Blake-West Powers Belmont to Second in Div. 2 Swimming Championships

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During the MIAA Division 2 State Swimming and Diving Championships held Sunday, Nov. 16 at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool, Belmont High School long-time head coach Ev Crosscup would tap his chest with his fist when greeting his squad poolside.

“Our message was that we had worked well together as a team. We’re focused, worked hard together; we’ve supported each other. I told them that we were going to take it to the next level that we, as a team, we’re one collective heartbeat today,” said Crosscup.

On the night of a record and a slew of season best times, Belmont finished second to Attleboro’s Bishop Feehan, 270 to 239, a margin of a mere 29 points.

“I could not be more pleased in the effort from everybody; they all had best times from the week before [at the North Sectionals where Belmont finished third] when they had best times. That’s almost unheard of,” said Crosscup.

“We battled all the way to the end. We gave Bishop Feehan a good run, but we didn’t quite have enough to pull it out. But second doesn’t takeaway all what we accomplished today. I couldn’t have expected anymore,” he said.

Leading the way for the Marauders was junior star Jessie Blake-West who took returned to Belmont with three state championships – all obtained within a 40-minute time period – a feat matched only by Newton North’s Amanda Graf in the Division 1 championships held earlier Sunday.

“It’s great, it’s so great,” said Blake-West, who now has five state swimming championship titles in her trophy case.

“I’m just glad I could be here to celebrate it with the coaches and the team,” she told the Belmontonian.

The highlight of the night was Blake-West’s third victory in her specialty, the 100-yard butterfly. Taking on a talented field, Blake-West opened with a 25.71 second first 50 yards to win in a state championship record time of 56.28, winning by a full two seconds over freshman Alyvia Petrozza of Central Catholic.

Blake-West was the only individual swimmer in either division to break a championship meet record Sunday.

“Setting the meet record was one of my goals this season. Ideally I would have liked to have my best time here,” she said, disappointed that she didn’t reach her target of finishing in the low 55 second range which would have given her National High School All-American status.

“But I’m very happy how I swam. I couldn’t have asked for a better meet,” said Blake-West.

Equally impressive was Blake-West’s other individual victory in the 200 individual medley. In an event demanding proficiency in each stroke – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle – Blake-West took a one second lead after the butterfly leg and stretched her margin to win by more than three seconds, 2:08.26 to 2:11.40, over Petrozza in a personal best time.

Blake-West started the night’s action joining senior backstroke and co-captain Maya Nagashima, junior breaststroke Emily Quinn and freshman freestyle Alison Sawyer to propel the favorite Belmont 200 medley relay to victory over Bishop Stang and Bishop Feehan. Blake-West’s 25.27 for the butterfly leg distanced the other teams during the third leg.

But it was Blake-West’s final event, as anchor on the 100 freestyle relay with Sawyer, fellow freshman Ophelie Loblack and junior Solvay Metelmann that demonstrated just how dominating her performance was at Harvard. Her 24.13 leg was the fastest 50 yard freestyle not only in the event but would have won the open 50 freestyle event by .05 seconds, and pushed Belmont from sixth to fourth in 1:43.72, behind victorious Westwood in 1:41.42.

At the end of the meet, Blake-West was involved in collecting 110 of Belmont’s 239 total points.

“Jessie’s was remarkable tonight truly remarkable,” said Crosscup.

For the second-year running, Belmont brought the best contingency of breaststrokers to the meet as the Marauders took four of the first nine places in the 100 breaststroke final.

Leading the way was Quinn who stayed with the leaders for the entire distance and crept up a place in the final yards to finish 3rd in 1:08.41, behind upset victor junior Sienna Lapalme of Bishop Stang who defeated Bishop Feehan senior and Costa Rican national swimming member Marisa Reidmeister, 1:07.32 to 1:07.61.

Senior Klaudia Nagrabska finished fifth in 1:09.59, knocking three-and-a-half seconds off her season’s best, and senior Sarah Osborne took 9th in 1:12.86. The surprise for Belmont was sophomore Dervla Moore-Frederick. Swimming in the heat before the final, Moore-Frederick took two-and-a-half seconds off her qualifying time to finish in 1:12.26 in 8th.

The quartet brought Belmont 50 points.

Events where the Marauders also picked up multiple points were in the 500 free with senior co-captain Eunice Lee and juniors Sara Noorouzi (14th, 5:40.61) and Elizabeth Levy (16th, 5:42.17), Nagashima (7th) and Quinn (11th) joined Blake-West in the individual medley and the youngsters Sawyer (12th), Metelmann (14th) and Loblack (16th) in the 50 free sprint.

Crosscup pointed to the “outstanding effort” of Lee in the 200 free (2:05.36 in 15th) and the “marathon” 5o0 free in which she overtook two swimmers in the final 50 yards with a 32.96 second final lap to finish 10th in 5:36.48, an improvement of 13 seconds from her qualifying time.

Swimming her final event wearing a Marauder cap, fellow co-captain Nagashima took home seven points with a 10th (1:02.47) in her speciality, the 100 backstroke, while Loblack was one of only three freshmen in a flight of 22 swimmers to swim the 100 free final, coming in 13th in 57.75.

And those Marauders who didn’t earn points took in the experience of a state championship while bringing down their season bests. Noorouzi and Levy took a second off their 200 free times while sophomores Molly Thomas (50 free and 100 backstroke) and Allie Beecroft (500 free) improved on their qualifiers.

Over at the diving area, amidst the noise and ruckus of the swimmers, Belmont’s junior Cynthia Kelsey stayed in the lead group for the entire meet as she accumulated points with dives that brought 9s and 8 1/2 scores. The school’s record holder placed third with an 11-dive total of 437.20 points.

Interestingly, Kelsey finished behind the event’s repeat winner, junior Hannah Phelan (who broke the meet record this year with 537.05 points). Yet unlike last year when she dove for Walpole High, Phelan earned the 20 points for her new school – and Belmont’s rival – Bishop Feehan.

Despite the great swimming and diving throughout the meet, Belmont trailed Bishop Feehan by two points with the Shamrocks the heavy favorite in the meet’s final event, the 400 free relay.

With Belmont’s quickest swimmers having reached their four-event participation limit and the Marauders sending out three underclassmen (Loblack, Metelmann and Noorouzi) and Lee, the only realistic chance for a Belmont state title would have been from a false start or a disqualification by Bishop Feehan.

That did not occur as Belmont took 11th (in 3:53.25, a five second improvement from their season’s best) and Feehan finished on the top spot for both the relay and the team championship.

Yet the cheers and smiles were just as joyful on the Belmont side of the pool as the team hoisted their runner-up plaque for all to see.

Sports: Belmont Football’s Streak Reaches 3 with 21-2 Win Over Boston Latin

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It’s official; Belmont High School Football is in the midst of a winning streak.

In the penultimate game of the 2014 season, senior running back Max Jones scored three touchdowns while the defense created four turnovers as the Marauders have run off three-consecutive victories by defeating visiting Boston Latin, 21-2, on Friday night, Nov. 14.

“I’m really proud at the defense who had the shut out [the two-point safety late in the fourth quarter was scored against the offense] because they stepped up as the offense was having a hard time moving forward,” said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kumin.

Kumin pointed to a play late in the fourth quarter as an example of the team’s ethos in the past three games. After a Wolfpack receiver caught a quick pass and ran by the sophomore defensive back Ben Jones towards an apparent touchdown. But Jones ran down the receiver and wrestled the ball from him at Belmont’s five-yard line, making the recovery.

“[Jones] could have given up on the play but he caught [the receiver] and stripped him. That’s what we talk about when we say ‘Next play, big play’,” said Kumin.

The game was hardly an easy go for the Marauders as Boston Latin’s defensive front line caused problems for Belmont’s running backs Jones and junior Mekhai Johnson.

In response, Kumin looked to the passing arm of sophomore quarterback Cal Christofori who went 12 for 25, going to juniors Justin Wagner and Robby Aiello and long-threat senior Jaehmar Paul who caught passes of 40 and 26 yards.

Belmont got on the board with three minutes left in the first quarter with Jones rushing 10 yards up the middle of the field in the end zone. The score occurred after junior defensive lineman Justin Arroyan caused and recovering a fumble.

Jones second TD was a 40 yard romp off the right side in the third quarter and a 60 yard sprint in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Jones, who scored three touchdowns in last week’s game against Salem, ran for 185 yards.

The Marauders are now off for nearly two weeks before the annual Thanksgiving Day game vs. Watertown.

“We’ll have time to rest up guys who are dinged up and target some areas that need to addressed before we meet a very good Watertown team,” said Kumin.

Sports: Fall Season Ends with a Bang on the Gridiron, Park and Pool

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It’s only appropriate with the return of frost to town that the fall athletic season is wrapping up. For Belmont, it does so with a bang as Belmont teams and individuals will be seeking glory on this final weekend.

• Belmont High School Football will be in search of something they have not accomplished in years; a winning streak. A victory over visiting Belmont Latin – the game gets underway tonight, Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. at Harris Field – will give three wins in a row and give the Marauders a 3-7 record going into the traditional Thanksgiving Day game against Watertown High.

• Junior Leah Brams will be competing in her third consecutive Division 1 All-State Cross Country meet, held this year in historic Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. With temperatures not expected to break freezing, Brams will have, at least, a physiological advantage over the other runners: while they retreat indoors for the winter track season, Brams takes to the trails as one of the region’s most accomplished youth Nordic skiers.

• Just by past times posted this season, it is likely to be a big night for Belmont High School’s Girls’ Swimming and Diving Team Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool as the Marauders seek to take the Div. 2 State Championship title. Belmont’s junior star Jessie Blake-West will be seeking to gain National High School All-American status in her favorite event, the 100-yard butterfly, and is the favorite to win state titles in the 200 individual medley and as a member of the 200 medley relay. With a great quartet of breaststroke swimmers, junior diver Thea Kelsey and young members who are getting faster with each meet, Head Coach Ev Crosscup could be heading for a dip into the pool at the end of the meet.

 

Sports: Belmont Boys’ Soccer Playoff Run Ends With Loss to Concord-Carlisle

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The Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer walked off the pitch at Chelmsford High School Thursday night, Nov. 13, knowing they weren’t cheated out of a chance for victory against Concord-Carlisle Regional High School.

“They were by far the best and most complete team we played all season. They were one of the few teams that put us back on our heels,” said Brian Bisceglia, Belmont’s first-year head coach after the 1-0 loss to the number-one seed in the Division 2 North Sectional semifinals.

“You gave it your all, and you should be proud of that effort,” Bisceglia told the team after the game.

But that didn’t make the defeat any less hard to take for the team, especially for the dozen seniors who played their final game in the Belmont kit.

“No regrets,” said senior Luke Gallagher, one of four co-captains (along with Peter Berens, Norman Kilavatitu and Ben Lazenby) who led the team to an impressive 15-4-2 season.

“Tonight I saw how far we’ve come this year and how much each and every player has developed, I’m proud of these guys,” said Gallagher.

“Every single day, at practice and in games, we put everything on the field. [Concord-Carlisle] won, but we didn’t lose it,” said Kilavatitu.

“The unfortunate part of a competition is that one team has to go home unhappy. But I’d rather play and risk that than to be afraid to experience losing,” Bisceglia told the team.

The Patriots – undefeated through the regular season with a 19-0-1 record – came into the game having rolled over Arlington (3-0) and Northeast Metro (8-0) looking as strong as their recent results would suggest. Strong, quick and disciplined, Concord-Carlisle’s midfielders made it difficult for Belmont to generate a sustained attack.

And the Marauder defense – headed by standout senior center back Amar Fernald and backstopped by Middlesex League All-Star goalkeeper Berens – was under sustained pressure in the first half as the Patriots used their height advantage to flick-on headers into dangerous positions on set pieces such as free and corner kicks.

Belmont’s best chance in the first half came when the Marauders had a free kick 25 meters from the Concord-Carlisle goal. The resulting attempt sailed by Patriot goalkeeper Bryce Talbot-Dion well over the bar.

On the other end of the field, Berens twice raced off his line to stop streaking Patriots who slipped containment.

Just as it appeared the game would enter the half scoreless, Concord-Carlisle went ahead with a minute remaining in the first 40 minutes. A steal at midfield found the ball 30 meters out where senior co-captain Garrett Leahy put a pass at the feet of forward Andrew Verrilli coming down the left who slotted a well-paced shot by Berens into the right side of the net.

Belmont was fortunate to stay down by one as a shot from Verrilli whacked the crossbar on a one-time blast four minutes into the second half.

Bisceglia made a series of tactical changes to free up his midfield but Lazenby, Kilavatitu and Danny Rizzo found it hard sledding to push up field with possession, especially as the big Patriot midfielders played with greater defensive purpose.

“I think some formation changes and coaching decisions could have been better, to put our players in better spots,” said Bisceglia.

Belmont got close with less than three minutes remaining in the game. A Patriot miscue allowed Gallagher to possess the ball deep on the right side. He swung the ball into the center of the pitch; the ball was toed by Lazenby requiring a Concord-Carlisle defender to clear from the goal mouth. The resulting Belmont corner was cleared.

Two minutes later, the final whistle blew and with it, the end of a great post and regular season.

“It was a pleasure coaching them,” said Bisceglia, who nearly did not that the head coaching job due to personal events happening this year.

“I didn’t want to do it if I couldn’t fully commit to this team. And the seniors were why I made the choice,” said Bisceglia, having coached them four years ago as freshmen on an undefeated junior varsity team.

“I knew how special they were, not just as players but as people. They are just good guys,” he said.

“In fact, even if we had won a state championship, I probably would still feel the same sense of sadness seeing them leave,” said Bisceglia.

While Belmont will have a strong core of players returning next season including Trevor Kelly, Tokio Kobayashi, Daron Hamparian, Edward Stafford and Marvyn Dorchin, the team will miss the leadership and skills of its senior core: Berens, Gallagher, Kilavatitu, Lazenby, Rizzo, Fernald, Gavin Denison, Alex Berets, Charles Frigo, Andrew Eurdolian, Luke Perotta, Sami Belkadi, Matt Lawson and Nick Andrikidis.

 

Field Hockey’s Coach Smith Name to Alma Mater’s Hall of Fame

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When asked to describe her field hockey coach, Belmont High School senior co-captain Suzanne Noone said that Jessica Smith “is one of the most important adults I’ve had in my life.”

“She taught me so much, yelling at me to keep my stick down,” laughed Noone, who was recently named a Middlesex League All-Star and will likely play college field hockey next fall.

“Jess is a big reason I’ve been successful on and off the field.”

Smith, at the helm of the successful field hockey program for the past 11 season, has earned almost universal praise from players and parents as a mentor and supporter to the students who take up the crooked stick as their athletic pursuit. Many times with her three, small children in tow, Smith is on the sidelines at games or practice yelling encouragement to her charges.

So it wouldn’t be surprising to discover that Smith learned about leading a team when she was an accomplished young high school athlete two decades ago.

That past athletic prowess was recognized Saturday, Nov. 8 as Smith and 15 others were inducted as the first-ever class into the Joel Barlow High School Athletic Hall of Fame in Redding, Connecticut. (Smith was not the only Massachusetts field hockey coach honored as she entered with Salem High School’s Wizzie Crocker Phelps.)

“She was an incredible teammate, a remarkable athlete, as well as an outstanding academic student,” read the announcement of the honor.

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A member of the class of 1994 (and then known as Jess MacLellan), Smith played field hockey for the Falcons throughout high school, was a captain her senior year and was named the team’s MVP as a junior and senior. She was on the All-Western Connecticut Conference (WCC) team from 1992 – 1994, and was 1st team All- State in 1993 and 1994. She led the Falcons to the WCC tournament championships in 1993.

Smith was also a standout in tennis. During her four years at Barlow, the Falcons won the Class S State tournament in which she played first singles her final three years. She was a team captain and competed in the quarterfinals of the state individual tournament as a senior.

At Tufts University in Medford, Smith continued to play field hockey and pursued lacrosse where she became a captain of both sports and MVP during her senior year. In field hockey, she was All-American, First-Team All-New England, and All-NESCAC. In lacrosse, she was All-New England and All-NESCAC. In 1998, she won the Hester L. Sargent Award as Tufts’ outstanding female athlete.

Always the athlete, Smith has ran the New York City marathon in 3 hours, 20 minutes and the BAA marathon in 3:25.

Smith was hired as an occupational therapist by the Belmont School District in 2002 and currently covers the Winn Brook, Butler, High School and Wellington pre-school. She lives in Charlestown with her husband and their three rambunctious children.

At the induction ceremony, Smith said she often thinks of Karissa Niehoff, her field hockey coach, who made practice fun and instilled the values of hard work and fitness.

Belmont’s Brams Takes 6th in Eastern Div. 3 X-C Championships, Girls’ Place 9th

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Belmont High School junior Leah Brams finished in sixth place at the Div. 3 Eastern Massachusetts championships held Saturday, Nov. 8 in Wrentham, matching her placement from a year ago.

Brams 18 minute, 54.9 seconds over the five-kilometer (3.1 mile) course earned her a third consecutive trip to the Div. 1 state finals being held this year at historic Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday, Nov. 15.  Junior Samantha Coletti of Whitman-Hanson Regional won the race in 18:18.7.

This year’s meet also saw the girls’ team earn a top-ten ranking for the first time in more than 15 years as the Marauders finished an impressive 9th with 264 points, bettering their 333 points and 13th place finish last year.

Belmont’s juniors Sophia Klimasmith and Meredith Hughes barely missed the 30th place cutoff to join Brams at the state championships as the pair finished in 34th (20:09) and 38th (20:16) respectively. They would have had to beat 20:00.9 which the 30th finisher achieved to have qualified.

Freshman Camilla Carere finished her first championship in 85th (21:42) followed by junior Emma Chambers (101st, 22:25) and junior Carly Tymm (22:36).

Belmont’s high ranking was achieved with one of its varsity runners, sophomore Elisabeth Silletto, out with an injury and a team made up entirely of underclassmen, one of only a handful of squads racing Saturday which could make that claim.

On the boys side, the team finished 19th in the Div. 3 section with 492 points, led by senior Ari Silverfine who raced home in 30th in 17:17, as he prepares for the indoor and outdoor track season in his speciality, the 800 meters. Following Silverfine was fellow senior Charles Smith in 80th (17:55), sophomore Wilder Manion (107th, 18:25), junior Mike Ferrante (124th, 18:41), Ian Bowe (151st, 19:30), Noah Miller-Medzon (159th, 20:02) and Connor Quinn (161st in 20:07).

Sports: Girls’ Swimming Preps for State Championships with 3rd in Sectionals

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The feature photo is of the winning 200 yard medley relay squad in the 2014 North Sectionals from Belmont High School: (from left) Alison Sawyer, Maya Nagashima, Jessie Blake-West and Emily Quinn. (Ginny Blake photos).

The Belmont High School Girls’ Swimming team dove into the pool with the big girls of Massachusetts swimming this weekend and gave them more than they could handle.

Coming off winning the Middlesex League Meet the previous week, the Marauders’ took home third place in the team event in the MIAA North Sectional held Sunday, Nov. 9 at Wellesley College.

In competition against powerhouse Division 1 schools – including Acton-Boxborough (second) and Andover (first) – with nearly twice as many students to recruit to winning swimming programs, the Marauders compiled 217 points, finishing higher than strong teams as Chelmsford, Central Catholic and league rival Lexington.

Belmont’s performance – up a place from last year’s fourth in the sectionals – augurs of another epic battle between the Marauders and Bishop Feehan High School of Attleboro for the Div. 2 State Championships taking place this Sunday.

Last November, the Shamrocks won the title with Belmont the runner up.

Leading the Marauders was their junior ace Jessie Blake-West who took home three sectional victories; the 200-yard medley relay (with senior Maya Nagashima, junior Emily Quinn and freshman Alison Sawyer in 1:53.36), the 200 individual medley (2:11.57) and her speciality, the 100 butterfly.

In the race, Blake-West powered through the 100 yards in 57.20 seconds, winning by a remarkable 2.37 seconds in a contest usually decided by tenths of seconds.

With her 6th place in the 200 freestyle relay – with Sawyer, junior Solvay Metelmann and freshman Ophelie Loblack (1:45.30) – Blake-West helped account for just about half of Belmont’s point total.

The Marauders’ impressive breaststroke trio of junior Emily Quinn and seniors Sarah Osborn and Klaudia Nagrabska took three of the top eight spots in the race, with Quinn taking second by dipping under 1 minute, 10 seconds (1:09.82) with Osborn fourth (1:11.68) and Nagrabska seventh (1:13.05).

In the scoring column, Nagashima was fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:04.06) and seventh in the individual medley while Quinn took 13th (2:23.54) in the IM. Also taking a fourth was junior one-meter diver Cynthia Kelsey who finished in the top tier with 448.40 points. The frosh Sawyer also scored points with a 12th in the 50 free in 26.30 while on the opposite end of the distance spectrum, junior Sara Noorouzi‘s 5:42.22 was good for 13th in the 500 free. And contributing 12 points was the 400 free relay of Loblack, sophomore Dervela Moore-Federick, senior Eunice Lee and Metelmann coming in 11th in 3:58.80.

But it wasn’t just those scoring points who swam well; in fact, nearly all the Belmont swimmers made impressive appearance in the sectionals.

Belmont’s distance swimmers – Lee in the 200 free (21st in 2:07.95), sophomore Allie Beecroft (19th in the 500 dropping her time 5:49.81 by nearly 10 seconds) while Noorouzi (22st in 2:08.03) and junior Elizabeth Levy (24th 2:09.39 in the 200 and 17th in the 500 in 5:47.00) taking on the gut busting 200/500 double – and the sprint free squad – in the 50, Metelmann (26.68), Loblack (26.73) and sophomore Molly Thomas (26.78) took 18, 19, and 20th while Loblack and Sawyer broke the minute mark in the 100 free – all showed a great amount of improvement in their pre-meet times.

In the IM, Moore-Federick put in a great 37.30 second 50 yard butterfly segment in her 2:27.04 for 21st while fellow 10th grader Katerena Nalbandian finished 20th in the breast stroke in 1:16.69.

Lee placed 24th in the butterfly; while in the backstroke, Thomas in 20th brought home sophomore Grace Newberry (1:08.25 for 22nd) and Metelmann (24th in 1:08.58).

Next up, the state championships.

Sports: Lazenby’s Last-Second Goal Sends Belmont Boys’ Soccer to D2 North Semis

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Senior midfielder Ben Lazenby‘s second goal of the game, coming “at the death” of regular time, gave Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer a dramatic 2-1 victory over hosts Chelsea High Saturday night, Nov. 8.

With less than 15 seconds remaining in the second half, senior forward Luke Gallagher delivered the free kick – senior midfielder Sami Belkadi was fouled 25 meters out – to the onrushing Lazenby who headed the ball behind the reach of Chelsea’s goalie Angel Figueroa.

“I knew that time was running out and that we would have only a couple more chances. I told [senior midfielder] Danny [Rizzo] this is my ball and go back post and maybe I’ll head it to you,” Lazenby told the Belmontonian and Belmont Marauders Media.

“I just made the run like I did the whole game and [senior forward] Luke [Gallagher] played a great ball. I was open and I finished,” said the co-captain who started the scoring in the first half with another header off a free kick.

See Lazenby’s post game interview and his two goals here, courtesy of the BMM.

The rousing win against a tenacious and skilled Red Devils propels the Marauders (15-3-2) into the Div. 2 North sectional semifinals against the number-one seed Concord- Carlisle Regional High School in Chelmsford on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

The undefeated Patriots (17-0-1) is currently ranked second in the Boston Globe Top 20 Boys’ Soccer teams, having held the number one spot for most of the season. The team, led by Head Coach Ray Pavik, won the 2010 Div. 2 state championships and were state finalists the next year.

The last time the two teams met was in a first-round encounter in the 2012 sectionals where Concord-Carlisle came back from a two-goal, second half deficit to defeat the Marauders, 3-2, in overtime.

“We can only prepare our own team, we have no control how Concord-Carisle will play,” said Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane. 

With a Concord-Carlisle assistant coach watching from the stands, Belmont – despite being without leading scorer senior midfielder Charlie Frigo – used its quickness and physical advantages to close down on the slow-starting Red Devils who attempted to catch the Marauders on the counter attack. In the few ventures into the Marauder area, Belmont’s back line, anchored by senior defender Amar Fernald, swept aside the challenge.

Lazenby’s first goal came from sophomore defender Edward Stafford‘s long ball off a free kick with 16 minutes remaining in the half. The team’s midfield quarterback out-jumped the scrum 10 meters from goal and looped a perfect header over the retreating Figueroa.

The second half saw Chelsea come out with a confident resolve in their game, stringing short passing with quick dribbling through the middle of the field showing a great deal of flair and creativity with the ball. Led by midfielder Wilbert Tejada – one of the most best players Belmont met this season – and Derilson DePina, Chelsea used its momentum to keep the majority of the action in the Marauders end of the field.

“They kind of dominated us in the second half,” said Lazenby.

“It’s always a challenge to meet a team that plays a style that we don’t see during the regular season so they took it to us in the second half,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

The Red Devils knotted up the score at one when Tejada placed a pass onto the feet of a streaking Carlos Cartagena who beat Belmont goalkeeper Peter Berens with 24 minutes left in the second half . 

With Belmont relying for long stretches on players such as senior forward Norman Kilavatitu due to injuries, “it got ragged out there,” said Bisceglia-Kane, who called a timeout 90 seconds after the Chelsea goal to speak to his on-field captains before talking to the team. 

Belmont was able to keep Chelsea from taking the lead by asserting “more pressure and working together as a team,” said Lazenby.

As the game entered the late stages, Belmont was able to exploit space down the right side – Belmont nearly scored with eight minutes remaining but a one-timer by Gallagher skipped over sophomore Daron Hamparian‘s left foot at the left post – where some tenacious work by Belkadi resulted in the foul that set up Lazenby’s heroics.

For Bisceglia-Kane, the game showed the players there is always a way back from adversity on the pitch.

“Their goal only tied it up so it wasn’t as if we went behind. But it showed that we have the ability to meet the challenge of being scored on and play our game.”

 

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.