 4×400 relay took home fourth in 4:15.81 while freshman Victoria Meringer finished sixth in the freshman mile in 5:34.23.

Rugby: Boys’ Outplay Defending Champ BC High; Final Play Gives Girls’ Win Over L-S

By Leave a Comment

Photo:Senior flyhalf Laurent Brabo running for Belmont’s first try against BC High.

In a battle of rugby royalty, Belmont High Boys’ is wearing the crown after a convincing 26-14 victory over defending Division 1 state champions Boston College High School on a soaked Harris Field, Wednesday, April 25.

After defeating last season’s number 1 and 2 teams (the Marauders thrashed St. John’s Prep, 38-23) in its first two matches of the season, Belmont can claim the top spot in Division 1 in Massachusetts.

While both teams had its hands full with the wet conditions, Belmont’s skill and tactics won out against the Eagles. As with their game against St. John’s Prep, it was Belmont’s dominance controlling the scrum where Belmont’s front seven was outweighed by both prep schools highlighting the Marauders’ control of the game.

Senior flyhalf Laurent Brabo eluded two BC High defenders to scamper 40 meters for Belmont initial try at the 11-minute mark and then easily converted the two-point conversion kick. (Brabo is fast becoming the program’s best ever kicker having scored a 45-meter penalty kick.)

It took the Marauders only five minutes to double the score to 14-0 when after soon after a great kick to touch to advance the ball near the BC High goal line, senior Sam Harris punched to through to score Belmont’s second try.

BC High halved the lead to 14-7 during its longest possession of the game, but Belmont would not be denied its third score when Will Lozano ran up the middle with five minutes remaining in the half to make the score 21-7. 

Both teams came close to score in the initial 10 minutes of the second half but dropped balls and great defensive stances by the Eagles and Marauders halted the threats, Belmont would finish its scoring in the 57th minute to raise the score to 26-7 before BC High used some brute force to register its second try two minutes into extra time.

Girls’ Use Last Play To Eek Out Victory At Lincoln-Sudbury

On the final play of a game, Belmont High’s junior fullback Gabriella Viale tapped the ball to herself and scored the match-winning try as Belmont’s Girls’ Rugby defeated hosts Lincoln-Sudbury Regional, 17-12, in a contest played in a constant downpour on Wednesday, April 25.

Despite finding itself down 12-10 in the final 20 minutes, “[The team] was impressive since no one lost their cool, they never panicked. They were always composed,” said Belmont head coach Kate McCabe of her team.

After defeating its first two opponents by a combined 138-0, Belmont soon discovered the Warriors – which the Marauders squeaked out a 10-5 home victory last year – were ready to take on the defending state champions.

“They were really tough and super aggressive at the start of the game,” said Viale, who said the game certainly affected by the heavy rain with many dropped balls. 

Belmont took the lead 5-0 through Viale before the Warriors tied the match at 5 going into the half. Junior Number Eight Grace Christensen gave Belmont the lead, 10-5, with a strong try early in the second half only to see Lincoln-Sudbury score and make the conversion kick to go ahead 12-10. 

“It took a little while to get used to what they were doing but in the final 20 minutes we were playing within their 20 [meter],” said McCabe.

While they were on the front foot, Belmont waited until the games final seconds to score. A penalty was called on the Warriors near its goal line allowing Belmont to restart play as Lincoln-Sudbury was running back to line up defensively. Rather than pass the ball back, Viale tapped the ball with her boot and sprinted for the try. With Calista Weissman’s conversation kick, the ref blew the final whistle.

Belmont’s rematch with Lincoln Sudbury is May 30 at Harris Field.

Belmont Youth Hockey Scores On Proposed New Rink Along Concord Avenue

By Leave a Comment

Photo: An overview of the proposed new Belmont Youth Hockey rink along Concord Avenue.

They patiently sat on the bench for the past two-and-a-half years since it last was action, but on Tuesday, April 24, Belmont Youth Hockey jumped over the boards to reintroduce itself to the community and the Belmont School Committee with its vision of a new skating rink for Belmont.

The structure will be a sleek single-story rink/recreation center located on Concord Avenue across from the Underwood Pools, creating with a new high school and public library a new community hub for Belmont, according to Belmont Youth Hockey representative Robert Mulroy who, along with Ara Krafian, CEO of Cambridge-based SMMA |Architects who created preliminary drawings of a new rink, who presented the plans to the School Committee.

If all goes to plan, the new rink/center could be up and running by 2020 before major construction begins on the new Belmont High School.

To make the whole thing work, the youth hockey organization is proposing a public/private partnership with the school committee and town which will allow the non-profit to take school property in a 30-year lease at zero cost with the stipulation Belmont High sports teams will have a set number of hours reserved for games and practices. That partnership agreement will need to pass muster from the school committee and Town Meeting.

A new rink that will not need significant public funding will be a small but significant capital expense removed from the town’s significant “wish list” of large projects that Belmont faces paying for which includes as new Police Headquarters, Department of Public Works facility and public library.

While reluctant to say how much the new center will cost as construction expenses have markedly increased, Mulroy quoted a price tag of $6.5 million in 2015. The construction of the new rink – which will require the demolition of both the White Field House and the Viglirolo rink, known as “The Skip”, which was built in the 1970s.

School committee members did raise questions on the impact of traffic along Concord Avenue with a brand new facility and high school just a few hundred feet from other., But Mulroy believes the nearly 180 new parking spaces and traffic pattern changes associated with a new High School project will alleviate the current demand of on-street parking on main and side streets created by the existing rink and vehicle congestion created by those seeking parking. 

Belmont Superintendent John Phelan said youth hockey was asked by the district and school committee to wait to present its proposal until the “footprint” of the new High School was determined, so not to create any interference with the design and location of the 7th to 12th-grade building.

The need for a new rink is evident once anyone enters “The Skip” which is the current home of Belmont Youth Hockey and the Belmont High teams. Built more than 40 years ago, the once open rink has one wall of corrugated steel open to the elements. (Once, a visitor from Calgary, Canada who attended a nephew’s game at “The Skip” on one bitter January night, said he had been in warmer outdoor arenas in his hometown than indoors in Belmont). The mechanical infrastructure is on “death’s door,” said Mulroy. 

“It’s not how long until there is a catastrophic failure. It’s that it will happen,” said Mulroy, whose league currently purchases three-quarters of all rental time at the rink. “But we have the capacity for a lot more,” he said.

A new rink comes as the youth hockey program has seen increased growth in participation and teams – eight developmental programs and 22 competitive traveling teams for boys and girls from 4 to 18 – in the program which started 47 years ago.

The rink/rec center would be located on school property facing Concord Avenue on the parking outcrop between the White Field House and the Mobil service station across from the Underwood Pool. It will be a short walk from Harris Field and will allow for a softball field and soccer/lacrosse pitch to be located in the rear.

The key points of a new Concord Avenue facility include:

  • A 6,500 square foot multi-use athletic/recreation center.
  • A year-round NHL-size rink with above the ice seating and a “half” rink, both can be used for ice hockey, public skating, figure skating, sled hockey and curling.
  • A field house for half the year (where the half-rink is located) for indoor tennis, concerts and a practice facility for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and rock climbing.
  • A running/walking track above the field house.
  • 180 parking spaces that can be used by pool patrons and a drop-off area at the rink’s entrance.
  • Eight new locker rooms that can be utilized by teams playing on nearby Harris Field.
  • A team or community meeting room for public meetings or continued learning classes.
  • Exercise/health room for yoga and exercise.
  • Food concession stand.
  • A skate shop

The facility will be funded with a private 30-year loan which requires the school committee to lease the land at no cost to the non-profit, with an agreement that Belmont High’s Boys and Girls ice hockey teams will have a specific number of hours dedicated to practice and games. Phelan pointed out with a rink, the school department would need to allocate more than $100,000 a year on rental fees at other rinks and bus transportation.

Public-private arrangements are fairly common, said Mulroy, including for recreational facilities pointing to a pair of nearby examples: the Beede Pool and Gym in Concord and the Wellesley Sports Complex which will open later this year. 

The rink will be run by a professional management company. At the end of the 30 years, the town will have the opportunity to take possession of the facility or allow the existing management contract to continue under a new agreement. 

The Youth Hockey Association has been discussing an alternative location for the rink at the former incinerator on Concord Avenue at the Lexington/Belmont line. It would be an 80,000 sq.-ft. complex with two full ice surfaces and parking. While the association has been in discussions with officials and town counsel exploring the feasibility of the town-owned location, Mulroy said the clear first option for youth hockey is the high school site.

Mulroy said the next steps will be gathering feedback from the School committee and residents before seeking support from both the committee and Town Meeting to move forward. Once it gets the initial OK, Youth Hockey will release a Request for Proposal to build the facility and finalize the lease agreement. Afterward, the final designs will be done and the financing will be secured. The final step is to go back to the School Committee and Town Meeting for final approval of the lease deal. 

Side By Side For 26 Miles: Habelows Push 3 Dozen Belmontians Over Marathon Finish Line

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Melissa (left) and Eileen (right) Habelow at the finish of the Boston Marathon. 

Monday’s BAA Marathon was no walk in the park for the Habelows from Belmont. The pair – mom Eileen and eldest daughter Melissa – ended up battling daylong drenching downpours, a steady headwind and temperatures in the 40s for nearly seven hours before crossing the finish line in Boston’s Copley Square just before 6 p.m. 

And during the entire six hours and 22 minutes in the rain and cold, mother and daughter did it together, side by side, hitting every checkpoint at the same time. 

“It was brutal and amazing in the same day,” said Eileen. “We have trained for almost 20-weeks (physical exertion is nothing new as both Habelows were stellar field hockey players in college) so to have that kind of weather on Marathon Monday was a bit disappointing, but we still got to run the Boston Marathon!”

Three dozen Belmont residents completed the 122nd edition of the marathon run during epic weather conditions. The town’s resident marathoner, Becca Pizzi, broke the finish line in 3 hours and 35 minutes while Belmont High’s Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Melissa Hart strode in four hours and 39 minutes.

The day’s payoff for the Habelows was just that, raising almost $18,000 for Boston’s Beth Israel Cancer Center where Eileen was treated for breast cancer beginning in the fall of 2016. They will continue to raise funds until April 30 (read their story here) as they strive to reach their goal of $20,000. 

“The fundraising and our donors was a big motivation to keep running yesterday,” said Eileen.

And while they pulled up the rear of the pack – remember, they’re field hockey players – they did find something at the end of the race.

“We finished in time to get medals, which made us very happy!” said Eileen.

Times of Belmont :

  1. Alfonso Marquez  3:07:47
  2. Tony Luongo  3:23:18
  3. Emily Cody  3:31:28
  4. Sarah Poplawski  3:32:50
  5. Laurie Nahigian  3:35:13
  6. Becca Pizzi. 3:35:55
  7. Lisa Engler  3:37:01
  8. Seth Waterman  3:37:58
  9. Konstantin Tyurin  3:40.36
  10. Sam Gross  3:49:44
  11. Peter Tagge  3:49:48
  12. William Marinell  3:50:29
  13. Mike Ascione 3:50:31
  14. Carrie Mallozzi  3:57:18
  15. Meredith Plault  4:00:18
  16. Katie Brace  4:00:22
  17. Jana Montoya  4:10:13
  18. Chris Poli  4:11:30
  19. Edward Amer  4:12:50
  20. Christine Bowe  4:18:24
  21. Richard Newton. 4:18:51
  22. Melissa Hart  4:39.16
  23. Satomi Kato  5:00:26
  24. Andy Schreiner. 5:00:55
  25. Sarkis Chekijian  5:05:13
  26. Peter Thomson 5:15:39
  27. Rabie Angadi 5:26:00
  28. Peter Walker 5:26:47
  29. Meaghan Rocha  5:27:27
  30. Carol Berberian 5:31:25
  31. Maria Martins 5:44:17
  32. Kai Saukkonen  6:01:42
  33. Stephen Najarian  6:03:40
  34. Richard Horgan. 6:14:53
  35. Deb Rooney  6:19:18
  36. Eileen Habelow  6:22:13

Winter Wonders: Belmont High Globe All-Scholastics and League All-Stars Named

By 1 Comment

Photo: Julia Martin, alpine all-star.

Four Belmont High School winter athletes took home regional honors from the Boston Globe by being names Eastern Massachusetts All-Scholastics in their sports. In addition, the Middlesex League released its list of Belmont all-stars which included a record eight members of the league winning Boys’ Swimming team.

Carly Christofori (Girls’ Basketball), Julia Martin (Alpine skiing), Anoush Krafian and Calvin Perkins (Indoor Track) were selected All-Scholastics athletes by the Boston Globe.

  • The Middlesex League MVP, Krafian ended her indoor high school career winning the state pentathlon crown and three days later the 55-meter hurdles and placing second in the high jump in the All-State meet. She would go on to place 5th in the pentathlon in the National meet in New York.
  • Martin, who dominated the league this season, finished fourth in the giant slalom and 10th in the slalom at the state championship.
  • A four-year starter and Middlesex League MVP, Christofori lead Belmont to the Division 1 North finals in the team’s first year in the upper division.
  • Perkins turned in the second-best time nationally in the indoor 600 meters and won the All-State meet and is a member of Belmont’s All-American 4×400 mix relay team that placed 6th in the National meet.

The Belmont athletes who were selected Middlesex All-Stars include: 

Girls Basketball: Carly Christofori, Jess Giorgio, Megan Tan.

Girls Hockey: Meg Higgins, Rachel Iler-Keniston.

Girls Indoor Track: Carey Allard, Olivia Cella, Emily Duffy, Anoush Krafian, Alexa Sabatino, Soleil Tseng.

Girls Alpine Skiing: Ashley Green, Julia Martin.

Boys Hockey: Kevin Dacey, Steve Rizzuto.

Boys Swimming: Ilias Arredouani, Damien Autissier, Antony Bulat, Luc Durand, Will Findlay, Tor Metelmann, Samuel Thompson, Rickey Ye.

Boys Alpine Skiing: Nicolas Coppolo, Max Vigneras.

Boys Basketball: Danny Yardemian.

Running Riot: Belmont Girls’ Rugby Romp Over Algonquin In Season Opener

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s Grace Christensen racing to her second try against Algonquin. 

After losing players to graduation (the entire front line), injury or interest in other activities, Head Coach Kate McCabe of Belmont High’s Girls’ Rugby Team wanted to see just what sort of squad would they have as they prepare to defend their 2017 MIAA State Championship against a slew of new teams entering the sport this year.

And it appeared the season’s opener would be a good test as the Marauders hosted Algonquin Regional, the team it narrowly defeated in the championship game last June.

If Wednesday’s game were an exam, you’d be giving the team an A-plus as Belmont ran riot over the T-Hawks scoring ten tries (a better-known equivalent is a touchdown in football) to romp to a 54-0 win before a nice-sized crowd at Harris Field.

“Yeah, that [score] was a surprise,” said Marauder’s scrum-half and senior captain Jess Rosenstein after the match. “They are the definition of a ‘tough’ team. They are a forward attacking team, so we had to prepare for that.”

It didn’t help Algonquin’s cause losing two starters in the first eight minutes to seeming injuries, but it wasn’t likely a game changer as Belmont was ready to set an early marker of its dominance on the field.

With a good mix of returning players and several youngsters in their first-ever game, Belmont dominated the important areas of the game including winning rucks – restarts after a player is on the ground – and scrums where Rosenstein was outstanding in delivering the ball to the outside wingers. The Marauders also won most of the one-on-one battles as its collective tackling was a difference maker as Algonquin could not find an offensive rhythm.

Where last year’s team was known for its grinding, physical offense that tired out opponents to score, this first game saw a squad that created room inside and outside to run at will. Junior fullback Gabriella Viale found just such an opening at the 15-minute mark and sprinted 20 meters for the first try of the year. Three minutes later, junior Number Eight Grace Christensen stiff-armed her way 70 meters down the left sideline to up the score to 12-0.

Another Belmont veteran, junior right wing Hannah Hlotyak, took a pass and outran the opposition at the 21-minute mark to give Belmont a 17-0 margin. While Algonquin was able to gain possession, the Marauders’ defenders tackling, led by several solid hits by Lock Maddie Mulkern, kept pushing the T-Hawk back for losses while dominating side-outs and winning the ball in scrums and rucks. 

Belmont ended the half with its fourth try as Rosenstein took a big chance and kept the ball from a scrum and scampered 40 meters through the middle of Algonquin’s backs to put the Marauders’ took a 24-0 lead after the first 35 minutes.

It took Viale just 80 seconds into the second half to sprint down, this time, the right sideline to put the game out of reach at 29-0. The remaining 33 minutes was a lopsided affair with Belmont’s ball distributing in midseason form as the Marauders’ threatened to score at any time. Mulkern, Hlotyak’s second and Johanna Matulonis’ first-ever try scored by the midpoint of the half while Hook Elise Ferriera driving try was followed by a terrific sprint by newbie Calista Weissman who outran the T-Hawks left side and nearly lost her shorts from a failed last-ditch attempt to stop her from scoring.

“It was a little strange to win this way, but we’ll take it,” said Rosenstein.

Belmont will be on the road against Needham and Lincoln-Sudbury before returning to Harris Field next month when it hosts the first-year varsity squad from Weymouth on Wednesday, May 9 at 6 p.m.