Belmont High Field Hockey Firing On All Cylinders At Wilmington In Season Opener

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Photo: Belmont’s Jordan Lettiere scoring the first goal of the season in Belmont’s 8-0 win over Wilmington.

Belmont High Head Coach Jess Smith was nervous before the season-opening game at Wilmington on Saturday, Sept. 7.

“Are we really ready for this game?” worried Smith, remembering Belmont’s close 1-0 home victory against the Wildcats a year earlier. 

While Smith fretted as coaches will, her players spent the final moments during stick inspection discussing … llamas. “They’re sooo cute! But really nasty in person,” commented a player who got to see the South American pack animal up close during a recent school trip to Machu Picchu. 

“Do you believe them?” said Smith of her charges as they headed out onto the pitch. But being anxious is just Smith’s natural state before a match, be it against tough foes like Watertown or a weaker opponent during the season.

A little over an hour later, Smith was able to set her worries aside (at least until the next game) as her Marauders came out and dominated the host Wildcats, 8-0, to open the team’s 2018 account with a victory.

“I’ll take it,” said a pleased Smith, now in her 13th year coaching the team. “The team was an offensive machine today,” she said.

And why wouldn’t Smith be pleased? Her Marauders controlled all aspects of the game. On defense, Belmont shut down the Wildcat attack by clogging the passing lanes and using their collective speed – Smith credits three weeks of running 400-meter laps on the Harris Field track – to limit to just a handful of the times Wilmington crossed the midfield line. Led by juniors Katie Guden at center mid and Emma Donahue, center back, Belmont was able to quickly transition to offense.

“I was impressed how the defense and the midfield worked together to bring the ball into the [striking circle],” said Smith.

Offensively, Belmont used a combination of solid passing and slick, quick solo runs – by speedster Marissa Cecca, Guden and senior forward and co-captain Morgan Chase – to counter Wilmington packing 11 players between the ball and their goal. It took all of four minutes for the team to get on the scoreboard when senior forward and co-captain Jordan Lettiere beat the Wildcat goalie by her left pad to give Belmont the lead they’d keep.

Belmont would score three more in the first and four in the final 30 minutes with Guden bagging the hat trick, with Chase and Donahue putting in a pair, each scored in close and from just inside the striking circle (Chase’s long-distance goal came from a penalty corner passed to her by defender Meaghan Noone which can be seen on the video). Morgan Moroney and Molly Calkins each played a half in net and shared the shutout. 

Next up for Belmont is the home opener at Harris Field against Stoneham on Wednesday at 4 p.m. then the Marauders host Woburn at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14. 

Belmont High Volleyball Two For Two In Season Openers [VIDEO]

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Photo: Belmont’s Leah Babroudi at the net against Burlington.

Last year Belmont High volleyball’s young team squeaked into the playoffs with a .500 record than losing in the first round.

Now, with a year’s worth of experience under their belt and a familiarity playing as a team, Belmont’s Head Coach Jen Couture has high hopes for a strong run in the league race and for a post-season run.

And so far the team has not disappointed, winning its first two contests in the 2018 season; 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22) in the home opener over Burlington on Wednesday and a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-15) whitewashing of Wilmington Friday.

In its game with Burlington – a semifinalist in last year’s Division 2 North sectionals – Belmont never allowed the Devils to run off long service games while countering with a complete game plan.

“We started off the match playing with confidence,” said Couture. “Burlington took a little while to warm up and really started getting into a groove in the third set which they inevitably took. In the fourth set we just focused on minimizing unforced errors, keeping everything in play and hitting smart shots. [Belmont] didn’t get shaken or down on themselves after dropping the [previous] set and bounced back to finish the match.”

Junior captain setter Mindee Lai set a new record for assists in a single match with 35.

“Mindee always gives 100 percent effort every match and does an excellent job setting up our offense. Burlington’s middle blockers really challenge our hitters to hit to smart spots and Mindee adjusts the sets to give hitters more time to hit around the block,” said Couture.

Senior Captain Jane Mahon led the offense with 11 kills (17 total in two games) and 6 aces. Mahon, who plays as the opposite hitter and middle blocker, also led the team in blocks with 6. She’s followed by junior Nena Babroudi with 10 kills and 5 services aces.

Leading from the back was junior Libero Sophia Estok who came up big serving in the fourth set along with her solid defense. In the two games, Estok has 36 defensive digs and 38 services received while senior Leah Babroudi has 14 digs and 24 services. 

Belmont Girls’ Soccer Leaves It Late In 2-1 Home Opener Win As Frosh Goalie Shines

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Photo: Ella Gagnon (21) scoring the equalizer vs. Wilmington.

It wasn’t the way freshman goalie Bridgette Martin wanted to start her first varsity game against Wilmington.

On the first ball that came her way, Martin – who admitted being nervous when the game got underway – hesitated for a second and saw it go behind her and tapped in by Jocelyn Palmer less than 30 seconds into the home opener on Saturday night, Sept. 8.

But that “oops” moment didn’t get the 9th grader down, just mad. 

“I got pretty angry after the goal and that anger fueled my adrenaline. It kicked in and it got me going to the ball hard,” she said. 

While her mistake put Belmont (2-0-0) behind the Wildcats (0-2-0) for nearly 70 minutes, Martin was superb the remaining 79 minutes, stopping three breakaway and a looping shot heading goalward to keep the match within one. That allowed the usual goal happy Marauder offense (it won its opener 11-0 over Burlington) to find a way by a disciplined Wilmington defense to score twice in the final 12 minutes to eek out a 2-1 victory at Harris Field.

“I really have to say Martin showed a heck of a lot of class,” said longtime Marauder Head Coach Paul Graham. And that effort was crucial, said Graham, “because despite dominating the game especially in the first half, we couldn’t find any way to score.” 

Not that the Marauders didn’t come close, including hitting the crossbar and seeing two through balls miss everyone in the six-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, Martin heroics was highlighted in the 23rd minute when she made a reflex save off freshman Alyssa Granara from 10 meters out then hurried back to the goal line to snag the rebound that was floating just under the crossbar.

The second 40 minutes saw Wilmington play a much tighter game and began controlling the ball with better success. One area that Belmont continues to take advantage was its physical play, continuing to knock Wildcats off the ball or winning possession with their speed. Senior center forward Ella Gagnon was a constant threat but Wilmington’s goalie Alyssa Morrison, in only her second varsity start, made her share of reaction stops. 

Just eight minutes into the second half saw Martin make the game-changing save as Wilmington’s Annie Wingate received a perfect pass to face the Belmont goalie alone eight meters from a wide-open goal. Closing the distance, Martin left arm got just enough of Wingate’s rocket shot to see it dribble pass the right post. 

“We practice these shots in practice a lot. Normally I close the girl down and see what I can do,” said Martin.

With the margin still at one, Belmont finally broke through with less than 12 minutes to go when senior left wing Morgan Krauss stayed wide and squared a perfect centering pass that Gagnon tapped in from five meters out. And just after the nine-minute to go mark, sophomore Jenna Thomas looped a shot that beat Morrison who was well off her line. Gagnon had a hand in preserving the win. With seconds remaining in the match, she jumped as part of the defensive wall and deflected a shot by senior Thea Alberti that was heading into the upper right corner of the goal. 

“Wilmington is a team that is always good and these are the teams that you have to beat if you want to go deep in the playoffs,” said Graham. “This win puts us on the map,” he said. 

 

Preview: 2018 Belmont High Field Hockey [Video]

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Photo: The 2018 Belmont High Field Hockey senior captains: (from left) Mia Kaldenbaugh, Morgan Chase, Jordan Lettiere.

Coming off a 12-2-2 regular season, Belmont High’s 2018 Field Hockey has high expectations for the coming season, as noted by the Boston Globe ranking the 2017 Middlesex Liberty runners-up 19th in its preseason poll.

Repeating as league champions in 2015 and 2016, the Marauders are looking to make the Division 1 North sectional playoffs for the 12th time in 13 years. Top competitors will include last year’s Liberty champs and North sectional finalists Winchester, Lexington and improving teams such as Arlington and Wilmington. And there will be the annual tussle with next-door neighbors and perennial Division 2 state champions, Watertown.

Belmont High Girls Rugby To Be Honored By Red Sox Aug. 20: Get Your Tickets

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Photo: Belmont High’s Girls’ Rugby team.

The Boston Red Sox organization will honor the Belmont High School 2018 Girls Varsity Rugby Team after winning the 2018 MIAA Division 1 State Championship in a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park before its game against the Cleveland Indians on Monday, Aug. 20. 

The Marauders won its second consecutive state championship defeating Lincoln-Sudbury Regional, 20-10, on June 23.

The Red Sox has made available for the Belmont community to purchase tickets and support the team and school. Please go to the website listed below to purchase tickets: https://groupmatics.events/BelmontHSChamps

CHAMPS AGAIN: Belmont Girls’ Rugby Repeat As State Champions Defeating Lincoln Sudbury

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Photo: Senior Jess Rosenstein raise the state championship trophy.

Belmont High Girls’ Rugby Head Coach Kate McCabe huddled with her team just before the beginning of the second half of the state championship finals against Lincoln Sudbury Regional. Trailing 10-8, Belmont had been outplayed by the Warriors for long stretches of the match held at Newton South High School.

“Right now Lincoln Sudbury wants this game,” she told the team, looking at each player as she spoke. “I want you to want this game more. I want you to want to win this game,” said McCabe, imploring her squad to win each encounter on the field both as individuals and as a team. Now’s the time, she told them, to have the desire to win a state title.

And the Marauders responded with a dominating hard-fought second half punctuated with a pair of inspired trys by junior flyhalf Gabriella “Gabby” Viale – adding to her first-half strike – to defeat Lincoln-Sudbury, 20-10, to repeat as MIAA Division 1 state girls’ rugby champions.

“I can’t say enough about this team. They rose to the occasion when [the game] was on the line,” said McCabe after celebrating with her team with the state tournament trophy.

“I can’t describe it,” said team captain senior scrumhalf Jess Rosenstein who accepted the state championship trophy with fellow senior center Kiera Booth. “It’s great,” she said, pointing out the victory was due to a true team effort. “It’s all our[s] [championship].”

Top seed Belmont (8-0) won the two regular-season games against second-ranked Lincoln Sudbury (5-3) by five (17-12) and two points (14-12) in physical contests and the championship match played in sporadic sprinkles under overcast skies was just as rough and tumble as the previous matches. And it was the Warriors that took the game to the Marauders, keeping control of the ball while threatening to break runs from the back.

When Belmont did have the ball, it was losing possession in the ruck – when a player must release the ball after being tackled – as the Warriors moved the Marauders off the ball. 

“That was a sticking point which we had worked on so we knew that was going to happen,” said McCabe. “LS really pressured us on our first pass from the ruck and scrum and that took away our options.” 

Lincoln Sudbury struck first when junior center Shelley Zuckerman romped around Belmont’s right end to score the first of her two tries in the half to give the Warriors a 5-0 lead. 

Belmont responded on a flukish play as the Marauders’ drove the ball within 10 meters to the goal when a quick stoppage had both teams suddenly stop play. The only player to realize that the ball was free was Viale to picked it up and ran to try. The conversion attempt from an acute angle by junior lock Johanna Matulonis was missed to leave the game level at 5-5.

“I had these opportunities. I saw it and I had to go,” said Viale who has scored in consecutive championship games.

Belmont took a lead on Matunlonis’ penalty kick from nearly 22 meters with the wind to her back. That lead was shortlived as Zuckerman scored her second from 20 meters out to give the Warriors a 10-8 lead into the half. 

The Warriors came out of the half on fire as it quickly drove the ball to the Belmont 10 meters and then nearly scored on a solo run after a Marauder defensive kick, but for a last-gasp stop by junior fullback Clare Martin.

“Clare Martin was making amazing tackles all game, some were try-saving tackles,” said McCabe.

But once it weathered the assault, Belmont put its stamp on the game, retaining control and drove to the Warrior’s try line. Belmont came close to scoring, once losing the ruck within 5 meters to the line and once crossing the try line but did not touch the ball to the ground. The Marauders kept control in the Warriors’ end despite junior lock Sam Dignan being sent for 10 minutes to the “sin bin” with a yellow card. Both teams would soon be playing 14 aside when a Warrior was sent off with her own yellow.

The constant pressure Belmont placed on Lincoln Sudbury by running straight at its front line by junior 8-man Grace Christensen, Matulonis and sophomore prop Madeline Mulken finally gave Belmont open space along the flanks and Viale capitalized by taking a final pass down the right side to outpace the Warrior defenders to sweep 20 meters into try midway in the half. Matulonis’s successful conversion gave Belmont a 15-10 lead. 

The remainder of the half saw a tiring Warrior team unable to break Belmont’s defense, only passing the half line once in the final 18 minutes. Belmont once again drove into the offensive zone, keeping possession for a majority of the last minutes. After a penalty on the Warriors 25 meters from the try line, Viale quickly restarted play with a “tap-and-go” and ran by the Lincoln Sudbury defenders for her final try giving Belmont an insurmountable 20-10 margin with less than four minutes to play.

“I couldn’t have done it without the work of my teammates,” said Viale.

“Lincoln Sudbury was phenomenal today. At times we lost our focus that potentially could have changed the entire game,” said McCabe. “But at halftime, I asked them to make a difference in the game. It was that desire, the willingness to own how each of them played which made the difference.” 

Belmont Rugby Teams Meet Familiar Rivals In Saturday’s State Finals [VIDEO]

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Photo: Senior Scrumhalf Joe Viale racing down the pitch vs. St. John’s Prep

With a pair of dominating performances in the state championship semifinals last week, Belmont High School’s boys’ and girls’ Rugby squads now prepare to meet familiar foes in the state finals in a rare doubleheader where girls and boys high school teams will be seeking championships on the same day this Saturday, June 23.

The number one-ranked boys’ (6-0) in Division 1 will meet defending championships and second seed Boston College High School (5-1) in the late match of the three championship finals taking place at Newton South High School at 4 p.m. 

In the middle match at 2 p.m., the first seed and defending champs Belmont (7-0) is match up against second-ranked Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School (5-2) in the Division 1 Girls’ finals. 

The Belmont teams earned their place in the championship match with convincing victories in the semifinals that took place at Harris Field. On Tuesday, June 12, Belmont’s girls’ defeated the Needham High squad, 54-7, in a game that was more competitive than the earlier encounter between the teams.

Saturday’s opponent Lincoln Sudbury has been the one team which has placed the most pressure on the Marauders. It took Gabby Viale‘s ten-meter “tap and go” dash up the middle for a try on the last play of the game to give Belmont a 17-12 away victory on April 25. In the reverse fixture on June 12, Belmont’s defense and tackling kept a surging Warriors’ at bay for the 14-12 win, the margin of victory provided by junior Johanna Matulonis‘ converting both two-point conversion kicks after trys. 

Belmont will be relying on Senior Scrumhalf Jessica Rosenstein – who will be playing collegiately at national champs Lindenwood next year – to deliver the ball to the backline and direct the offense. Expect the team to rely on Number 8 Grace Christensen to take inside runs while Viale will be relied on to continue her season-long game-breaking runs while the back row wingers – highlighting juniors Hannah Hlotyak, Clare Martin, and Kiera Booth – will play a central role advancing the ball. 

The Marauders will need to protect the ruck – when a runner is stopped, their teammates attempt to push back the opponents so the scrumhalf can release the ball to the back row – and win the scrum when Belmont’s front eight players battle Lincoln-Sudbury’s front eight for the ball. 

On defense, watch for Belmont tackling attempt to counter the speed and physical nature of the Warriors.

If there is one advantage Belmont will carry into the game will be its experience – Saturday will be consecutive championship matches for nearly all the players on the field – and knowledge of the game which will 

Belmont Boys’ completed the season undefeated and rarely challenged in the late going of matches. And they showed its superiority in the semifinals as they dispatched St. John’s Prep High, 33-3, on Wednesday.

Boston College High squeaked into the championship game with a 12-10 semifinal victory over Lincoln Sudbury. Belmont defeated the Eagles on a rainy April 25, 26-14, with BC High scoring a late try. 

The Marauders will look to its senior front-runners, captain and flanker Will Lozano and scrumhalf Joe Viale, who will provide leadership by example on both sides of the ball, leading the attack into the heart of the BC High squad while being the first line of defense with an emphasis on stealing the ball from the ruck or during the run of play. 

And it will be in the ruck, side out and especially the scrum where Belmont will attempt to continue its season-long dominance. Despite being outweighed by BC High and St. John’s Prep by a significant amount, the forwards – front row Jake Parsons, Ryuichi Ohhata, and Mark Morash; locks Andra Duda and Maxwell Baskerville; flankers Connor Shea and Lozano; and 8-man Sam Sagherian – have controlled the majority of scrum restarts by working in concert as a single unit, resulting in the Marauders dictating how the game is played.

Look for Belmont to control the line-outs with Baskerville as the jumper who is lifted to capture the ball. Center back Sam Harris and wings Joe Altomare will give Belmont a great amount of pace in the open field. 

And the Marauders is expected to have an advantage in the kicking game as senior flyhalf Laurent Brabo has been hitting conversions and penalty kicks from well past 30 meters.

Before Heading (With A Relay In Tow) To Track Nationals, Krafian Places Twice at New Englands

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Photo: They’re back! Anoush and the Belmont Boys (this photo is from last year’s event) return to the National Outdoor track meet this weekend. (Heather Krafian, photo)

Before she leaves Thursday for the 2018 New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet in Greensboro, N.C., Belmont High’s recent graduate Anoush Krafian traveled to the New England Championships in Durham this past Saturday, June 9, and had double the fun of the other athletes.

The Dartmouth-bound track not only competed in her specialty, the 100-meter hurdles against the best runners and jumpers in the five-state region, Krafian also took time to compete in the high jump. That meant Krafian ran a preliminary round and the finals over the ten hurdles while taking a number of attempts at the jump. In the end, arguably Belmont’s best all-around track athlete in school history had quite an afternoon on the campus of the University of New Hampshire.

After taking the Massachusetts state championship last week in near record time of 14.26 seconds, Krafian took second to senior Katherine Jacobs of Connecticut’s Northwest Catholic High School as the Babson-bound hurdler came home in 14.84, four one-hundred of a second in front of Krafian’s 14.88. 

Earlier in the morning, Krafian cleared 5-feet, 5 inches, equalling the fourth highest jump with five other athletes which was good enough for sixth place due to the number of misses she accumulated. 

On Friday and Saturday, Krafian returns to the Nationals to compete in the two-day heptathlon, in which participants gain points on how well they perform seven track events – 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200-metre run on the first day; and the long jump, javelin, and 800-meters on the second day. Last year, Krafian finished in fifth with 4,496 points, about 450 points behind the winner Kaitlyn Kirby of Palm Harbor, Fla. 

Like last year, Krafian will have company from her hometown in Greensboro as a team of four Belmont High seniors will compete in the 1,600-meter Sprint Medley Relay (comprised of two 200 meters legs, a 400 meters leg then finishing with an 800 meters anchor) as Bryan Huang, Max Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima and Belmont High 400 meter record holder Calvin Perkins will attempt to earn All-American status. 

Belmont’s sprint medley relay team which will compete at Nationals this weekend.

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

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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

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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.