Belmont Students Head to the Charles on Sunday For a Long Row

Photo: Arlington-Belmont Crew at the Head of the Charles.
The 2016 Head of the Charles, rowing’s annual “Woodstock” and one the largest congregation of athletes outside of the Olympics with 11,000 participants, will be well represented by Belmont High School students on the event’s second day, Sunday, Oct. 23. 

As members of the Arlington-Belmont Crew Club – made up of high schoolers from both towns – the hometown athletes will be rowing in three youth competitions:
  • 10:05 a.m.: Women’s Youth Eights (bow #41)
  • 11:33 a.m.: Men’s Youth Fours (bow #36)
  • 12:43 p.m.: Men’s Youth Eights (bow #14 – which is ABRC’s highest seed.)
The Belmont High School students rowing and coxing on Sunday include:
  • Emma Gharibian, Melissa Bazakas-Chamberlain, Alena Jaegar, Sophia Haska, Casey Reed and Alexia Assimakopoulos in the Women’s Youth Eights.
  • Nick Krom, Lucas Abeln and Nick Hanify in the Men’s Youth Fours.
  • Charlie Yeh, Adam Cronin, Joe Wenzel and Ian McCabe in the Men’s Youth Eights.
Arlington-Belmont Crew is a club team open to students who attend Belmont and Arlington high school. No prior rowing experience is necessary. 
To learn more, speak to a member of the team or read about the team at its website.

Sports: Belmont Field Hockey Face Tough Final Stretch in Defense of Title

Photo: Molly Goldberg (#24)

In her four years playing field hockey for Belmont High School, Molly Goldberg has been a solid presence on the right side of the Marauders’ back line. In most of the 60-plus games for Belmont, Goldberg rarely ventures past the midfield line.

But that doesn’t mean Goldberg wasn’t hoping for one chance to take a shot and hear the ball hit the back of the net for a goal.

“I’ve wanted a goal just to say I have one,” said Goldberg, who remembered back in her sophomore season when an apparent goal was given to another player. 

“I still remember that one,” said Goldberg.

So in a game against a rebuilding Woburn squad on Monday, Oct. 17, with the game in hand, Head Coach Jessie Smith took most of her starters out and allowed her defenders a chance up in the offense. 

And with five minutes remaining in the game, Goldberg was in a scrum in front of the Woburn goal and took the shot … and scored. Goldberg, who joined her backline mates Julia Chase and Hanna Power and role player Chloe Brown scoring, waved and skipped up the field in celebration.

“It was great and fun to finally score,” she said.

The Woburn shutout victory is preparation for a tough final three games of the regular season for the Marauders (11-2-0) as they battle to defend their 2015 Middlesex League Liberty Division title against the two teams nipping at their heels.

On Thursday, Oct. 20 at The Harris, Belmont, ranked 12th in the Boston Globe top 20 poll, hosts Lexington (11-3-0, 20th in the top 20) in a battle the first and second place teams in the league. Lexington comes to Belmont having defeated Winchester, the 5th ranked Globe team, on Monday. Belmont defeated the Minutemen in September, 3-0, as freshman Katie Guden scored a hat trick.

The Lexington game will be under the lights starting at 6 p.m.  

On Monday, Oct. 24, Belmont travels to Winchester, 9-2-2, for a 3:30 p.m. game. Winchester defeated Belmont at Harris 2-0 three weeks ago. 

Belmont finishes the regular season against Reading at home at the Harris on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. Reading gave Belmont a scare last month, losing 2-1.

Sports: Belmont High Girls’, Boys’ Soccer Are Now Playoff Bound

Photo: Senior Captain Daron Hamparian

Belmont High’s soccer squads have extended their seasons by qualifying for the MIAA playoffs this past week.

The Boys’, with a record of 7-3-5, secured their place in the post-season with an emphatic 4-1 road victory over the SpyPonders of Arlington High on Thursday, Oct. 13. It marks a return for the Marauders to the Division 2 North playoffs after missing the post-season in 2015, a disappointing follow-up to the sectional semi-final appearance in 2014.

The team, under third-year coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane, has been powered by senior leadership with a backline headed by defender Edward Stafford, with Luckson Dambo controlling the midfield and team scoring leader Daron Hamparian adding punch to the lineup. The season highlighted so far was a 1-0 away victory over a then undefeated and ranked Lexington team.

The boys’ play Woburn home at The Harris on Tuesday, Oct. 18

Belmont Girls’ again visits the playoffs after defeating a depleted Watertown High squad, 8-0, on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Girls’, at 7-2-3, lost only its second game this season, falling at home to Arlington, 2-0, on Thursday, Oct. 13.

It comes as no surprise that junior left wing/forward Carrie Allard has been the go-to player as she is one of the Middlesex League leading scorers. Goalie Georgia Parsons has six shutouts while seniors Emma Sass and Rachel Berets control the midfield for Paul Graham’s squad.

The girls travel of Woburn on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. game. 

Both teams are now seeking to finish in the top eight places in Division 2 North to secure an opening round home game.

Allard, Jones Named Belmont Boosters BHS Student-Athlete of the Month

Photo: Carey Allard (left) and Ben Jones. (Belmont Boosters)

Belmont High junior Carey Allard (soccer) and senior Ben Jones (football) are the inaugural recipients of the Belmont Boosters BHS Student-Athlete-of-the-Month award for September.

Sponsored by the Boosters and in coordination, with the Belmont High School Athletic Department, each month a girl and boy varsity athlete will be 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’s Comeback Victory Over Winchester Brings Playoffs Closer

Photo: Belmont senior Dylan Ferdinand intercepts Winchester pass that led to Belmont winning TD. 

Senior Running Back Ben Jones’ third touchdown with 19 seconds remaining proved the margin of victory as Belmont High School scored 21 second half points to defeat visiting Winchester High (2-4) Sachems, 28-21, under the Friday night lights, Oct. 14, and send the Marauders (3-3) closer to the MIAA playoffs.

“Ben Jones was a horse, Cal [Christofori] was a horse, Jake Pollack was a horse, the defense came up with a huge, huge interception that gave us the chance to drive the field. A real team effort,” said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kumin after the game.

When asked about a possible playoff appearance, which Belmont has not been a part since 2009, senior co-captain Kevin Martin said this group of players has begun to dispell the past reputation of Belmont football as not being good enough to be invited to the postseason.

“‘Why not us’ has been our mantra this season. Right now it looks like we’re in but why not beat Lexington [Belmont’s opponent next Saturday] and bring a home game to Harris,” said Martin on Senior Night. 

Jones ran for 190 yards on 28 carries along with 26 receiving yards. Fellow senior QB Christofori threw for 108 yards – many of those yards to junior WR Pollack – and had a running touchdown as the team gained 356 total yards. 

Winchester’s QB Liam Fitzpatrick led the offense for the Sachems with a throwing and running touchdowns. With Belmont keying on his running, the Marauders were exposed by Fitzpatrick’s arm who went 13 of 23 for 248 yards, completing several long passes to his favorite receiver Henry McDonough.

“Fitzpatrick is such a good running quarterback that is what we were concerned with, and it did come back to bite us because he went over the top of our linebackers,” said Kumin.

After a scoreless first quarter – which included a dropped TD by Winchester on its first drive – The Sachems took a 7-0 lead after a sustained drive, including converting on a fourth and one, ending with a screen pass to McDonough who scored at 8:29.

After Belmont could not garner a first down on the next possession, Winchester used trickery with running back Pat Costello taking the hike then handing to Fitzgerald who found McDonough for a 40-yard pass to the Belmont 8. Two plays later, Fitzgerald waltzed into the end zone to put the Sachems up 14-0 with just under six minutes.

Belmont responded with a seven play, 62-yard drive ending with Jones taking it in for his first TD of the night at the two minutes remaining. But the drive nearly came to a premature end when Jones fumbled the ball just after picking up the first down on the 20. Yet senior OLB/WR Dylan Ferdinand outraced Winchester’s linebackers to recover the bouncing ball at the 6-yard line. 

But just as important, the Belmont defense finally stopped Winchester’s offense after it quickly reached the Belmont 35 yard line.  

The Marauders kept the momentum rolling into the second half as Jones nearly singlehandedly to0k the offense down the field allowing Christofori to sneak the ball into the end zone to knot up the game at 14 at the 7-minute mark. 

Winchester’s Fitzpatrick took to the air to retake the lead highlighted by a 38-yard pass to receiver Max Ebner to the Belmont 8. His two-yard TD gave the Sachem’s its final lead of the game with 3:45 left in the mark. 

But in this rock em’ sock em’-styled game, Belmont got down the field quickly with a Christofori 10 yard scamper followed by a 19-yard pass to Pollack to bring the ball to the Winchester 25. A quick hitting 14 yard rush by Belmont’s big junior fullback Adam Deese rumbled the ball to the 1-yard line where Jones finished the drive with a one-yard plunge and a 21-21 tie.

With its air attack successful for most of the night, Winchester’s Fitzgerald winged it to McDonough at midfield. But attempted to repeat the pass down the middle of the field, Ferdinand intercept the pass on Belmont’s 16-yard line at 7:47 remaining in the biggest play of the game.

“My coaches always tell me to turn and look when I’m out in coverage. And I actually listened to them this time. Good things happen when you listen to the coach,” said Ferdinand. 

Belmont would then keep the ball for the following 7:28 on a grinding, time-consuming drive that included a fourth down Jones run (he would carry the ball 10 times) and a Jones run off the right side of the offense to the one-yard line with less than 30 seconds left. When Jones walked into the end zone one play later, he was so exhausted he didn’t celebrate the 28-21 lead and had to be helped back to the sideline.

“We just have faith in our offense that it can execute when we need them to. So it was a no-brainer for us to go for it on fourth down because we want to get the win the right way,” said Kumin. 

When Jones walked into the end zone one play later, he was so exhausted he didn’t celebrate the 28-21 lead and had to be helped back to the sideline. 

After the game, with a crowd of students and residents outside the White Field House cheering and making noise, players were excited about the near future with the playoffs on the horizon. 

“Anything can happen in the playoffs in high school football. If we are the eight seed and we are playing the one seed, you could say, ‘Why even play the game?’ But we are going to play whoever we get because you never know. We hope to have a good run,” said Martin.  

“This team plays with heart. It’s not a one-player team; it’s everybody together. That’s what Coach Q has been telling us from day one, that it’s family,” said Ferdinand.

img_3346 img_3338 img_3336 img_3325 img_3312img_3557 img_3553 img_3546 img_3542 img_3540 img_3535 img_3534 img_3517 img_3512 img_3508 img_3506 img_3504 img_3500 img_3476 img_3459 img_3454 img_3445 img_3402 img_3395 img_3387 img_3378

img_3299 img_3287 img_3273 img_3225 img_3212 img_3185 img_3181 img_3172 img_3160 img_3155 img_3145 img_3140 img_3137 img_3132 img_3114 img_3068 img_3058 img_3056 img_3046 img_3033 img_3008 img_2998 img_2989 img_2983 img_2975 img_2916 img_2915 img_2911 img_2908 img_2906 img_2904 img_2893 img_2878 img_2875 img_2864 img_2862 img_2852 img_2846 img_2839 img_2831 img_2825 img_2820 img_2814 img_2807 img_2804 img_2795 img_2793 img_2790 img_2785 img_2781 img_2774 img_2771 img_2768 img_2767 img_2766 img_2765 img_2759

Sports: Belmont Field Hockey Plays Up To Watertown; And A Goal To Boot

Photo: Belmont goal was the first against a Watertown team in more than a year.

When the final horn sounded to mark the end of the Belmont/Watertown annual field hockey tussle, you’d be hard pressed to tell which side won. 

The visiting Marauders surrounded junior goalie Chrissy McLeod and came off Victory Field smiling and boisterous on the sunny and chilly Monday morning, Oct. 10, while the Red Raiders slowly and quietly marched off to a far end of the Watertown home field to spend 15 minutes in a circle with their coach.

Despite falling, 3-1, to Watertown (12-0-0) that hasn’t lost in nearly 170 matches and has a 120 game winning streak, Belmont (9-2-0) proved a major point against a national powerhouse team – ranked first in Massachusetts and 6th nationally – that traditionally wraps up games in the first 10 minutes: the Marauders can play up to the level and compete on equal terms against one of best teams in the country. 

“We didn’t leave with a win but left with much more confidence, and I think that’s more important in moving the season forward than anything else,” said Belmont Head Coach Jessica Smith.

“[This game] shows we can contend with any team. Three, one is not a bad score especially since we were not getting hammered. We were down in their offensive end making plays,” said senior co-captain AnnMarie Habelow.

The highlight for Belmont was sophomore wing Morgan Chase‘s goal with 11 minutes to go in the game, the first tally against Watertown’s goalie Jonna Kennedy in more than a year. 

“We have been scoring a lot of goals, so we expect to score. I wish we could have put more opportunities in the back of the net,” said Smith, who came closest to stopping Watertown’s streak back in 2011 in a 2-1 last minute loss in the Div. 2 North Sectional Finals. 

“It’s always fun to play Watertown, they are the rival team from a neighboring town; both sides have a lot of the same club players on their teams and they know each other. It’s an intense game almost everytime we play them,” said Smith.

Belmont came out the gate looking to press Watertown, and winning the first penalty corner, shot on net and real threat with goalie Kennedy came up hobbling after the first scoring chance of the game as Belmont’s freshman forward Katie Guden could not turn and shot into an open net with players in the scrum. 

“Today we did a great job pressuring them and that made all the difference in the world,” said Smith. 

“I tell the kids, ‘These are just high schoolers. If you pressure them, they’ll make a mistake, so we worked hard on that when we practiced in the rain yesterday,” she said.

In addition, Belmont’s back line of seniors Molly Goldberg, co-captain Julia Chase and both Meri Power and Lilly Devitt played stellar defense.

“We didn’t let them score with fast breaks. We really made them work for it. Last year they just dribbled by us like we were cones. Not this game,” said Smith, complementing the players for moving to the ball “so 50-50 chances were just that.”

After the first five minutes, the game had the feel of a rivalry game with the team’s two standout senior players, Belmont’s AnnMarie Habelow and Watertown’s Kourtney Kennedy (both are verbally committed to Top 10 ranked Division 1 college programs), at times battling each other on the field. 

“It was exhilarating honestly. Any game when it’s so evenly matched teams, you’ll have a real quality match,” said Habelow, who’ll attend Louisville next year. 

The high level of competition also led to players falling – or diving – onto the turf throughout the game.

“It was definitely physical because it’s hometown rivals and those are my favorite kind of games,” said Habelow.

If there was one advantage Watertown had was its penalty corners, where the offense team sets up a play as four defenders and the goalie come out of the net. Belmont was not fortunate that an apparent foot – play is reset when the ball touches any part of the body – was hit on the shot from freshman Ally Kennedy which passed MacLeod to give Watertown a 1-0 lead with six minutes to go in the half. 

Belmont nearly scored in the first three minutes as Habelow outmuscled a ball from Kennedy and rocketed a shot a foot by the post that just missed meeting up with two Belmont players lurking near the net. 

Watertown took a commanding lead just past midway in the half as Kourtney Kennedy scored off consecutive penalty corners, the second goal off a tick-tac-toe passing combination and the third which Julia Chase hit a rising shot with her stick but which trickled back into the net. 

“There’s nothing you can do when it’s a perfect [penalty] corner which was their second goal,” said Smith.

But Belmont was rewarded for its constant pressure with a quick strike goal that came after a mistake from its own penalty corner. Sophomore Jordan Lettiere raced down to gather the loose ball and strike it to Chase who took a snapshot at the net.

“It went out of the circle from the corner and Jordan got it and passed it in(to the scoring circle) and I just got onto the ball and it went in,” said Chase.

 

The goal brought an explosion of excitement and celebration from Belmont’s side while Watertown stood around wondering what to do next. Finally, Kourtney Kennedy went to her sister to pat her on the back. 

The goal sparked Watertown who once placed all but one of its field players up to take the penalty corner, a manuever usually reserved when a team is down by one than a squad up by two with a few minutes to play. McLeod proceeded to stop to in-close shots with her left pad.

For Smith, the game will be seen as a marker for the rest of the season.  

“The plan now is to win all the games for the rest of the season,” said Smith. Belmont’s next match is at an ever improving Arlington on Friday.

img_1882 img_1883 img_1890 img_1891 img_1894 img_1895 img_1909 img_1911 img_1916 img_1921 img_1925 img_1927 img_1931 img_1936 img_1938 img_1942 img_1943 img_1946 img_1947 img_1954 img_1958 img_1968 img_1971 img_1973 img_1974 img_1975 img_1979 img_1983 img_1990 img_1991 img_1993 img_1994 img_1996 img_1997 img_1998 img_2004 img_2006 img_2011 img_2014 img_2016 img_2027 img_2038 img_2040 img_2051 img_2057 img_2058 img_2063 img_2072 img_2075 img_2076 img_2084 img_2091 img_2101 img_2105 img_2110 img_2115 img_2117 img_2118 img_2122 img_2123 img_2124 img_2126 img_2130 img_2133 img_2134 img_2143 img_2146 img_2154 img_2157 img_2180 img_2208 img_2212 img_2215 img_2231 img_2232 img_2236 img_2237 img_2238 img_2239 img_2240 img_2243 img_2247 img_2250 img_2252 img_2255 img_2263 img_2264 img_2266 img_2271 img_2276 img_2278 img_2280 img_2283 img_2284 img_2293 img_2298 img_2300 img_2302

Football: Belmont Stands Up To Reading In Friday Night Battle

Photo: 

There was no “moral” victory Friday night in Reading, said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kumin after Marauders’ hard-fought, defeat at the hands of last year’s Super Bowl finalist, 47-21,

“We played a hard-fought game, and we’re excited about it. But we live in the real world, and there are no moral victories, we believe in victories, and this was a loss. We stood tall tonight, and that was great,” said Kumin.

The game under the lights was a sea change from the games played between the two rivals in the past decade.

In the first two years of Kumin’s tenure, Reading outscored Belmont 98-0. With a minute to go in the half on Friday, Oct. 7, Belmont trailed the hometown Rockets, 24-21, each team scoring three touchdowns. A late Reading score gave the home team a 32-21 half-time lead.

“We got a great football team and to have a 10 point game at the half against this team at their home, it proves that we are not going back to the days when we lost the first half by 42 points,” said Kumin.

This match-up between the long-time Super Bowl contender against the new team was not going to follow the normal script when on Belmont’s first play from scrimmage as senior RB Ben Jones found a gap in the defense and scooted 70 yards for a Belmont touchdown and a shock 7-0. 

But Reading would take the lead on two plays – its long run of 67 yards by Corey DiLoreto and a 75-yard punt return from Jack Geiger – going up 16-7 after only three minutes. 

But it was Belmont that showed it could not only halt Reading’s offense but on its next possession, use a combination of runs – using junior fullback Adam Deese on quick handoffs – and passes to march down the field where senior quarterback Cal Christofori found junior wide receiver Jake Pollock for a 17-yard touchdown with 20 seconds in the quarter, cutting the lead to 16-14. 

The Marauders continued the momentum it had in the first by closing down the Rockets on the first drive and with runs by Jones and a 10-yard catch to sophomore Jared Edwards the Marauder offense took the ball to the Reading 40. But the drive ended when a Christofori pass went off the hands of the receiver and was picked off by senior Nick DiNapoli who returned the ball deep into Marauder territory with the Rockets scoring a short time after to retain a 24-14 lead.

But the drive ended when a Christofori pass went off the hands of the receiver and was picked off by senior Nick DiNapoli who returned the ball deep into Marauder territory with the Rockets scoring a short time after to retain a 24-14 lead.

But the setback was pushed aside as a long run by Jones, a pass interference call against Reading and a 33-yard pass from Christofori to senior wideout Dylan Ferdinand put the ball on the Rockets three-yard line. Jones then swept around the right end to bring Belmont to within three points, 24-21 with 80 seconds left in half. But it took the Rockets only 45 seconds to score its fourth touchdown in the half on a 35-yard pass from senior QB Corey DiLoreto to DiNapoli.

After the half, the Belmont offense could not find the momentum it had earlier in the game and two long Reading drives, mostly runs based on the quarterback option, allowed the Rockets to score two additional touchdowns to secure a victory in front of a small home crowd. 

“But I am proud of our guys. They fought to the last whistle. They played a great football game, and we are excited to take on Winchester at Harris,” said Kumin.

img_1502 img_1524 img_1528 img_1544 img_1547 img_1548 img_1564 img_1576 img_1585 img_1587 img_1683 img_1697 img_1707 img_1746 img_1751 img_1753 img_1756 img_1787 img_1795 img_1800 img_1852 img_1861

Sports: Field Hockey Sideswiped by Winchester (Again!), Rebound at Reading

Photo: AnnMarie Habelow (left) and Meri Power during the Winchester match.

On Monday afternoon, Sept. 26, Belmont High School Field Hockey began to reap the achievements of being undefeated (6-0-0) and having come off a stellar performance away at one-loss Lexington as the Boston Globe ranked the team 8th in Eastern Massachusetts, one of the highest rankings a Belmont hockey team had ever achieved.

By 7:15 p.m. that evening, the team came off Harris Field having laid an egg and along with it, flying in the rarified air of the top 10.

Gone was the undefeated season and the sense of invincibility after the Marauders were defeated by Winchester, 3-1. Last season, it was this same game where Belmont fall from the unbeaten, a 5-4 gut wrenching loss that spurred the team for the remainder of the year.

But where last year’s team collapsed in the final 10 minutes to give up four goals, Monday’s match with their new nemesis was a game full of just misses and head shaking moments.

“I don’t see how we lost to them,” said Belmont co-Capt. AnnMarie Hebalow the day after the shocker.

For Head Coach Jessie Smith, the loss was an object lesson for a team that had not been behind or even tied during a game this season.

“I told them, every great team needs to lose. You need to know what it feels like to be beaten and now they know. We’re done with that,” she said.

“Does it hurt? Yes. Can we move on from this and be better for it. You bet,” said Smith.

Not that Winchester is a surprise team in the Middlesex League Liberty Division, arriving Monday with a 5-1-1 record with the expected loss to Watertown and the unanticipated tie to Stoneham. While showing skills with the stick, the Sachems thrive on physically dominating other

While showing skills with the stick, the Sachems thrive on physically dominating other teams especially on counter attacks, turning from defense to offense on a dime and punishing an opponent for not protecting their goal.

And Winchester would score twice within four minutes in the final 15 minutes of the first half off plays which began off the counter.

It was hardly a game in which Belmont was on the back heel. The majority of the game was fought in Winchester’s midfield with Habelow directing Belmont’s offense which had balls sent on the Winchester goalie. 

But what became a common occurrence throughout the game, passes would bounce off a foot or jump over a stick that was at the ready. Case in point, penalty corners. Eagerly sought by attacking players as they provide an excellent opportunity to score, on three occasions the ball sent from the end line to Belmont’s top scorers skipped by the offense into the midfield.cvc

After going down 3-0 midway through the second half, the one bright spot in the game for the Marauders happened when freshman phenom Katie Guden scored from the middle of a scrum with nine minutes, marking Guden’s 14th goal as the 9th grader has tallied at least once in each game of the season.

On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Belmont traveled to Reading where they met a goalie that would end up with more than 20 saves, allowing the Rockets – which are still rebuilding its team – to tie the Marauders at the half, 1-1. But Belmont’s Habelow, who scored early in the game, put in her second, allowing Belmont to head back to the bus a winner. 

At 7-1-0, Belmont heads into the week in second in the Middlesex League Liberty, ready to face Burlington away on Wednesday, Oct. 5 and at home against Wakefield on Thursday, Oct. 6. 

img_9835 img_9818 img_9807 img_9804 img_9798 img_9771 img_9752 img_9738 img_9713 img_9700 img_9685 img_9683 img_9672 img_9668 img_9666 img_9660 img_9657 img_9651 img_9650 img_9648 img_9642 img_9637 img_9634 img_9630 img_9634

Sports: Mistakes Rain on Belmont Football In Loss to Winless Woburn

Photo: The Belmont High defense in pursuit.

Belmont gifted Woburn its first victory of the year with a big bow on top.

On a wet, misty night, the Marauders left a season’s worth of mistakes and miscues on the field, allowing the hometown Tanners to walk off the field with the win, 10-7, under the lights, Friday, Sept. 30.

From penalties to dropped passes, unfortunate plays, and missed opportunities, Belmont lets a good chance to carry away a victory fall flat when it could not gain two yards on three plays with a minute remaining in the game, the same scenario against the same team one year ago.

After the game, Belmont Head Coach Yann Kumin lamented the team’s inconsistent play over the 44 minutes. 

“We played a great football game at times and a very poor football game at times. And in order to beat a Woburn at 0-3, we have to play a good football game all the time. And we did not do that tonight, period.”

But it was the miscues – something Belmont been avoiding this season – which did in the Marauders. 

“We had at least 70 yards in penalties if not more. I’m afraid to look. We turned the ball over on downs; we fumbled the ball on a great drive where we had some good things going, then had great opportunities to move the ball down the field and win it at the end of the game we weren’t able to do it,” said Kumin

“And that is on me. It’s not on my [coaches], not on my players; it’s not on anyone but me,” said Kumin.

The first quarter saw Belmont at its best, with the defense halting Woburn twice inside (the first on downs, the second on a fumble recovery) the Marauders’ 20 yard line after Belmont fumbled consecutive punt returns in the first five minutes.

And it didn’t take long for Belmont to strike when on the offense’s second play senior QB Cal Christofori threw a strike to wide receiver Jared Edwards catching the sophomore in stride for a 67 yard TD at the 6 minute mark.

But the misty rain effected both offenses as the defenses of both teams took control. While Belmont’s defense was stellar all night, they allowed Woburn one-to-many long runs, including Tyler Hayden’s 48-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter. 

Belmont was also caught by a fake punt late in the second quarter that gave Woburn the ball on the Belmont 32. But the defense, behind Ryan Noone, Dennis Crowley and Adam Deese, forced the Tanners to turn the ball over on downs. 

The Marauders came out throwing at the start of the second which Christofori hitting Dylan Ferdinand for 27 yards to Woburn’s 15 but a fumble by the usually reliable Ben Jones end the drive.

Woburn began its second half going into a no-huddle, running effectively over the right side of the line. 

When Belmont got the ball back at the 30 yard line, the Marauders steadly moved the ball … backwards on two penalities and an ineffective pass, to the 13. And only the quick thinking of kicker Aidan Cadogan who calmly recovered a high snap and sent the ball to the 40, prevented a truely disastereous outcome. 

With momentum on its side, Woburn moved the ball to the Belmont 8, but once again the defense held behind the big rush by Deese, forcing Woburn’s Brazilian transfer student Victor Scobel to hit the 23 yard field goal with nine second remaining in the third quarter.

Once again, Belmont’s offense got close – taking the ball from the Belmont 41 to Woburn’s 30 – but a dropped pass with daylight to the goal line, a penalty and another incomplete pass gave Woburn the ball back with 6 minutes remaining. Belmont nearly stopped the Tanners on three downs but a questionable pass interference call against the Marauders allowed Woburns to run more than two minutes off the clock.

With the defense giving the offense the ball back with 1:42 remaining, Belmont started in fine form, with a Jones four yard run and then a 15 yard personal foul put the ball on Belmont’s 47. After an eight yard run, the Marauders faced a second and 2 from the 46 with 61 second left in the game. But Belmont could not pick up six feet on three plays and a win was washed away. 

“It’s going to hurt right now but [the players] live in the moment, they live in the reap,” said Kumin.

“The moment not isn’t great and live in it for a second because they are competitive guys and we are competitive coaches. And while we live in this moment and it will hurt, tomorrow we will break down video of the game and get ready for Reading, so it’s not getting any easier for us,” he said.

“I hope this is a wake-up call. We are a really good football team but in order to be great, we have to continue to not kicking ourselves in the butt and chopping our foot off. And that’s on me,” said Kumin.

Run For Innovation Education at the Scharfman 5K Sunday, Oct. 3

Photo: This year’s poster.

The Foundation for Belmont Education, a non-profit group that supports educational excellence and enrichment in the Belmont Public Schools, is pleased to host the fourth annual Dan Scharfman Memorial Run on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 9:30 a.m. 

The Scharfman Run takes place from 9:30 a.m. to noon, beginning at the Belmont High School Harris Field track and takes a scenic route past the town’s schools, Payson Park Reservoir and Clay Pit Pond.

Runners and walkers can register the day of the race at the Belmont High School track. 

Proceeds from the run enable the FBE to fund new programs in the Belmont Public School system and give educators and students the best tools, technology, and training to foster innovation and love of learning. 

The following road closings will occur on October 2nd to ensure the safety of participants:

  • 6 a.m. – 12 p.m.: No Parking on East/West side of Concord Ave between Cottage Ave and Underwood;
  • 6 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: No Parking on Goden Street between School Street and Concord Ave;
  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: School Street closed between Myrtle and Philip Road;
  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: No exit onto Oakley from Selwyn and Hurd;
  • Between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.: Drivers should be aware of runners on the 5K course (Concord Ave / Orchard Road / Stone Road / School Street / Philip / Elizabeth Road / Jacob / Payson / Oakley / Goden / Concord / Underwood); and
  • Between 10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m.: Concord Ave Westbound will have young runners in the bike lane running against traffic between Underwood and Goden. Cones will separate runners from traffic.

The Foundation thanks the residents of Belmont and the Belmont Police Department for their support of the Dan Scharfman Memorial Run and appreciates the community’s understanding of the disruption in normal traffic patterns.  

The Foundation for Belmont Education is a community-sponsored, non-profit, charitable organization run by volunteers. The FBE was founded in 1993 to support educational excellence and enrichment in the Belmont Public Schools and is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to making a difference in the Belmont Public Schools.