Cushing Village: Demolition of Structures Completed, Dewatering To Begin

February 28, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: The site of the future Cushing Village.

The future location of Cushing Village has been cleared of the former buildings, and in-ground work will begin in the next few days, according to an update from a spokesperson for Toll Brothers, the developer of the 164,000 square foot multi-use project.

Otto Weiss, the project manager for Toll Brothers Apartment Living which is building Cushing Village, reported the first major phase of the project had been completed with the demolition of all but one of the structures at the construction site at the corner of Common Street and Trapelo Road.

The only remaining building is the one housing the Starbucks Cafe. But that will be tumbling down in about three months.

“We expect Starbucks will remain open until late spring [or] early summer this year,” said Weiss. “The date of the closing has not yet been established.”

Next up will be the placement of dewatering equipment which is already placed along Trapelo Road. It will be used to remove the ground water to allow for the construction of the garages and foundations of the three buildings to be constructed at the site.

And the first building to be excavation and the foundation construction will be for the Winslow Building which will be built on the former municipal parking lot. That will take place in the late spring.

In other news, the firm anticipates to be responding to public comments to the Release Abatement Measure (RAM) Plan in early March and uploading the plan to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection once these comments have been addressed, said Weiss.

Once the RAM Plan is uploaded to DEP, “we anticipate further excavation will begin. We anticipate this work will start by mid-March.”

Sports: Boys’ Hockey Takes on St. John’s Prep Wednesday in Playoff’s First Round

February 28, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont ice hockey

Belmont High Boys’ Ice Hockey knew they were heading to the Division 1 North playoffs for the past fortnight.

But like every other team in the same pool, the team needed to wait until late Monday night – only after a pair of games to determine the final teams entering the “Super Eight” tourney – to find out exactly who they would be playing.

Now it knows and the team they suit up against on Wednesday, March 1 in Chelmsfored won the 2015 state champions and runner’s up last year which plays a highly-competitive schedule and comes in on a hot streak.

The ninth-seed St. John’s Prep School of Danvers will take on eighth-ranked Marauders at the Chelmsford Forum at 5 p.m. A bus for Belmont High students is being provided to bring fans to the rink.

While ranked ninth, the Eagles (11-7-2), which competes in the tough Catholic Conference, are on a roll winning its last six games and going 8-2 in the final 10 games scoring 24 more goals then its opponants.

Last year, St. Johns’ Prep was defeated 2-1 in overtime to Malden Catholic in the top ranked “Super Eight” state championships. In 2015, the team won it all, defeating MC 2-1.

Belmont comes to the match with a 10-7-4 record, winning three of four games.

Sports: Belmont Boys’ Basketball Quietly Enters Playoffs After Cathedral Roadrace

February 26, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s Daniel Yardemian (center) being fouled by Cathedral’s Manny Green.

Can a 16-6 team quietly enter the playoffs?

Belmont High School Boys’ Basketball is doing just that, going about its business mostly under the radar as it enters the Division 2 North sectional tourney play on Wednesday, March 1 against Chelsea High School.

And that might be a good thing for the Marauders as opponents may overlook a team that played undefeated Division 1 powerhouse Arlington High close away to the SpyPonders, defeated City school Boston English, and took apart archrival and Division 3 North top-seed Watertown in the season while finishing second to the aforementioned SpyPonders in the Middlesex Liberty division.

“I really like this team,” said Belmont’s long-serving head coach Adam Pritchard a week ago. “We have an undersized center (senior captain Paul Ramsey) who I think is at least league co-MVP and just a lot of players who work well together. It’s a real scrappy team.”

That gritty style of play – regulars Cal Christofori and Ben Jones starred on the gridiron for the Marauders this season – was highlighted on Thursday when Belmont traveled to the bandbox gymnasium of Cathedral High in Boston’s South End to end the post-league season against the 14-4 Panthers who are the second seed in the Division 3 South sectionals and are expected to win not just the South but the Eastern Mass title.

Why put such an arduous task before his team as the playoffs loom, having ended the season on an impressive 6-1 run with wins over dreaded Watertown and a big tough team from Billerica on Seniors Night.

“How are you going to get better if you don’t play the best,” said Pritchard before the game as the court rocked with the stands filled with happy parents and classmates on the Panthers’ senior night.

“It’s loud like a playoff game. I want [the Marauders] to experience this atmosphere against a talented team,” said Pritchard.

It was a game that did not disappoint in competitiveness and for just plain ol’ hoops FUN. The first half was played at breakneck speed as both teams resembled Usain Bolt as they sprinted up and down the floor with the ball being heaved the length and breadth of the court and threes raining from downtown. All that was missing was Dick Vitale yelling “Oh baby! It’s prime time in Boston!”

That wide open play favored Belmont as sophomore point guard Daniel Yardemian used his quickness to open space to make the assist or drilling the J tallying scoring 14 points in the first, joining Ramsey’s 13 to allow Belmont to sprint out to a 29-18 first quarter lead.

The Belmont trapping defense where two and even three Marauders surrounded the Panthers’ guards bothered the hosts into committing a slew of turnovers and hurried shots which gave the Marauders’ the edge. Yardemian hit two of three foul shots for a foul on a 3-attempt followed by senior Daron Hamparian; the Marauders were cruising by 15, 46-31 with 4:20 remaining in the second.

“He’s really important for us. It’s something special when you have someone who was the freshman [team] point guard playing that position as a sophomore and doing it at this level,” said Pritchard of Yardemian.

But Cathedral wasn’t laying down for the visitors, going on an 11-0 run culminating in a 3 from NBA distance by the Panthers all-star senior guard Calvin Cheek, cutting the lead to 4 at 46-42 with 1:11 left in the half. In the final minute, Christofori scored all five of his second quarter points including a buzzer beating 3 to allow Belmont to hit the half with a seven-point lead, 51-44.

The third quarter saw it rain 3s for both sides as the Panthers’ kept running. Belmont was equal with the spurt as a Ramsey basket, and foul shot pushed up the lead to eight, 59-51, four minutes in the quarter. Cathedral then upped their game and behind Cheek took a 67-66 lead only for Hamparian to throw up his third of four 3s for the night to give Belmont its last advantage at 69-67 with less than a minute to go.

Cathedral High’s Calvin Cheek scored 31 points vs. Belmont.

But from that point it became the Cheek’s Show as the senior displayed a shooters eye, a command of the floor and a leader’s approach in coaching on and off the court, positioning teammates and yelling encouragement. He dished, drove and drained the key shots, in the first minute of the final stanza draining two from the charity strip and a 3 after stripping the ball to start the transition.

Before you knew it, the Panthers went on a 14-3 run as the hosts slowed the play and allowed its bump and grab zone defense to stifle Belmont to lead 83-72 with two to go.

Give Belmont credit for marshaling a spirited comeback. As Cathedral missed free throws to extend its lead, Ramsey and Yardemian hit driving hoops while Hamparian swished his final 3.

With Cheeks on the line and the Panthers up by 3, the game’s star faulted on both shots giving Belmont a final attempt to tie it up with a 3. But Yardemian’s contested fling was short with less than 10 seconds, and the Marauders fate was sealed, taking the fall, 86-81.

For Pritchard, the trip to the parking-challenged South End (hint: next year bring the Panthers to Belmont) was well-worth the effort and disappointment.

“For us, it was a really good preparation for tournament-wise and being in this atmosphere where you have to play through adversity. I thought our effort was there, so I’m not unhappy.

“We have things to work on, and we’ll have time to do those,” said Pritchard.

Sports: Girl Hoopsters Top Seed In Sectionals, Boys’ In At 6th

February 24, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Game against Melrose two months ago.

The Belmont High Girls’ Basketball team has secured the coveted number one seed in the coming Division 2 North sectional playoffs that begin next week.

The Boys’ squad has garnered the sixth seed and a first-round home game on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. against the Chelsea High School Red Devils.

Belmont Girls finished the season at 16-4, the same record as Wakefield High. The Marauders took to top spot via a coin toss.

With its .800 winning percentage, Belmont has earned a bye in the first round and will play its quarterfinal game at home on Friday, March 3 at 7 p.m. against the winner of the Triton Regional Vikings and the Marauders’ Middlesex League rival Melrose. Belmont defeated Melrose 42-31 in the first game of the season in mid-December.

If successful next Friday, Belmont’s semi-final match will take place early in the week of March 6. They would play one of four teams in the lower part of the bracket: #4 Pentucket, #5 Arlington Catholic, #12 Danvers and #13 Newburyport.

Belmont’s final loss of the season was a “heartbreaking” 37-35 defeat to Pentucket – the only Division 2 tream they lost to this season – on Feb. 19, according to Head Coach Melissa Hart.

The “one seed” is the highest playoff position Belmont has held in the past decade. The previous record were a pair of five seeds in 2015 and 2008. Last year, Belmont as the 10th seed made a heroic run to the sectional finals, defeating the 7th, 2nd and 3rd ranked teams before falling to Watertown (this season’s 3rd seed) in the finals.

Belmont Boys come into the playoffs with a 16-6 record (with a 15-5 counting towards the tourney) playing tough pressing defense and speedy offense. A win over the 13-7 Devils will see Belmont take on the winner of the third ranked Lynn Classical (18-3) and 12th seed Salem (10-8) later in the week.

Sports: Belmont Shares League Title After Rendering Reading Redundant, 57-51

February 18, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: The bench and players on the court cheer what would be the game-winning basket from Greta Propp.

When Reading High’s sophomore guard Isabella Zagami hit an off-balance 3 pointer to tie its game with Belmont at 51 with less than 40 seconds in the game, it could have been a knife to the heart to the host Marauders.

But rather than dwell on what just occurred, Belmont immediately took the ball inbounds and grabbed the game by the throat and a championship into their hands.

Taking the ball from half court, sophomore forward Jane Mahon turned and headed directly to the basket. With a pair of Reading players stepping up to cut off her path to the hoop, Mahon lifted a soft, floating pass to a wide open junior forward Greta Propp who hit the easy bucket while being fouled.

“I said, ‘please, Greta, grab the ball,” said Mahon after Belmont (14-3) defeated the red hot (a nine-game winning streak snapped) Reading Rocket team, 57-51, to secure a share of the Middlesex League Liberty title with Woburn on Seniors Night, Thursday, Feb. 16.

In a game close from the second quarter on, the chemistry between the players on the court gave Belmont the victory.

“Our starters and those coming off the bench just have a great feel for the game and especially here,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Melissa Hart. She particularly praised sophomore off guard Meghan Tan for her standup defense and timely hoops.

“The hands that she got on the ball and the rebounds, she just made a lot of stuff happen.”

As her policy, Hart started all her seniors – the Haight twins, Reagan and Riley, Mary Kate Egan and the injured Margaux d’Arbeloff who came off after the tip – along with captain point guard Carly Christofori and junior Jenny Call. While Belmont fell behind early, 11-5 midway through the first, Hart noted it had less to do with the skills of the seniors rather the unfamiliarity of whom they were playing.

Belmont seniors: Riley Haight, Mary Kate Egan, Margaux d’Arbeloff and Reagan Haight.

Reading entered the second up by a surprising 11, 18-5, led by its young trio of underclassmen, sophomore forward Alyssa Pryputniewicz, junior Kathryn Nestor and the Rockets’ stellar sophomore Haley Lightbody who is making her mark with her quickness and shooting ability.

Belmont soon cut the margin within two minutes with an eight-point run from 3s from Tan and Call along with a pair of free throws from Christofori “who is such a stabilizing force,” said Hart. Belmont’s 17-8 quarter – highlighted by Mahon’s pair of jumpers – allowed the slow starting Marauders to trail the Rockets by two, 26-24, at the half.

The second act was much as the first, with a paper-thin margin between the squads with Belmont’s sophomore center Jess Giorgio (4 points in the third) and Propp (7 third quarter points of her team-high 13 points) led the Marauders while Lightbody kept the Rockets in the game despite of Belmont defensive press.

The game’s big breakout came as the teams prepared for the final stanza tied at 36 as Belmont went the Stephen Curry route as Christofori and Call hit 3s from distance to take a six-point lead into the final quarter.

Belmont would keep the lead at half-a-dozen for six of the eight minutes with a basket Tan – who earlier in the quarter scored on a 3 and made two critical assists – giving the Marauders a five-point lead at the two-minute-to-go point, 51-46.

But Zagami made Belmont pay for a lazy pass with a steal with Lightbody making the hoop with 1:35 left, now 51-48. The Marauders were nearly a victim of a second steal, but Reading fumbled the ball out-of-bounds. But a Call layup on a quick pass break was stuffed by (that person) Lightbody which soon turn into Zagami’s fleeting highlight moment.

After Propp’s hoop and free throw, Reading took a timeout to map out a sure thing play, but a momentary bobble by a Reading guard was pounced on by Tan who secured the ball to Christofori who would sink three of four from the charity stripe to secure the game.

“This team has a real confidence, we don’t get down when we are behind,” said junior guard Alexa Sabatino.

Next up for Belmont is a tough stretch of post-season matchups beginning with two games at the 2017 Spartan Classic starting Sunday against an excellent Pentucket squad with the second game on Monday. Finally, a rematch against Lowell, the only team to defeat Belmont other than Woburn.

“We want to play tough games because that will prepare us for the playoffs,” said Hart.

Giorgio, Quirk Named Boosters BHS Student-Athlete for January

February 15, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Jess Giorgio and Kevin Quirk.

Senior Kevin Quirk (Boys’ Ice Hockey) and sophomore Jess Giorgio (Girls’ Basketball) are the recipients of the Belmont Boosters BHS Student-Athlete-of-the-Month award for January.

Sponsored by the Boosters and in coordination, with the Belmont High School Athletic Department, each month a pair of varsity athletes are selected by an independent panel as a BHS Student-Athlete-of-the-Month.

Nominations are made at the end of every month by Belmont High varsity coaches.

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Hoops Swamp Watertown, 40-22, in Defensive Tour de Force [VIDEO]

February 13, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s Alexia Sabatino (Center #5) on defense against Watertown.

Since her freshman season when she took over the role of on-court leader, Carly Christofori has had to walk away five times on the losing end of a game against archrivals Watertown.

In each of the previous two seasons, great playoff runs by the Marauders ended bitterly against Watertown including in a tightly fought Division 2 North Sectional finals last year.

So when the junior all-star point guard walked into the Watertown High School gym Saturday afternoon to play a rescheduled game against her all-too-familiar opponent – she knows many Watertown players through AAU club games – Christofori’s focus was primarily on redressing past disappointments.

“For me, it was mostly about revenge,” said Christofori.”Getting knocked out of the tournament by them two years in a row kinda stinks. So [the team] wanted to show them what we are really made of.”

And did they ever. In what was a clinic on shut-down defense, Belmont (12-3) put Watertown through 32 minutes of hell, frustrating the team ranked 19th in the Boston Globe poll with pressure up and down the court that limited Watertown (12-3) to 12 points in the first three-quarters, swamping the archrivals, 40-22.

“Credit it to the hard work every single one of them did. They were kind of relentless everywhere. Just really good team defense,” said Belmont Head Coach Melissa Hart.

Throughout the game, Belmont prevented Watertown from running its half-court offense as the Marauders’ defense – which used ten players rotating throughout the match – was too quick and tall for Watertown’s four-guard offense to break.

Senior center Shannon Murphy, Watertown’s go-to offensive player, was kept in check by Belmont’s sophomore center Jess Giorgio, who was the Holy Cross commit’s equal under the basket in rebounds and points.

“Our goal was not to for (Murphy) to get the ball … and that is why we had so much success this time,” said Giorgio.

While Giorgio and teammates sophomores Jane Mahon (3 points) and Ella Gagnon kept Murphy off the boards, Christofori (a quiet 4 points) – partnered with sophomore Megan Tan and junior Alexa Sabatino (4 points) – made life miserable for Watertown’s point guards seniors Jenna McMahon and Alexis Catsoulis, bird-dogging the pair away from setting up Watertown’s offense.

After Murphy had scored the first basket of the game, Belmont took a 3-2 lead on junior forward Jenny Call’s 3, part of her 7 point night. Junior forward Greta Propp and Mahon (3 points) each made baskets and free throws to build a 10-7 lead after the first quarter. Propp and Call contributed to the defensive cause by sacrificing themselves to hard charges

Watertown was down by three, 12-9, on senior Alexis Catsoulis’ basket two minutes into the second, but that was a close as the hosts would come to Belmont. Over the next nearly 16 minutes – half of the game – Watertown would score a total of 3 points as the Marauders’ defense kicked into gear.

“We really worked as a team, and …tried to keep up the intensity, just be in their face,” said Sabatino, who hit a 3 to up Belmont’s lead to 15-9. A Giorgio drive by Murphy for two gave Belmont a 20-10 halftime lead, just part of the Marauders’ center’s six consecutive points run that bled into the second half.

Despite a series of adjustments by Watertown to generate shots from the outside, Belmont’s defense allowed just a pair of Murphy free throws over the eight minutes of the third quarter. The Marauders’ went six for six from the charity stripe and hitting four hoops, two from senior Regan Haight (4 points) to give Belmont a 22 point lead (34-12) at the end of the third.

Watertown is the second team in the Boston Globe Top 20 Belmont has held to two points in a quarter, following Wakefield which the Marauders ran away, 24-2, in the first quarter.

There was no coming back for Watertown as Propp, (who the Boston Globe identified as “Grata Tropp” in a game review), with a game-high 10 points, sealed the deal.

While the Watertown head coach stated in press accounts that Belmont’s overwhelming victory was made bigger than it really was by the players and their fans – and laying down a marker that the actual “biggest” game will be in the tournament – Christofori said it doesn’t depend on who the team meets in the playoffs, including a rematch with Watertown, the emphasis will be on the defensive side of ball “because it translates to our offense.”

“It’s an awesome feeling knowing that [our defense can] keep a team so good and so talented who scores in the 50s to keep them down so low,” she said.

Sports: Girls’ Basketball Playoff Bound After Dunking SpyPonders, 42-26

February 5, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Sophomore Jane Mahon heading to the basket at Arlington. (Credit: Pete Giorgio)

Unlike last season, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball did not wait ’til the last minute to punch their ticket to the playoffs. This year, they got there early, securing its tenth win in only 12 games as the Marauders had to survive what Head Coach Melissa Hart dubbed “a grim first half” to defeat hosts Arlington High, 42-26, on Friday, Feb. 3.

“We’re in the tournament which is great,” said Hart.

Leading the Marauders was sophomore forward Jane Mahon who had a career night with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.

“Usually I rush my shot but tonight I just took it a step slower, seeing where my defender was. If they were playing off me I was shooting jump shots but if they were on me I was driving the baseline,” said Mahon.

The first half was a rugged affair, with its share of missed shots and fouls as sophomore center Jess Giorgio (4 points) was in foul trouble early. Arlington, which won its first game of the season this week, led after the first, 7-6, and kept it close at the half. Belmont soon took the lead off of three Mahon hoops, which accounted for half of Belmont’s baskets.

Up 19-15 at the half, the third quarter sealed the game for Belmont as the Marauders’ defense checked the SpyPonders, allowing two free throws, while Mahon took care of the offense with a pair of baskets and a free throw to push the lead to 30-17. Junior forward Jenny Call finished with 10 points including a pair of 3s in the fourth quarter.

Hart said the team is going into the Division 2 North sectionals “fairly well-rounded group in its scoring.”

“One of the most dangerous things is that we’ve had six different high scorers in the past six games,” she said.

“I think we’ll be tough to guard, it’s hard to focus on one person to try and stop us.”

Sports: Girls’ Hoops Dismiss Wakefield With ‘Perfect’ First; Enters Top 25 [VIDEO]

January 30, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s defense held Wakefield to a single basket in the first quarter.

For the final three-quarters, the 10-1 Wakefield Warriors played host Belmont just about even, scoring 33 points to the Marauders 32.

There was just one problem for Wakefield: a first quarter of perfection by the Marauders.

In the game’s initial eight minutes, Belmont (9-2, 9-1 in the league) played with the intensity and skill that would make the UConn Huskies proud, annihilating the 17th-ranked Warriors (10-2) 24-2 as Belmont dismissed Wakefield, 56-35 on Friday, Jan. 27.

“Wow,” said one of Belmont’s assistant coaches at the end of the first as the players came to the bench in wide-eyed astonishment, looking up at the scoreboard just to confirm what they had accomplished.

It was a quarter that Marauders’ suffocating defense stifled all but a single shot while its offense was nearly flawless, grabbing offense rebounds and making shots from in close and from a distance.

In a win in which each Marauder contributed to the victory, the night’s standout was sophomore center, Jess Giorgio. While a defensive stalwart since her freshman year – which came to the fore during last season’s playoff run – Giorgio offensive production has steadily increased through the season to where she has become a clear threat on both ends of the court.

Friday, Giorgio dominated the first quarter, hitting jumpers and free throws, grabbing rebounds, and making three assists on the first four Belmont baskets. In the final minute, she created a traveling offense, took a charge and made a driving layup with time running out to finish off the 24 point explosion. She finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double in three games.

“It was really, really fun to come out really hard … because we knew we had to come out to beat them. They’re one of the biggest competitors in the league … it was a really good team win,” said Giorgio to the Belmontonian.

It was a team win from the open tipoff as Belmont’s starters outpaced Wakefield. A Giorgio offensive rebound led to a jumper from sophomore guard Meghan Tan followed by a 3 from junior forward Jenny Call. Giorgio converted a pair of free throws, a jumper, and two big defensive rebounds as Tan pickpocketed Wakefield guards for a pair of steals and junior guard and two-time all-star Carly Christofori hitting a three and free throws. By the time Wakefield called its first timeout at 3:24 remaining in the first, Belmont was up 18-2.

But the reprieve did not cool off Belmont as junior guard Alexa Sabatino 3-pointer and Giorgio’s final scoring spurt ended the quarter. While there were 24 minutes remaining in the game, the contest was essentially over.

Belmont kept the lead above 20 until midway through the fourth quarter when a Wakefield 3 cut the lead to 17 (50-33). But baskets by Giorgio (outrebounding a pair of Warrior defenders), sophomore Jane Mahon and Riley Haight gave Belmont its final margin of victory.

Next up for Belmont is a trip to meet the SpyPonders at Arlington on Friday, Feb. 3.

Sports: Record Breaking Seniors Night As Boys’ Swimming Takes Winning Record to Leagues

January 27, 2017 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont’s record-breaking relay team; Owen Luo, Sam Thompson, Will Findlay and Rickey Ye.

It was a special Seniors Night at the Higginbottom Pool on Wednesday, Jan 25. The Belmont High Boys’ Swim squad praised their graduating teammates for their dedication and leadership with words, balloons and a few tears.

But it wasn’t simply the heartfelt feelings that perirated the pool which made the event significant. The final dual meet of the 2016-17 season saw the boys’ set a new standard for success for the program. Under first-year head coach James Saidnawey, the team finished with a 6-3 record, a marker that hasn’t been matched for a good number of years.

“A great first year. I had a lot of fun. We grew a lot as a team from the beginning to now,” said Head Coach James Saidnawey.

And it was the team’s outstanding 200-yard freestyle relay that put an exclamation mark on the night as the quartet of sophomores Rickey Ye and Sam Thompson, junior Will Findlay and senior Owen Luo broke the 13-year-old pool record by two seconds and the varsity best by a tenth of a second.

“Speaking for myself and my teammates, I grew up swimming in this pool and I looked at the [record] board. It’s a really great thing to be on that board,” said Findlay who anchored the team home in 1 minute, 35.25 seconds.

The 200 relay along with the medley relay and two individual swimmer – Thompson in the 50 free style sprint and junior Luc Durand in the 100 butterfly – have qualified on time for the Division 2 state meet in February and will be leading the team into next week’s Middlesex League meeting with a solid chance of capturing the league championship flag for the first time since … well, let’s just say a long time.

Wednesday meet against Burlington was a run away as the Marauders’ experience and power bested the visitors. Belmont started off the blocks in fine fashion going 1-2-3 in the initial three events; the medley relay, 200 free (Damien Autissier, 2:02.44) and 200 individual medley (Ye, 2:18.60). Ye would come back for the 100 breast victory in 1:11.03.

Both Thompson and Findlay dipped under 24 seconds in the 50 and Durand broke a minute in his speciality, the 100 fly (59.75) while taking the 100 back in 1:01.32. Autissier powered to the 500 free victory, nearly lapping the field in 5.23.43.

Belmont will head off to the league meet at Bentley University next Thursday looking to keep their hot streak going and hoping that powerhouse Lexington will lose a few points here and there to good swimmers on weaker teams.

“If we work hard, we have the boys who can bring home the title,” said Findlay.

It was a special Seniors Night at the Higginbottom Pool on Wednesday, Jan 25. The Belmont High Boys’ Swim Squad praised their graduating teammates for their dedication and leadership with words, balloons and a few tears.

But it wasn’t simply the genuine feelings that filled the pool which made the event significant. The final dual meet of the 2016-17 season saw the Boys’ set a new standard for success for the program. Under first-year head coach James Saidnawey, the team finished with a 6-3 record, a marker that hasn’t been matched by a good number of years.

“A great first year. I had a lot of fun. We grew a lot as a team from the beginning to now,” said Head Coach James Saidnawey.

The 200 relay along with the medley relay and two individual swimmer – Thompson in the 50 freestyle sprint and junior Luc Durand in the 100 butterfly – have qualified for time for the Division 2 state meet in February and will be leading the team into next week’s Middlesex League meeting with a solid chance of capturing the league championship flag for the first time since … well, let’s just say a long time.

Both Thompson and Findlay dipped under 24 seconds in the 50 and Durand broke a minute in his specialty, the 100 fly (59.75) while taking the 100 back in 1:01.32. Autissier powered to the 500 free victory, nearly lapping the field in 5.23.43.

“If we work hard, we have the boys who can bring home the title,” said Findlay.