Girls 400 Relay, Perkins Crowned Eastern Mass Div. 3 Track Champs

May 31, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: The Belmont High 4×400 meter relay: Danielle Kelly, Meggie MacAulay, Sara Naumann and Julia Cella.

When junior 200-meter specialist Julia Cella crossed the finish line just after 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, the automatic timer on the Burlington High School track read: 3 minutes 57.01 seconds.

It would be a record time for the Belmont High School Girls’ 4×400 meter relay squad, breaking an 17-year-old record by 4/10th of a second in the Eastern Mass Division 3 championships.

It was another fastest time ever for the four teammates. But it was not just the best time by a team in one division of one corner of the state. The quartet of junior Danielle Kelly, senior Meggie MacAulay, junior Sara Naumann and junior Julia Cella make up the best 4×400 relay in all of Massachusetts.

The relay’s victory – by more than a second over the team from track-powerhouse Tewksbury – was just part of a great three days for the Girls’ Outdoor Track at the divisional championships, as the girls coached by Melissa Glotzbecker finished 8th with 38 points, only five points from a top four placement.

Yet all the noise wasn’t just coming from the girls’ side of the track. Belmont sophomore Calvin Perkins took home the 400 meter title with an outstanding 50.61 second over the one lap, outpacing Lamont Haynes of Boston Tech by more than 6/10th of a second, solidifying his position as a sprinter who could be a dominating factor in the event.

Joining Perkins on a podium was senior Luke Peterson who soared 21 feet, 10 1/2 inches in the long jump to finish third.

Scoring for the girls included

Katrina Rokosz, third in the javalin, 118 feet, 3 inches.
Naumann, fourth in the 800 meters, 2:16.48
Rachel Berets, 4th in the 100 meter hurdles, 16.39
Samantha Kelts, 4th in the pentathlon, 2475 points
MacAulay, 5th in the 400 meter hurdles, 1:06.83
Kelly, 6th in the 400 meters 59.73.

But it was the relay that had the track buzzing on a hot Saturday afternoon. Belmont entered the meet as the top seed, holding the fastest time in the state of 3:59.97. And the other teams facing the Marauders in the penultimate race in the meet were gunning for the leaders.

“Through the first leg, Kelly was in the hunt with runners from several other teams, including Plymouth North and Tewksbury,” recalled Glotzbecker.

“Meggie MacAulay who came off the final turn of the stagger even with the runner from Tewksbury. The handoff to Sara Naumann was close to even with the Tewksbury squad, but Sara managed to pass their third runner on the back stretch. The final hand-off to Cella was made a few meters ahead of Tewksbury and she maintained that lead” through the finish, Glotzbecker said.

“Danielle, Meggie, Sara, and Julia all ran sub-60 seconds for their splits. This team is remarkable in that they each have an equal impact on the success of the team,” said Glotzbecker.

“Another significant factor for this team is their trust in one another, and their dynamic as a team. They are able to focus on the event at hand, knowing that they are accountable for one another at that moment no matter what may have transpired for them individually earlier in the meet. Their focus and determination paired with teamwork and talent has helped dictate the success of this group this season,” their coach said.

Competing along with the relay at All-States will be Rokosz, Naumann, MacAulay, Perkins and Peterson.

Sports: Belmont Baseball Heads to Sectionals On A Roll Winning Grant Tourney

May 30, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont, winners of the Brendan Grant Memorial Baseball Tournament.

It’s been seven frustrating years since the last time the Belmont High School Baseball took the title of its own end-of-the-regular-season annual Brendan Grant Memorial Baseball Tournament.

That long wait came to an end on Saturday, May 28, when senior captain Joe Shaughnessy lifted the winners’ trophy as Belmont rode to the title on the arms of its two strong starting pitchers, Belmont’s senior ace Cole Bartels and sophomore phenom Nate Espelin.

For Belmont’s long-time Head Coach Jim Brown, the late season victories are just the sort of preparation he was looking for as the squad enters the Division 2 North Sectional playoffs this week.

“These games, and especially the win over Reading, are great confidence boosters for the team,” said Brown, who said it’s likely Belmont will host a first round game this coming Friday.

“With 14 wins this season, it got the money off our backs of 11 wins in the past three years which meant we were going on the road for the playoffs. We should be a seven or eight seed this year which should be nice.”

In the first game on Friday, May 27, Belmont avenged last week’s heartbreaking 1-0 defeat by beating Reading, 5-2, behind Bartels’ seven innings, 12 strikeout performance – and for the second straight start striking out six consecutive Rockets in the fifth and sixth innings. Bartels helped his cause with a home run and three runs batted in to survive five infield errors to take the victory.

“[Bartels] carries us. He puts us on his back; he says I’m going to do it and bare down,” said Brown of Bartels, who is looking to repeat as the MVP of the Middlesex League.

In Saturday’s championship final, Espelin (four strikeouts) kept Lynnfield High off balance with an array of pitches as his teammates feasted on Div. 3 pitching, scoring five in the first to run away from the Pioneers, 16-2.

Belmont lead off the top of the first – the Marauders were the “visitors” during the game due to a pregame coinflip – with a barrage of singles from catcher Cal Christofori, Noah Riley (rbi), Steve Rizzuto (rbi), Trevor Kelly and the big shot from senior first-base Evan Biette, a two-run single to finish the scoring in the first.

After Espelin got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first with a strikeout, Bartels drove in Christofori in to up the score to 6-0 before a five-run third – highlighted by a two-run single from Matt Kearans – essentially put the game out of reach.

It didn’t surprise anyone that Bartels was named the tournament MVP. Bartels, who has committed to play at Penn State next year, ended the regular season near the top in batting and pitching: hitting .475 and registering 73 strikeouts in Massachusetts.

Belmont will now have six days to prepare for its opening round game in the playoffs.

“One of our goals was a home playoff game because the town comes out and does a great job supporting us,” said Brown.

Sports: Bartels’ Tour de Force Falls Short As Reading Takes League Title, 1-0

May 23, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Cole Bartels on the mound.

Paraphrasing Tolstoy, all wins are alike; each defeat is lost in its own way.

For Belmont High School’s senior ace Cole Bartels, Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Reading Memorial High – securing the Middlesex Liberty Division championship to the Rockets – will go down as a tour-de-force performance spoiled by the flukes of the game that can make baseball such a cruel mistress to play.

“Déjà vu all over again,” said Marauder Head Coach Jim Brown, recalling a similar one-run heartbreaker to Reading for the league championship in 2007.

“Bartels pitched great. He did his job. We just could not get the timely hit,” said Brown. “We got hits; we got men on base. Someone just has to step up and get the hit at the right time.”

Pitching one of his best performance of the season, the Penn State-commit dominated the league leaders, striking out 11 while giving up only a pair of singles. After a few early inning “butterflies,” last year’s Middlesex League all-star got down to business, and in the process, threw one of the best two innings plus stretches from a starter in recent league memory.

After a leadoff walk to the number nine hitter in the bottom of the third, Bartels struck out the first two batters in the lineup on 1-2 counts with catcher Cal Christofori’s rocket throw to cut down the runner attempting to swipe second by a mile.

The fourth inning was a master class with Bartels’ fastball hit the low outside corner schooled the heart of Rockets order as the 3, 4, and 5 hitters each took the third strike looking. To cap the effort. Bartels sat down the first batter in the fifth on a reverse K.

“When I came out in the third it was just rock and fire,” said Bartels

It wasn’t as if Belmont hitters were as they had six hits off Reading. It was if Belmont was too eager at the plate, attempting to belt junior Corey DiLoreto’s off-speed offerings, only to lift the ball into the outfield.

The dark clouds crept over Belmont in the bottom of the sixth when Bartels had leadoff hitter Connor Mulligan down two strikes only to see three straight targeted pitches were deemed balls to the consternation of the Marauder coaching staff and bench, leading to a critical no out walk.

The games “big” hit traveled the least distance when right fielder Carl Gillies attempted to move Mulligan to second launched a bunt attempt in the air along the third base line. But rather then an easy out, the ball looped over third base David Bailey who was charging the plate.

“What do you do? Normally a pop-up bunt is a certain out,” said Brown.

Making matters more difficult, a passed ball by Bartels’ battery mate Christofori placed runners in scoring a position at second and third with one out. After a strike out, an intentional walk to load the bases for left fielder Tommy White to loft a fly ball deep enough into center field to score Mulligan.

It was then up to DiLoreto to set down Belmont in order for the clinching victory.

“I couldn’t ask much more from my team. They try as hard as they could with good effort. It just wasn’t our day,” said Bartels.

Bartels and Belmont will see the Rockets this weekend in the opening game of the annual Brendan Grant Tournament at 2 p.m., Friday, May 27.

Belmont, whose pitching staff sports a 1.00 ERA, has the throwers to make a run in the playoffs but like last season, hitting and runs remain a bugaboo for the team.

“We have to put the right pieces of the puzzle together” which may require a lineup change,” said Brown. “It could be putting kids in different parts of the lineup and just getting a hit,” he said.

For Bartels, the playoffs can’t happen fast enough.

“I feel extremely good. We’re going to be a great team and accomplish special things this post season,” he said.

Belmont Tracksters Naumann, Girls 400 Relay, Peterson Middlesex Champs

May 20, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Sara Naumann during the cross country season.

Despite attending Belmont High for just this school year before moving back to her native Northwest, junior Sara Naumann is set to leave her mark on Marauders’ track by making a few changes to the school’s track record book.

After smashing the school record in the 600 meter indoors by nearly four seconds (1 minute, 36.92 seconds) during winter sports season and finishing 4th in the Division 3 state championships, Naumann has been just as dominate outside in the 800 meters, having run the distance in 2:15.76, currently the sixth fastest time in Massachusetts. At the Middlesex League championships held on Monday, May 17 at Regis College, Naumann lead the field to take the 800 meters in 2:20.34, a second over Wilmington’s Julia Gake.

Naumann led the Belmont girls to an impressive third-place team finish with 70 points.

Just as impressive, if not more is so, is Naumann’s contribution in the 4×400 relay as the team is the only quartet to break the four-minute barrier (3:59.97) establishing the fastes time among all high school across the five divisions in Massachusetts.

On Monday, the team of junior 200 meter specialist Julia Cella, junior Danielle Kelly, senior 400 meter hurdler Meggie MacAulay and Naumann running anchor finished first in 4:02.26, 15 meters in front of Lexington.

But it wasn’t just the girls who were setting some impressive marks.

Marauder senior Luke Peterson was not just the only competitor at the championships to break the 20-foot mark in the long jump, he did it four times in five legal jumps, easily distancing the field by a foot with a 20-foot, eight inch jump. Peterson’s 21’10” effort earlier in May is the fifth best jump this year in the state.

Some highlights at the Middlesex League meet for the girls”

Julia Cella 3^rd and Emily Duffy 7^th in the 200

Danielle Kelly 6^th in the 400

Ally Bailey 5^th in the 800

Olivia Cella 5^th and Alexa Sabatino 7^th in the 1 mile

Rachel Berets 4^th and Sammy Kelts 8^th in the 100 hurdles

Guilia Rufo 4^th in the 400 hurdles

Katrina Rokosz 3^rd in javelin

4×100 team of Emily Duffy, Rachel Berets, Momoko Tokuo, and Naria Sealy was 4^th

4×800 team of Olivia Cella, Nicole Thoma, Danielle Baiany, and Alexa Sabatino was 2^nd

For the boys:

Mekhai Johnson 10th in the 100.

Ben Jones 10th in the 200

4x400 team of Calvin Perkins, Mike Ferrante, Ian Bowe, and Bryan Huang was 3rd

Pats Give a Boost To High School Sports Supporters Group

May 19, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo:

The stands along the court’s edge at Belmont High School’s Wenner Field House Monday, May 16 – was filled with boisterous kids and rambunctious adults to cheer on a half dozen member of the New England Patriots that took on a team of high school athletes and residents. At half time, the lines to have the players sign autographs stretched across the length of the basketball court.

While the final score was not that important, the outcome of ticket sales and sponsor donations will help the Belmont Boosters in supporting its mission of assisting sports in the public schools. In the past six years, the Boosters have donated close to $170,000 to the athletic programs at Belmont High School including renovating the fitness room, placing a new floor on the basketball court in the field house and remaking the White Field House.

According to Booster’s Vice President Larry Christofori, the game with Patriot players such as running back LeGarrette Blount and Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler generated between $15,000 to $20,000.

“It is not the biggest fundraiser for the Boosters, but without a doubt it is truly important because each of our three historically ‘big’ fundraisers – the basketball game, the annual fall Booster Drive and the yearly Golf Tournament – are comparable in terms of net proceeds to the Boosters,” said Christofori.

And while the Patriots usually has a three-game maximum series at each town, “we are negotiating now for future games as so many enjoy the game,” said Booster’s President Jim Reynolds.

Sports: Belmont Baseball Punches Ticket Early For 14th Playoff Trip

May 17, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Nate Espelsda

After a mid-season stumble in the past fortnight, Belmont High School Baseball appears to have straightened out some nagging problems on the mound and at the plate.

The result: two wins on Friday and Monday, securing the Marauders’ 14th trip to the Division 2 North Sectional playoffs.

On Friday, the 13th, Belmont Head Coach Jim Brown handed the ball to 10th grader Nate Espelsda who won his third game of the season (3-1) and second against the Tanners as the Marauders claimed a 7-3 victory.

All-star junior catcher Cal Christofori hit a homer and a double to collect three RBIs in win as Espelsda’s fellow sophomore Max Meier came on in relief.

On Monday, Belmont’s ace senior pitcher Cole Bartels recorded his third shutout this spring as the Marauders’, behind 3-3 hitting from Connor Dacey, defeated host Lexington 6-0.

Belmont (11-3) will be busy this week with three games:

Wednesday, May 18 v. Winchester at the Grant (home), 3:45 p.m.
Thursday, May 19 @ Arlington Catholic, 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, May 21 @ Reading, 4 p.m.

Patriots’ Set To Give Belmont Sports a Boost at Today’s Hoops Match

May 16, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker 1 Comment

Photo: The crowd, the players, the Boosters.

The 2015 Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots Celebrity Basketball Team takes on the Belmont Boosters “All-Stars” in the third annual New England Patriots Basketball Game tonight, Monday, May 16, at Belmont High School’s Wenner Field House.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Residents, school faculty members, students, business owners and other community members will “square off” against members of the NFL football team – which experts are calling the league’s best coming into the new season this fall – with the net proceeds benefiting the Belmont Boosters, a 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to encourage participation in and provide financial support to the Belmont High School athletics programs.

Attendees will have autograph opportunities, as well as a chance to win a Pats autographed football.

For information and tickets, call 617-904-7542. Any questions? Check out the Booster’s website .

Sports: Softball Blowouts, Baseball Stumbles, Boys’ Lacrosse Missed Opportunity

May 12, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont High Varsity Softball.

Softball

In the past few days, Boston sports media has been all worked up that the Boston Red Sox scored 27 runs in two games vs. the hapless Oakland A’s.

Well, Belmont High Softball scored 34 in their last two complete games, and they won both with shutouts.

So there!

After a rough patch in which the team faced the established teams in the Middlesex League, Belmont righted the boat with a 22-0 victory over a very young Watertown squad and took some revenge from Arlington, beating the SpyPonders at home, 12-0 (called after 5 innings) on Wednesday, May 11 after losing the first encounter of the season, 13-1.

The wins – in between the finish of a halted contest with Burlington (a 10-1 loss) – brings the Marauders up to 5-7 and within a realistic chance of making the playoffs for the first time in several years.

“We certainly have a chance of breaking through into the postseason,” said first-year coach Melissa O’Connor, who praised the girls for bringing “great intensity to the game, from the first inning to the fifth.”

Taking part in Wednesday’s slug fest was senior catcher Meghan Ferraro who collected two doubles, a triple along with a single to go 4-4 and 5 RBIs, second base Katrina Rizzuto (three singles, three runs), third base Lia Muckjian (3-4 with 3 RBIs) and first base Irini Nikolaidis whose 4th inning bases-loaded triple sealed the victory. Sophomore pitcher Christine MacLeod struck out five Arlington batters for the win.

“We know we can score runs, 10 to nine a game, so we are going to be in every game for the rest of the season,” said O’Connor.

Baseball

Just about ten days ago, Belmont High Baseball was undefeated (8-0) and ranked 16th in the Boston Globe’s top 20 baseball poll. It looked like clear sailing the rest of the way into the playoffs.

Well, not so fast, Marauders.

Since that red hot start, Belmont Baseball has allowed themselves to flutter into the wind and lost its early momentum, going 1-3 in their last four, as ace pitcher Cole Bartels struggles with his release point and patient hitting by their opponents is paying off.

On Wednesday, Belmont played host to Arlington High and played that role to perfection, allowing the SpyPonders to take an early lead, stretch it with some key errors – leaving a good performance by sophomore pitcher Max Meier out to dry – and never finding any offensive punch with the exception of a Bartels double that this the base of the wall in deep center.

The final was an 8-0 drubbing; the first shutout of Belmont this season.

“You would expect with first place in the Middlesex League on the line, we would have responded,” said long-time head coach Jim Brown.

“We didn’t show anything today. Errors killed us, and our hitting was non-existent as we were upper-cutting everything,” said Brown.

Belmont will attempt to tack the boat back into the wind Friday, May 13 away against Woburn behind sophomore righty Nate Espelin.

Boys Lacrosse

Tuesday night, May 10 was going to be a celebration of a resurgent Belmont High Boys’ Lacrosse team with a late afternoon game to allow parents and fans to fill the stands at Harris Field.

But it was visiting Watertown which left with a good feeling, upending Belmont, 11-10, to send the Marauders to 5-8 and likely end their pursuit of a playoff spot.

Sports: Christofori Steps In To Put Belmont Baseball Back On Winning Ways

May 10, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Another unearned run in the second for Belmont.

After losing its first two games of the season in the past week, and with upstart Watertown breathing down its neck midway through its game on a blustery Monday afternoon, May 9, Belmont High School Baseball Head Coach Jim Brown was wondering who could spark the Marauders to put them back on track

And in true baseball tradition, it was a player who came off the bench to, literally, save the day.

After tweaking his ankle and sitting out the past two, starting catcher/reliever junior Cal Christofori took the ball from team ace Cole Bartels in the top of the fourth and proceeded to pitch four shutout innings to allow Belmont to take its only meeting of the season against its archrivals, 7-4.

“[Christofori] wasn’t supposed to play today but [Bartels] was struggling a bit and Cal said his ankle could go, and we got a huge effort out of him in relief,” said Brown.

Christofori gave up only four hits (one double) while striking out four, the final one a third out with Raiders on third and second in the 6th.

“I only sprained my ankle, so it wasn’t too big of a deal. They needed someone to throw, and I was there and just stepped in,” said the three-sport star.

The victory puts Belmont (9-2) one game from securing a place in the sectional postseason.

“It’ll be good to clinch it against Arlington on Wednesday, but they have been playing much better than they were at the beginning of the year,” he said.

Bartels struggled a bit in the game as Watertown’s batters showed a great deal of patience at the plate, sending Bartels’ pitch count up into the 60 after three innings. Watertown appeared to have scored in the top of the first on a fielder’s choice but the home plate umpire called the runners on second and first out on a rarely called interference play for not sliding into second.

Belmont took advantage in the bottom of the second of sloppy Watertown fielding to score five times on four errors and two singles by Bartels and shortstop Connor Dacey.

But the Raiders came right back, scoring four times in the third, the big blows by Watertown pitcher Kyle Foley who walloped a Bartels fastball far over the right field fence and Mike Giordano’s double that scored a pair.

But after facing Bartels’ fastballs, Christofori threw a healthy portion of lazy curves that kept the Raiders off balance for the remaining four innings.

Belmont got the insurance they were looking for in the fifth and sixth as Paul Ramsey (on a single) and Bryan Goodwin (sacrifice) batted runners in.

“We were going to make Watertown throw us out. Even in the last inning getting the final run, we were going to make sure they made the play in front of us,” said Brown.

Sports: Trey Butler Breaks School LAX Career Scoring Mark

May 9, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Trey Butler and his teammates after Butler broke the school’s scoring record

It took four years to accomplish but finally on a wet, cold Saturday afternoon, Belmont High School’s senior Richard “Trey” Butler became the top career points scorer in Boys’ Lacrosse when he racked up his 267th point – an assist – in a 12-5 loss to Brookline.

“I wish we could have competed better today, but it’s pretty awesome,” said Butler after the game which saw Belmont’s record slide to 5-7.

Known for his work rate and a deadly shot from mid-distance, Butler said he could not have accomplished his goal without the work of his teammates “who really stepped up this year.”

“Other teams know that I’m a dodger [an offensive player who drives to the opponent’s goal with the ball while evading and passing defenders] so this year I’ve been making more assists,” he said.

“I think he’s the hardest working player on the team, and that’s a testament to his tirelessness,” said Head Coach Josh Streit, who said Butler is the first player he coached who has started varsity in every game of his four years in the program.

“[Butler] is truly an outlier,” said Streit, referring to the book written by Malcolm Gladwell. “He puts in hundreds of hours of practice in the fall and winter so that he can be the elite player.”

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