Jones’ 5 TDs Leads Belmont to First Home Win in 2 Years, 41-18, Over Salem

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When the referees signaled the end of the Belmont/Salem football game, the Concord Avenue gate at Belmont’s Harris Field was opened and the hometown fans stormed the field in an explosion of jubilation only a few older Belmont residents could recall occurring at past football games.

Players, coaches, students and parents in the South end zone had reason to celebrate as the Marauders won its first home game in 24 months and the program’s first back-to-back victories in three years.

Under Friday Night Lights, Nov. 7, fans witnessed senior running back Max Jones score five touchdowns as he rushed for an unofficial 261 yards as the Marauders defeated the visiting Witches, 41-16.

“We won last week, (a 34-21 victory over Medford on Halloween) came in with tons of energy this whole week and we used that this game,” Jones told the Belmontonian and Belmont Media Center just before his teammates – who earlier chanted “MVP” and “Lebron” to Jones – drenched the co-captain with a Gatorade bath.

See the entire interview and highlights of Jones’ night here, courtesy of Belmont Marauders Media.

Following senior fullback Bryce Christian the entire night, Jones used his sprinting prowess – Jones finished 7th in the 200 meters at the All-State’s championship in June – to bust long romps over his favorite right side of the offensive line manned by senior center Austin Lutz, junior right guard Justin Arroyan and big man, senior right tackle DeShawn Frederick.

“I have to thank every single [linemen], the wide receivers, everyone who blocked for me,” said Jones.

“I just do the running.”

And Jones’ running ability was on full display during Belmont’s second possession of the ball after Salem tied the score, 6-6, in the first quarter soon after Jones scored his first TD on a 2 yard rush up the middle.

Jones dashed for 23, 14, and 9 yards before unleashing a lightning quick 30 yard sprint to the Salem 2 yard line. His two yard “follow-the-pile” TD, giving Belmont a 13-6 lead early in the second quarter, saw him contribute 78 ground  yards to the drive.

After Salem scored off a Belmont fumble with two minutes remaining until the half, Belmont showed it could gain huge chunks of real estate through the air as sophomore QB Cal Christofori hit senior wide receiver Peter Durkin on a slant pattern for 30 yards to the Salem 35 on Belmont’s first play.

On the next play, Jones took a Christofori handoff to the left and went the distance for his third touchdown with a minute remaining before half time.

Jones had tallied 155 yards in the first half to give Belmont the lead, 20-12, after the first two quarters.

The second half saw Belmont’s at-times “iffy” defense step up when senior defensive lineman and co-captain Nick Ryan recovered a Witches’ fumble at Belmont’s 40 yard line. On a second and 7 from the Salem 30, Jones rushed for his fourth TD going around the right side untouched to up the lead to 27-12.

After the Witches got a bit closer, scoring early in the fourth quarter to shorten the lead to 27-16, Jones took the kickoff for 21 yards to near midfield. Three plays later, junior running back Mekhai Johnson barreled through the defense 44 yards for the touchdown. 

Salem next drive ended when junior defensive back Robby Aiello intercepted Salem QB Jared Nubas with six minutes left in the game. Jones finished his night by going 48 yards – his longest rush of the night – on the right for his fifth TD.

Capping off the game was an interception by Arroyan who had played hard in the trenches for the 44 minutes.

While noting that Jones “had the hot hand and we just kept feeding him the rock,” Belmont’s first year Head Coach Yann Kumin said he was most proud about the entire team’s “desire to play for one another.”

Kumin noted while the defense had “stumbled out of the gate, they sure finished strong.”

Next week, Friday, Nov. 14, Belmont hosts Boston Latin and will finish the season against one-loss Watertown at Harris Field on Thanksgiving Morning.

“Watertown is a great team with a great head coach in John Cacace,” said Kumin. 

“But our focus will be against Boston Latin next week,” Kumin said, noting if the team wins, “that means we’d have a winning streak.”

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Sports: Football’s Be-Witches-ing Friday Night, Boys’ Soccer Saturday in Chelsea

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One week removed from Halloween, Belmont High School football welcomes a coven of witches as Salem High School swoops to Harris Field tonight, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

Salem will be seeking to break into the win column having started the season 0-8, including being shutout in their last three games.

Belmont (1-7) is coming off its first victory in two seasons with its victory over Medford, 35-20, on Halloween.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, Belmont’s Boys’ Soccer team will be traveling down Route 16 for a quarterfinal match with hosts Chelsea High School in playoff action in the MIAA Div. 2 North Sectionals. The fifth-seed Marauders (14-3-2) got by North Andover, 1-0, while the fourth-seed Red Devils (15-3-1) defeated Lynn Classical, 1-0, in overtime.

The game kicks off at 4 p.m.

Sports: Volleyball’s Historic Journey Ends at 6-Foot, 2-Inch Roadblock

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Belmont High School’s Volleyball historic journey ended Tuesday night, Nov. 4 when it ran into a six-foot, two-inch roadblock stationed in the middle of the Arlington Catholic High School court.

The big obstacle Belmont faced was Cougar’s middle blocker “Demi” Fogarty, who did not just possess killer skills in a 72-inch frame but was accompanied by a supporting cast which could hold their own against most teams in the Div. 2 North Sectionals without Demiana situated at the net.

While the Marauders (who arrived 35 minutes late due a bus flub up) kept their spirits high though out the quarterfinal match played in a gym straight from “American Graffiti” – small, old fashioned with squeaky, wooden floors that bounced when you jumped on it – they couldn’t keep the ball from Fogarty’s wide wingspan as the junior swatted away balls and smashed passes for point after point for Arlington Catholic (19-3).

After 45 minutes, Belmont, who entered the tournament as the seventh seed, walked off the court after losing to the second-seed in a three-set sweep (25-13, 25-9, 25-19).

Belmont’s season ends with a record 16 wins (16-6) and a playoff win – a 3-2 victory over Danvers High on Friday, Oct. 31 – the first since 2010.

While Belmont had scouted AC’s first playoff game against Tewksbury and had practiced on double blocking Fogarty, the became quickly evident that the middle hitter was going to be a handful as she slammed an above-the-net kill for the first point of the game.

While Belmont was able to capitalize on some iffy play selection from the Cougars, the home team was also able to set up Fogarty or six-foot sophomore Lena Perez to strike a power shot at the Marauders’ back line.

Senior middle blocker Alexandra Davis‘ kill gave the Marauders’ its final lead in the first game at 6 before AC went on a 12-4 run behind Fogarty and senior libero Danielle Sullivan.

The second set saw senior setter Becki Sandvos contribute with a few nifty kills from a mid court position yet the Cougars were ever present at the net, able to turn back Belmont’s kill attempts or force shots high and out.

“[Senior] Rosy Fitzgerald was extremely consistent and was 20-for-21 hitting with eight kills. She also was 10-for-10 digging and 16-for-18 on serve receive,” said Coutour.

“Senior libero Sam Nelson also had a good game with great passes and was 22 for 22 on serve receive,” the coach said.
“Yvette Kleinbock had our only big serving run early on in the third set” with six straight points to knotted the score up at 12, said Coutour.
But after the Belmont side out, “Fogarty rotated into the front row and we had a hard time getting any momentum back,” said the coach.
The 2014 season will remembered for the eight seniors – Davis, Julia Dexter, Fitzgerald, Kleinbock, Nelson, Yeonjae Park, Sandvos and Julie Yu – who anchored the team to more than a dozen straight set wins and losses to only playoff-bound teams.

 

Sports: Boys’ Soccer Wins Playoff Opener, Heads Off to Chelsea Saturday

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Winning ugly, as the saying goes, is still winning.

And Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer learned that lesson Monday, Nov. 3 after the Marauders defeated North Andover High Scarlett Knights, 1-0, in the first round of the Div. 2 North Sectional finals.

“We got away from a lot of things we were doing well at the end of the season,” said Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane.

“It was not the best we’ve played because we were nervous because they know this is a game they should have,” said Bisceglia-Kane, saying the team performs better as an underdog than when it is expected to win easily.

“It was ugly, but a really entertaining game to watch,” he said.

The victory sends the Marauders on a trip to 4th-seed Chelsea High School (15-3-1) on Saturday, Nov. 8 to meet the Commonwealth League Upper Division Champions at 4 p.m.

Belmont (14-3-2) got the only goal it needed with 12 minutes remaining in the first half when substitute junior forward/midfielder Trevor Kelly made an outside run and sliced a shot 15 meters from the left of the box that curved into the back of the right side the goal.

For many Marauders on the field, the match with the 12-seed Scarlet Knights was a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals when North Andover scored in the first 30 seconds and kept the lead for the entire match to win 1-0.

While North Andover was able to move the ball into the Marauders end with short passes through the middle, Belmont’s midfielders, led by center midfielder and senior co-captain Ben Lazenby, stepped into passing lanes and use their physical approach to win the 50/50 challenges.

“I was just trying to play hard and communicate and work together as a team,” said Lazenby, who assisted on the goal.

“I was trying to get headers but really it was just playing non-stop,” he said.

Belmont’s goalkeeper Peter Berens took home another clean sheet with big senior defender Matt Lawson stepping up to win headers and break-up at least two semi-breakaways in the second half.

It got hairy for Belmont 28 minutes into the final half when a goal-bound shot off a Berens save was cleared twice from the goal mouth by Lawson and senior Amar Fernald to secure the shutout.

Belmont now has a lengthy wait until its quarterfinal with the Red Devils.

Senior captain Wilbert Tejada leads Chelsea as its playmaker who sets up the team’s two leading scorers, Carlos Cartagena and Derilson DePina.

While Belmont knows little or nothing of Chelsea’s game, Lazenby said the team will not dwell on that issue.

“When you play a new team, you don’t know what to expect, you don’t know what team they’re going to be,” said Lazenby.

“That’s why we have to focus on our game. We can’t control our opponent, we can only control our own game and I think where we are strong in a lot of areas,” he said.

Sports: Belmont Field Hockey Season Ends in Extra Time and Tears

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Belmont High Field Hockey senior co-captains Olivia Castagno and Suzanne Noone had tears in their eyes minutes after a world-class goal ended the team’s successful season in a 1-0 overtime defeat at the hands of second-seed Andover High School in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Div. 2 North sectional finals.

On a blustery, cold Sunday night, Nov. 2, the pair said the tears were not just in losing a game in which the 10th seed Marauders (12-5-2) were the equals to the pitch with the one-loss Golden Eagles (18-1-1) who’ve been ranked for the entire season in the top five teams in the Boston Globe’s Top 20 ranking.

The tears were also that the pair, who have played on the varsity for the past three years, along with ten fellow seniors would never play together again.

“This was a really great team. We like each other a lot. We had so much fun, and we have a great attitude all the time. It’s just a good group,” said Noone.

“We’re all such good friends and get along so well and we’re sad to see its over,” said Castagno.

“I love this team,” said head coach Jessica Smith who didn’t try to wipe away her emotions.

“Coming to practice each day was fun. I mean, there’re 12 seniors, so just that makes it a joy. I never cancelled practice which they were sometimes made at me for but I love being there with them,” said Smith “They became just as close as my family because my family’s there (Smith has her three small children at games and practices). So it’s really, really sad.”

Belmont’s accomplishment Sunday is especially striking since the team comes from a school district with the least number of students, 1,183, of the eight teams in the Div. 1 North quarterfinals.

Andover High with 1,799 students in 2013-14, has 616 more pupils or about 300 additional female students to recruit to the team. That advantage is the equivalent of Belmont’s entire graduating class in 2016. If Belmont had made the finals, it would have likely meet Acton-Boxborough Regional, the number 1 seed, a school with 1,960 students.

“It’s so ridiculous,” said Smith on being placed in Division 1, which occurred four days before last year’s playoffs.

In a game which Belmont found outstanding first-half goalkeeping from senior Kate Saylor and the exceptional end line-to-end line work by sophomore AnnMarie Habelow, the Marauders weather a first half storm to outplay the champions of the perennial Merrimack Valley champions for the majority of the second half, garnering a slew of shots and penalty corners during a 15 minute stretch.

Saylor “saved our asses in the first half. We were flat and played a little scared,” said Smith “You’re here in Andover with a top seed, you know it and it’s scary.”

Saylor made numerous pad, and kick saves and took away a pair of great goal scoring opportunities midway in the first half by diving for balls on Andover sticks within the scoring circle. She also benefited from the goalkeepers best friend when a hard shot hit the post midway through the half.

“Everyone played amazing especially since the conditions [were not optimal] because it was really cold,” Saylor said.

“It was all or nothing in what could be the last game of the season,” said Saylor.

While the defense was stretched by the Andover speedy attack, Belmont’s back line, anchored by junior defender Molly Thayer and senior center back Emma Pejko, kept the Golden Eagles contained by keeping the attack in front of them.

On the field, Andover used its size – several times overwhelming Belmont players to take possession – and great speed advantage to compensate for stick skills that didn’t “wow” the Belmont bench. They moved actively to the ball and were disciplined and organized in the back.

The player who did “wow” the spectators – a good number of vocal Belmont parents and friends outnumbered the home team’s supporters – was 10th grader Habelow who proved to be an unsolvable puzzle for Andover’s attacking forwards. Numerous times Habelow would flatten her stick and outmaneuver an attacking player to the ball for a clean steal. More than once, her full-swing clearing shots from deep in Belmont’s end sent Andover midfielders scrambling for cover.

After relying on Saylor in the first half, Belmont began playing its game of quick passing through junior midfielder Serena Nally mixed with strong running from Noone who kept Andover’s midfielders honest by forcing them to remain further back in their end of the field than they wanted. Statistically, Belmont held the edge on shots and penalty corners in the half.

“The second half turned it around, and we start playing our game, passing to each other,” said Smith. “You know, we realized that we were just as good skill-wise as they were.”

In the later stages of the second, Belmont had their best chances in the game; a powerful run by senior forward Haley Sawyer who placed the ball on the goalie’s pad, a strong run by Noone down the right wing who took a strong shot that skipped through the goal mouth just missing a charging Beth Young, a run by junior forward Kerri Lynch on the left that was stopped at the last minute and Habelow down low on a penalty corner whose dribble five meters out was batted away by defender Jillian Hughes.

Andover wanted no part of a sudden death as they pushed up nine players – a usual corner has six players – for a penalty corner in the final minute only to have the maneuver thwarted by Thayer.

When the whistle blew to end regular time, Smith felt confident that her overtime line up – teams are limited to a goalkeeper and six field players as opposed to 11 during normal time – of Lynch, Nally, Sawyer, Noone, Habelow, Thayer and Saylor would give the Marauders the advantage in sudden death.

“We didn’t have any great scoring opportunities in the game. But I really thought when we got into overtime; we could do it,” said Smith.

But Belmont never established a strong attack with Habelow’s two trips down the right wing coming empty.

“They started with the ball and got it down in our end. It was hard to connect tonight. We didn’t quite have it,” said Smith.

At the eight minute mark, a sideline pass found Hughes at the top of the scoring circle who got low and shot the ball into the roof of the goal.

“It was an amazing field hockey shot so there was nothing we could do about that,” said Smith.

But we did an amazing job. It was a great game, and they just had a lucky goal,” said Saylor, who ended the game with 10 saves.

“I’m so lucky to have played with all of these seniors and that I’m not going to play with them again is, well … ,” said Saylor as she accept the hug.

Sports: After Nail Biter, Volleyball Attempts to Bag a Cougar Tonight

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It went quickly from treat to trick for the Belmont High School Volleyball squad on Halloween.

After building a comfortable two-set advantage in the opening-round playoff match held at Belmont’s Wenner Field House on Friday, Oct. 31, the Marauders saw that lead turn into a pumpkin by a young but talented Danvers High squad which stormed back to tie match.

During the one-minute break before playing the critical fifth set, Belmont senior co-captain Alexandra Davis recalled how “we all took a deep breath and told ourselves ‘first to eight in the fifth’,” referring to reach the eight point mark first in the abbreviated 15-point final set.

“We work a lot on mentally preparing ourselves to push through hard times. We said we had to stay in ‘green light’, always ready to go,” said the middle blocker.

And that little bit of mental stability allowed Belmont to pull out a nail biter against the Falcons, 3 sets to 2 (25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 16-25, 15-9) in the first round of the MIAA Div. 2 North sectionals.

“We wanted this game more and came out aggressive and didn’t miss while [Danvers] didn’t know how to handle the pressure,” said Belmont Head Coach Jen Couture.

Friday was Belmont’s first playoff win since 2010.

Today, Tuesday, Nov. 4, the seventh-seed Belmont takes the short trip to Arlington to meet Arlington Catholic HS in the quarterfinals match beginning at 6 p.m.

The 16-5 Marauders will attempt to bag the second-seed Cougars (18-3) which won its first round game with Tewksbury High, 3-0. AC is ranked 17th in the Boston Globe Volleyball Top 20. Leading the Cougars are junior middle blocker Demi Fogarty and sophomore Monica Royo from the back.

Belmont opened the Halloween matinee with impressive serving by junior opposite hitter Kabita Das and the combined blocking from junior Kately Messer (who ended the set with a block winner) and Davis, who had a critical block point when the score was tied at 17.

“We came into the game wanting this so we came out strong so we could set the tone of the game. So I thought it was my part to take charge,” said Davis.

“I’ve been working on my blocks and my timing a lot. It was a great feeling getting them,” she said.

The second set was tied at 18 (after Danvers went on a 11 to 4 run) when senior Rosy Fitzgerald had a kill from junior setter Faye Regan and a block winner and senior co-captain Becki Sandvos hit a slicing winner to push the score to 24-21 with Fitzgerald getting the final set-winning shot.

In the third set, Danvers came out “with nothing to lose and they started playing more aggressively,” said Couture.

“We were a little slow to their play, and they didn’t let up through the fourth set,” said the head coach.

Tied at 11 in the third, Danvers’ forwards collected a number of kills while net violations vexed Belmont. And despite Das’ four service aces to open the fourth set, 5-0, the Marauders soon found themselves tied at 12 before Danvers went on a 13-4 run to win the set.

“You could tell on our faces that we lost a lot of energy, so we were playing down to their team’s level that we have struggled with before,” said Alexander.

“They got into our heads and caused a bit of confusion, and we started to doubt ourselves especially with the net mistakes,” said Couture.

Between the penultimate and final sets, Couture told the team to relax and play that same game as they opened the contest.

“During timeouts we were saying that we had to play at our speed and push ourselves,” said Alexander.

Down 5-6, Das won a point off a block, Sandvos dipped a ball between Danvers’ front and back line and Messer had a critical block winner to give the Marauders an 8-6 lead as the teams changed ends of the court.

Now it was Danvers’ turn to tighten up, committing service and shooting error that allowed Belmont to race ahead to a 12-9 advantage. Senior libero and co-captain Sam Nelson made one of her numerous dig saves resulting in a Danvers hitting error. Belmont finished the game and, by the skin of their teeth, is playing today.

Sports: Playoff Schedule with Boys’ Soccer Monday; Volleyball, Girls’ Soccer Tuesday

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Teams and individuals from Belmont High School will be competing in the next few weeks in post season and the playoffs.

• Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer gets their postseason underway with a home Div. 2 North sectional playoff game against North Andover High on Monday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Harris Field. The fifth-seeded Marauders (13-3-2) takes a stingy defense, led by senior goalkeeper Peter Berens, having given up just 10 goals in 18 games vs the 12-seed Scarlet Knights (11-7-0) from the Merrimack Valley Conference Large Division.

• Coming off a nail-biting win over a young Dracut High team Friday night, seventh-seed Belmont Volleyball (16-5) travels next door to take on the second-seed Arlington Catholic High (18-3) in the quarterfinals of the Div. 2 North sectionals on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. The Cougars are ranked 17th in the Boston Globe top 20.

• There is a score to be settled as Belmont Girls’ Soccer travels to Wilmington High for a Middlesex League clash in the first round of the Div. 2 North sectionals on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. This will be a chance for Belmont (8-5-5) to revenge a highly-controversial game played last month when, with the game 1-0 in Belmont’s advantage late in the match, a seemingly obvious offsides against Wilmington was not called leading to a goal that allowed Wilmington to stay undefeated in the regular season. There will be little motivation needed by long time Head Coach Paul Graham – who is looking for win 299 – who said after the game the girls “would love to have another go” at the Wildcats.

• With the first win in the books, Belmont High School Football will play their final three games at Harris Field, beginning this Friday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. against Salem High of Massachusetts.

• After winning the Middlesex League meet, Belmont Girls’ Swimming prepares for the North Sectionals and then a return to the Div. 2 championships where they will be one of the favorites. And Leah Brams will carry the colors at the EMass Sectional meet on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Wrentham and the All-State meet on Saturday, Nov. 15 in famous Franklin Park in Boston.

Sports: Bundle Up as Belmont Field Hockey Plays Sunday in Andover

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Here’s the weather forecast for Sunday, Nov. 2:

Windy with rain and snow showers in the morning changing to rain showers late. The high will be 42 F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Wind chill will make the air temperature feel like 32 F. 

So for those hardy fans of Belmont High School Field Hockey, tomorrow will be a great chance to take out the winter storm outerwear as the squad travels to Andover to take on second-seed Andover High School in the MIAA Div. 1 North sectional quarterfinal match beginning at 6 p.m.

The 10th-ranked Belmont (12-4-2) will meet Andover (17-1-1), ranked 5th in the Boston Globe’s Top 20 Field Hockey teams, after both teams controlled their opening tournament games: Belmont dispatched 7th seed Danvers, 2-0 on Thursday, Oct. 30, while Andover stormed by 15th Methuen, 6-0, on Halloween.

Both teams have now played Danvers: Belmont dominated the Falcons on an unfamiliar grass surface. Andover, which has 1,734 students, won at home, 4-0, but could only score a single goal at Danvers.

Andover, which lost to Chelmsford on a cold, wet night three weeks ago, is led by goaltender Megan Hartnett who has 16 shutouts this year. The Golden Warriors are led by forward Tori Roche, who despite missing three weeks with an injury, returned to have a hat trick in the Methuen game.

Sports: Belmont Football Surge To 35- 20 Win Over Medford, First of Season

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After a season in which his team was blown out, were competitive but gave up big plays and struggled against more-established programs, Belmont High School’s first-year Head Coach Yann Kumin was able Friday night, Oct. 31, to look at the big scoreboard at Medford’s Hormel Field announcing that his Belmont High School Football team was now a winner on the field.

After falling behind at the half, 14-7 – “We had some serious hiccups early,” Kumin said – the Marauders (1-7) demonstrated a season’s worth of persistence and effort as they surged for 28 unanswered points to win its first game in nearly two years, 35-20, over Medford High (1-7).

“This is the most amazing feeling in the world. I’m so happy to experience this with these guys, to do it in Belmont. It’s the first of many more to come,” said Kumin after the Halloween night game.

Led by sophomore quarterback Cal Christofori, Belmont rode a stellar night from senior running back and co-captain Max Jones who rushed for three touchdowns as the defense owned the second half, giving up its only touchdown with a minute left in the game.

“We got down in the first half but at the half we said to each other, ‘This is the one. We are not losing this one’,” said Christofori after the game.

“For us who have been here this entire time, and waiting this long, it’s an incredible experience,” Christofori said.

“We got this first win, and now we are rolling,” he said.

As the clock ran down to zero, the joy of accomplishing their first program win resulted in an explosion of emotions. While rarely at a loss for words – always encouraging his team to believe in the coaching and their teammates – “Coach Q” could only hug his assistant coaches (Dave Pereira, Brendan Bonn, Brian Shea, Hakeem Barge, Dick Quigley and Leo Harrington) and players who continuously bellowed their praise for their teammates.

When his assistant coaches presented Kumin the game ball for what is his first win as a high school coach, the 30-year-old had tears in his eyes as his team surrounded him in a boisterous celebration.

“It’s a tribute to these guys,” he said, waving his arm to the players still on the field enjoying the victory. “We are a family in the truest sense of the word. We live and breathe and work and practice for each other.”

“Coming to practice with the adversity that’s facing them and just keep working to get better. I said it a couple of weeks ago; I’m not sure I would have been able to do that in high school. I’m crying right now with absolute pride for this team,” he said.

As the Marauders gathered to leave, the Belmont supporters – mostly parents – stormed the field to greet the coaches and team.
It was only as Kumin was steps from the buses to take the team home did a few players decided to give their coach the traditional “Gatorade shower.”

“I’m a little moist,” said Coach Q, as the players cheered.

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Sports: Field Hockey into Quarterfinals After Mowing Over Danvers, 2-0

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It was hard enough that the Belmont High School Field Hockey had to board a bus and travel for 45 minutes to play in their playoff opener against Northeastern Conference championships Danvers High School on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The potential difficulties of playing on the road in the MIAA Div. 2 North sectionals were only heightened when the Marauders saw the pitch they would be battling.

Grass. While a decade ago playing on a natural surface was just part of the game, today, with the rapid proliferation of synthetic Tuff fields, many teams will not play on grass for an entire season.

Not only was the surface uneven, the field outside of Danvers’ newly constructed high school had a noticeable drop from the north to the south end of the field.

Danvers’ Head Coach Jill McGinnity was banking on that familiarity to pressure Belmont for the entire game.

“Field hockey is a completely different sport on grass than turf, so being on grass right away certainly helps because we practice on it all the time,” she told the Salem (Massachusetts) Daily News. “We’d love to be able to make a nice little run (in the postseason.”

Belmont’s head coach, Jessica Smith, was not as enamored playing a tournament game on the natural stuff.

“This is a … ,” Smith said, finishing the sentence with a colorful term to describe the field’s condition.

“Grass slows everything down, so you have to hit much longer balls to move upfield,” said Smith. “And we are a pass-oriented team, so we have to make some adjustments.”

Despite reservations on how the grass would impact their game, Belmont’s higher skill level and total team approach soon showed itself as the Marauders defeated the Falcon’s, 2-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Marauders will play the winners of the match today, Oct. 31, between second-seed Andover High School and 15th-ranked Methuen High. The time and place for the quarters have yet to be determined.

Due to upsets of the third-seed Reading, Wilmington and 11th seed Lexington, Belmont and Watertown (who play in Division 2) are the last remaining Middlesex League teams in the tournament.

After a cautious start, Belmont’s quality soon dominated the Falcon’s athleticism as the Marauders controlled possession in Danvers’s end of the field for the final 20 minutes of the first half.

Led by midfielders senior Suzannne Noone and Olivia Castangno and junior Serena Nally occupying the center of the pitch, Belmont clogged the long-ball passing lanes as Danvers attempted to break into the Belmont end.

With some time on the ball, Belmont’s forwards adjusted their passing technique with slightly harder shots as the receiving players moved to the passes. Out on the wings, seniors Beth Young and Haley Sawyer were finding a straight move to the goal was paying dividends.

Belmont could concentrate upfront as its back line proved a tough challenge for the Falcon attack. Junior defender Molly Thayer and senior center back Emma Pejko stalked any forward with possession entering their zone, using good stick technique to knock balls from their opponents.

Belmont’s pressure soon resulted in a series of penalty corners – the Marauders would have seven in the first half while Danvers was shutout – allowing sophomore midfielder/defender AnnMarie Habelow to move up to the 16-yard scoring circle and become the focal point of the attack.

Belmont’s first score occurred when Habelow took a shot in close that got by Danvers’ goalie Julie Webster, which was steered in by junior forward Kerri Lynch with eight minutes remaining in the half.

Both Sawyer and Habelow nearly doubled the lead but for a new rule (Habelow’s backhand shot which was “rising with acceleration” is now considered a dangerous play) and a leg save from Webster.

With time running down and Smith urging the girls’ to “Get one more,” the team responded as Habelow’s directed a shot to the stick of sophomore forward Julia Chase five meters out for the goal with a minute remaining in the first.

It was 10 minutes into the second 30 minutes before Belmont goalkeeper senior Kate Saylor made her first save as Belmont’s offense peppered Webster, with another Habelow score taken away due to the new dangerous rule.

Danvers did begin to find their range late in the half, requiring the Belmont “D” to chase down some long breaks. Saylor made a strong pad save off junior forward Kristen McCarthy with help from Castagno and Habelow got her stick low to stop another shot from McCarthy.

“I love this team because everyone touches the ball throughout the game. We have our superstars, but they know we play better as a team that builds up from the back and work everyone into the game,” said Smith.