Banner Time! Belmont Boys’ Hoops Is Middlesex League Liberty Championship

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Photo: The 2015-16 Middlesex League Liberty Division champions: Belmont High School

The lockers took a beating from Belmont High School’s Boys Basketball players as they added a celebratory beat to the joyful roar emanating from the visitors locker room at Reading Memorial High School as the Marauders raucously celebrated winning the Middlesex League Liberty Division championship after defeating Reading, 60-54, on Friday night, Feb. 12.

“We met with the juniors last year and talked about goals and a league title was always one of them,” Belmont’s long-time head coach Adam Pritchard told the Belmontonian after the game.

“I just thought it was something that they should expect and have to earn. I thought we had to the ability to do it,” he said.

Belmont now stands at 15-4 with four games remaining including a final league match with visiting Lexington at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. The team will also take part in the Sharon Tournament where they will meet three teams – Braintree, Cathedral and Sharon – that have made the MIAA playoffs.

If winning the championship was a great accomplishment, the game in which they won it was not, as the game tapes are worthy of being burned. Midway through the first quarter, Belmont led 2-1 before going on an 8-0 run on threes from senior guard Cole Bartels and junior Paul Ramsey (9 points). At the end of the quarter, the two playoff-bound teams scored an anemic total of 21 points (12-9 Belmont).

The second quarter was slightly more productive as strong defense and less than stellar shooting sent Belmont into halftime with a five-point edge, 26-21, as co-sixth men guards Daron Hamparian (2 points) and Tomas Donoyan (3 points) came off the bench to up the defensive intensity 

“We went in at half time and I told them we have not shot a free throw, they have a two to one offensive rebounding advantage and we’re up by five, held them to 21 points in the first half and we haven’t played well on our end,” said Pritchard.

“If we can hold them defensively, our offense will win the game,” he said.

Bartels started the third quarter with a three pointer (one of three in the game for a team high 16 points) and a bucket and one in the first two minutes to give Belmont a nine point lead (36-27). Reading would keep it close behind its go-to senior guard Jared Thorpe-Johnson (three tough baskets in the third quarter, part of his game high 21 points) to cut the lead to six, 37-31. But Belmont would counter with a Steph Curry-like teardrop three from Matt Kerans (part of his 15 point night) to put the team up by nine (46-37) at the start of the fourth quarter. 

The Marauders was able to pull away early in the final quarter as senior forward Luke Peterson (4 points) – who is coming back from injury – was nearly credited with a dunk which was waved off for a foul (he hit the two foul shots) while Bartels drained a three to see Belmont up its lead by 13 with 4:47 left in the game. While Reading did make a late run to come with five points at 57-52, Bartels (16 points) drained a three to end any upset ideas from the hosts.

While not wanting to rate this squad to other league championship or good squads he’s coached in the past, Pritchard said “[t]hey are similar to a couple successful teams in that they are a nice, tight team. They go to dinners together, they are very supportive of each other and we have very good students and high character kids. They’re fun to be around.”

Pritchard is now looking forward to the post season with some practical advice to his team.

“A couple of players from the [Super Bowl winning Denver] Broncos that said their coach told them all you have to be is better than everyone else for the next month. I told the boys you have to be better then everybody every day.”

So, can this team win what will be a tough Division 2 North Sectionals? How about a state title? 

“Absolutely they can do it. They are a talented group, they have good leadership, they are smart basketball players. It is always a tough road ahead, but why not us?”

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Obituary: Richard ‘Dick’ Betts, Mr. Belmont, Passes Away at 88.

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Photo: Richard Betts in 1985. 

There wasn’t a Belmont street, landmark or fact that Richard Betts seemingly did not intimately know. Betts could tell you how each of the town’s 365 roads received its name, point out the beauty of a particular house on your block and knew – down to the most minute detail – the history of all things Belmont.

Richard Boulton “Dick” Betts, a lifelong resident who was the town’s engineer, an author and skilled amateur historian who shared his knowledge of local events for present and future Belmontians, died Saturday, Jan. 30.

Betts was 88 years old. A long time resident of Woods Road, he lived at Belmont Manor when he died.

“A chapter in Belmont’s history is closed with Dick’s passing,” said Anne Marie Mahoney, who knew Betts as a resident and a member of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee.

“He was one of a kind and a true Belmont legend. I think everyone who knew him would agree that he was indeed ‘Mr. Belmont.’ He knew everything about everything that is Belmont,” said former Selectman Steve Rosales.

Born to English immigrants Charles and Isabelle (Richards) of 165 Slade St. on Aug. 17, 1927, Betts recalled how his father, Charles, a mason contractor who was a Selectman (1940-52) and water commissioner, “instilled in me at an early age a love for Belmont, its people, and its history.”

A graduate of the Belmont High School Class of 1945 and served in the US Navy from 1945 to 1946,  Betts graduated with honors with a BBA in Engineering and Management from Northeastern University.

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Betts began working for the town in 1943 in the Light Department then was hired as an engineer in Belmont in 1946, working his way to becoming the town’s engineer in 1973. He retired on Feb. 20, 1987 after 43 years of service to Belmont.   

“As Town Engineer, he was an invaluable resource and wonderful department head. He brought in good people under him and was a great teacher for all those Northeastern co-op students who worked under him, several of whom stayed in Belmont for their careers,” said Mahoney.

After retiring, Betts would become a Town Meeting member and was a member of the Planning Board during the lengthy and contentious McLean Hospital land deal, during which he displayed a coolness despite attacks to his person and integrity.

“Dick was always a total gentleman,” said Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. 

“But it was as the de facto and eventually official Town Historian that Dick shined,” said Rosales. “He knew everything about our town, its heritage, its citizenry, streets, its lineage and its many ‘characters’ over the years,” he said.

Betts joined the Belmont Historical Society in 1965 and became president four years later. He was also one of original seven members of the Historical Commission and its first chair in 1968. In 1984, as part of Belmont’s 125th-anniversary celebration, the Selectmen named Betts the official town historian.

In 2011, Betts was honored with the Historical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than four decades worth of volunteer work.

It was his curiosity about the town and love of history that led Betts to write his first book, “The Streets of Belmont and How They Were Named,” in 1974.

In researching “Streets,” Betts read every town report from the town’s incorporation in 1859 to 1972 – he had all but four years in his personal library – checked old Watertown and Cambridge reports, scoured century-old newspapers, viewed 70 years of entries in the Board of Survey record and even walked through Belmont, Watertown, and Arlington cemeteries reading gravestone inscriptions.

When asked why he went to such lengths to reveal the name of a small side street or out-of-the-way road, Betts, the true historian, said “it is a certain honor to be remembered by having a Belmont street named for you, and in the hope that someone, someday might be interested in how his particular street derived its name, I began this history so that future generations would have a place to obtain that information.”

Two years ago this month, an updated “Streets” book was published by the Historical Society.

His second book, 1984’s “Footsteps Through Belmont,” Betts compiled the articles he wrote on Belmont’s landmarks published in the Society’s quarterly newsletter into a walking tour of the town.

Betts was also the lead writer of the popular “Then & Now” and “Images” books of photos published by Arcadia.

But it was his even temperament and willingness to engage with people that fellow residents remember Betts.

“Dick was a good person who conducted himself with integrity, with a smile and always as a professional and gentleman. A person like Dick will not pass this way again. We are all better people for having known him over these many years. I know I am,” said Rosales. 

“He was a kind man who was a joy to talk to about almost anything,” said Mahoney.

Betts was the husband of the late Barbara (Campbell) Betts and is survived by his daughter Linda Hutchinson and her husband Thomas and his son Robert B. Betts and his wife Susan and his grandchildren Nicholas and Matthew Betts. He was a brother of Edmund Betts and his wife Ruth of Florida and the late Charles, Jean, Barbara. He is survived by his longtime friend and proofreader, Audrey Martin.

Visiting hours will be held at Brown & Hickey Funeral Home, 36 Trapelo Road on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A funeral service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church on Friday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Belmont Cemetery.

Donations may be made, in his memory, to the All Saints Church, 17 Clark St., Belmont, MA 02478 or Compassionate Care Hospice, 800 West Cummings Park, #3400, Woburn, MA. 01801.

Sold in Belmont: Mid-Level Housing Hold Their Own

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Photo: 22 Sharpe Rd.

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54 Watson Rd., Colonial (1939). Sold: $840,000.

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24 Hawthorne St., Garrison Colonial (1943). Sold: $690,000.

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22 Sharpe Rd., Split-level ranch (1955). Sold: $849,000.

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29 Chilton St., Colonial (1932). Sold: $736,000.

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31 Walnut St. #2, Condominium (1910). Sold: $425,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes:

• 54 Watson Rd., Colonial (1939). Sold: $840,000. Listed at $849,000,. Living area: 1,518  sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 103 days.

• 24 Hawthorne St., Garrison Colonial (1943). Sold: $690,000. Listed at $742,900. Living area: 1,515 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 75 days.

• 31 Walnut St. #2, Condominium (1910). Sold: $425,000. Listed at $399,000. Living area: 1,337 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 55 days.

• 22 Sharpe Rd., Split-level ranch (1955). Sold: $849,000. Listed at $849,000 Living area: 1,518 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 138 days.

• 29 Chilton St., Colonial (1932). Sold: $736,000. Listed at $700,000,. Living area: 1,776 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 68 days.

Now Into Its Sixth Decade, Belmont Lions Has The Right X-Mas Tree For Everyone

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Photo: The Folan’s have their perfect tree.

While growing up as a child in the UK, Somerset Street’s Edward Young would join his family as they would go out and “dig out or cut our Christmas tree.”

But on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 29, with his family in tow, Young came to Royal Road adjacent to the commuter rail station to select a tree from a few hundred. 

“This is much easier,” he said of his yearly trek to the Belmont Lions Club Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale. 

And he has a particular type.

“I look for the right height for the house and that it’s nice and bushy,” said Young. 

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The Youngs joined a steady stream of residents and people from surrounding towns to the annual migration of folks who for the past half century have ventured down to the Lions Club in Belmont Center looking for that “right” Christmas tree (all from one farm in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia); the one that fills the living room, frames the front window or stands on the upstairs landing. 

From 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (they may close up a little early on bad weather nights), the Belmont Lions –  one of 46,000 local clubs worldwide with more than 1.35 million members in 200 countries – will be there to help you find “your” tree.

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Dan MacAuley, a Lions past president, said he and his 60 fellow members (supplemented by volunteers from the Belmont High School sports teams) will spend the last Saturday in November until Christmas Eve selling approximately 2,700 trees – all balsam firs – and more than 2,000 wreaths, mantle pieces, and cemetery baskets.

Price is determined by the “official” measuring stick located next where the trees are prepared for traveling; a 7-footer will put you back $43.

But don’t wait until the last minute to get “your” tree.

“They’ve sold out every year I’ve been here, and I have doing this for 14 years,” said MacAuley.

The sale’s proceeds go to help the Lions Internationals’ SightFirst programs focusing on its Childhood Blindness Project and other sight-related charities as well as funding a pair of scholarships at Belmont High School.

“A lot of it stays here in town,” said MacAuley.

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This year, change and donations placed in the “tip” jar will go to Belmont S.P.O.R.T. (Special Programs Organized for Recreation Time) which provides activities for individuals of all ages with special needs.

Peter Folan from Monroe Street came with the wife and kids and found “the perfect tree for the occasion,” said Folan.

Why is it the right tree?

“It’s the perfect height, and it’s plump and it resembles his dad,” said Folan, pointing to his son.

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Sports: Upset-Minded Belmont Football Falls to Final Minute Watertown FG, 24-22

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Photo: Belmont RB Ben Jones runs through a wide opening in the line to score late in the fourth quarter against Watertown.

In what will be remembered as an epic Thanksgiving Day clash, Belmont’s bid for a memorable upset of arch rivals and host Watertown was derailed by the foot of sophomore Conor Kennelly as the Raiders’ kicker hit a field goal from 35 yards out with 56 seconds remaining to give Watertown a 24-22 victory over the Mauraders on Thursday, Nov. 26 at Victory Field.

“We played a great football game, all aspects of it. Our coaches did a tremendous job, planning it up for them. I was really proud of the effort we put forth in this game,” said Belmont Head Coach Yann Kuman, who fought off his emotions to reach out to his players.

“I hope that we sent a message to people in general that Belmont football is on the rise and Belmont football is here to stay. Get ready for us because we’re going to lick our wounds and in a month we will be back in the weight room getting ready for 2016,” said Kuman.

Calling his team’s performance Thursday, “the season’s most complete game from both sides of ball,” Kuman said the players and coaches stayed with the plans mapped out in the past two weeks in preparation for Watertown’s rushing attack and strong defensive line

“We stuck with [our plan] even though we had some execution problems in the first quarter of defense, we didn’t abandon what we practiced and prepared for,” Kuman said. 

But for the fourth time in time this season, Belmont could not find a way to score or hold the lead at the end of the game.

“We have to be like the experience teams and know how to close out a game,” said Kuman.

One of Belmont’s season-long bugaboos raised its head once again as Watertown quickly marched down the field – aided by four offsides penalties against the Marauders – towards a go-ahead score. But Belmont’s interior defensive line spearheaded by senior Justin Aroyan and stopped Watertown’s running game inside the 5-yard line.

“The guys did a lot of work this week, and the coaches put in a lot of hours on the grease board and we came up with a good package,” said Kuman.

“We had faith in the guys in doing the job, and they did it,” he said., 

On his first passing attempt, Watertown junior QB Deon Smith threw the ball into the arms of junior Marauder defensive back Kevin Martin in the end zone at 4:43 in the first quarter.

After gaining a first down, Belmont’s drive stalled and on the subsequent punt attempt, the ball sailed over punter Aidan Cadogan’s head. When all was said and done, Watertown had the ball on the Marauders’ 19 when on their first play, Watertown’s Smith juked down the right side 19 yards for the opening touchdown with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.

After the kickoff, Belmont kept the ball for nearly eight minutes, mixing short runs by senior Mehki Johnson – which Watertown successfully bottled up for most of the game – and junior Ben Jones and passing by junior QB Cal Christofori to senior WR Justin Wagner (including a six-yard pickup on fourth down and four yards at the 18 yard line) culminating in Christofori finding senior WR Joe Shaughnessy on a seven-yard slant for the game-tying touchdown at 4:07 to the half.

Watertown quickly went downfield – helped by a Smith 30-yard run – finishing with senior running back Kyle Foley scoring on a 7-yard run with 41 seconds left.

But that was enough time for Christofori to complete three passes and for Johnson to break a 30 yard gain that allowed Cadogan to hit a line-drive field goal with three seconds remaining to cut the halftime lead to 14-10.

Watertown caught a break when the third quarter pooch kickoff eluded Belmont’s return team, and the Raiders recovered the ball on the Belmont 22. A few plays later, the score was 21-10 as Foley ran the ball in from 2 yards out early in the third.

But Belmont would not fold, coming out with a masterpiece of a drive,a 19 play, 11-minute possession (including a 15-yard roughing the passing personal foul on the Raiders) in which Belmont, behind the ever-improving offensive line – sophomores Dennis Crowley and Ryan Noone along with seniors Chris Piccione, Lowell Haska and Aroyan – and the bruising blocking from sophomore fullback Adam Deese saw Jones and Johnson eat up yards while Christofori connected with his favorite target Wagner.

The Marauders took the ball 81 yards where Johnson busted through for his 22nd touchdown of the season to shrink the lead to 21-16 with 9-minutes remaining. While it appeared Johnson had scored on the two-point conversion, the referees said the Belmont runner’s knee had first hit the ground.

A good kickoff return by Watertown was negated by a 15-yard personal foul penalty, and Belmont’s defense stuffed the Raiders on three consecutive plays. On fourth down, Wagner used his basketball reach to block the Watertown punt, and Belmont recovered the ball on the Raiders 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jones scored on a 4-yard run with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving Belmont a 22-21 lead after missing the two-point conversion.

Watertown had the ball on the Belmont 45 and nearly lost the ball on a fumble and a near interception. On fourth down and 4 yards at the 38, Smith’s pass was a poor one, and Belmont took over on downs with 3:56 to play and up by a point.

A Christofori sprint pass to Wagner and Deese run gave Belmont a first and ten at its 48-yard line with 2:56 remaining. It appeared Belmont had sealed the upset when Johnson sprinted to the Raiders 20-yard line with 2:39 left, but the Marauders were penalized for holding. Belmont punted with 1:39 left giving the Raiders the ball on its 19.

Some hard running by Smith and a timely pass to senior Tyler Poulin coupled with two near interceptions by Belmont where Watertown receivers had to play “defense” gave Kennelly the opportunity to play the hero of the day.

Watertown now leads the yearly contest 46-43-5.

Players and coaches were resolute in defeat, showing their disappointment but also congratulating each other for the season they completed.

“The big statement of this game would have been winning it. But we’re proud of what we accomplished. This was a program with one win in two seasons, and now we’ve won seven in two [years] and competitive in all but two games this season,” Kuman said.

“The only emotion I have right now is pride. I’m proud how the kids played this year, how the coaches led the players. We’re proud where we are and really proud of what we did,” he said.

Sold in Belmont: Homes with a View Reap in a Million

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Photo: 41 Hay Rd.

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22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000.

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35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000.

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533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000.

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41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000.

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32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000.

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69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000.

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246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 22 Hartley Rd. Garrison Colonial (1955). Sold: $848,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 1,921 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 140 days.

• 35 Elizabeth Rd. Expanded Colonial (1935). Sold: $1,400,000. Listed at $1,350,000. Living area: 3,309 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 32 days.  $767,500

• 533 Pleasant St. Deck House/Mid-century modern (1964). Sold: $1,250,000. Listed at $1,195,000. Living area: 2,769 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 52 days.

• 41 Hay Rd. Arts & Crafts-inspired Cape with studio designed by Nelson Chase. (1925). Sold: $1,000,000. Listed at $1,100,000. Living area: 1,490 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 148 days.

• 32 Holden Rd. Condominium (1926). Sold: $425,000. Listed at $429,000. Living area: 1,166 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 54 days.

• 69 Cedar Rd. New England shingles Colonial (1920). Sold: $891,000. Listed at $899,900. Living area: 2,024 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 45 days.

• 246 Blanchard Rd. Colonial (1914). Sold: $485,000. Listed at $499,000. Living area: 1,498 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 47 days. 

Tidbits

How do you double the value of your house in five short years? After buying the Colonial on Elizabeth Road for $767,500 in 2010, the owner laid down $37,000 to create an open floor plan that allowed the back end of the house to experience a spectacular view of Boston and install a new kitchen. Spend another $60,000 on new windows and siding, and then put it on the market and keep showing potential buyers the view of the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and Downtown. It sold for a cool $1.4 million. 

You don’t see this happen much; a seller delisting their house only to return with a higher price tag. That’s what occurred on Cedar Street as the price went from $859,000 in June to $865,000 in September. Did it achieve its goal of selling for the higher of the two list prices? Nope. It sold for $11,000 below the beginning sales price. 

Extensive water damage to a house on Pleasant Street in 2014 nearly laid low a house style you don’t see in Belmont even though the manufacturer is located in Acton: a deck house. Only 20,000 worldwide, the deck house is a prefabricated house built by the Deck House company founded in 1959. The structure is post and beam construction with Cedar tongue and groove ceilings. Trim is mahogany and siding was furred Mahogany. Popular in the Carolinas and in and around the factory, the Belmont example needed $178,000 to rehab the interior with another $46,000 to remodel the main and master bedroom. It sold for $1.25 million, which isn’t bad for a house built on a factory floor. 

It only has 6 rooms, a pair of bedrooms and a bath and a half crammed into less than 1,500 sq.-ft. of space. But the house is a pristine example of an Arts & Crafts cottage designed by the artist and architect Nelson Chase. Add to that it’s on quirky Hay Road, has a view of the Center, and has an artist’s studio, and the $1 million final sales price is acceptable … for some. 

 

Put a ‘Bee’ in Your Bonnet: Register for the FBE Annual Spelling Bee

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Photo: Spelling teams.

Have your dictionaries at the ready. It’s that time of year when the younger students in the Belmont School District will be lining up to show off their spelling prowess as the 15th annual Foundation for Belmont Education Spelling Bee takes place on Saturday, Nov. 14

The yearly congregation of the town’s best spellers occurs in the Belmont High School Auditorium from 2 p.m. to until they have a winner.

Student teams from Kindergarten to 6th grade can register here: CLICK HERE. Deadline is Friday, Oct. 30.

And HERE are the rules for the Fall 2015 Spelling Bee Rules. 

Participants should check the FBE website the week before the Bee to determine approximately what time their team will be on stage! 

WORD LISTS
Spelling Bee 2015 Grade K Word List

Spelling Bee 2015 Grades 1 and 2 Word List

Spelling Bee 2015 Grades 3 and 4 Word List

Spelling Bee 2015 Grades 5 and 6 Word List

Students may review the appropriate grade word lists at home and with their team. Spellers may participate in three or four-person teams. On the day of the Bee, teams go on stage in groups (swarms) and are given words from the list to write on a small team whiteboard (teams can designate one writer or rotate).

The K-4 swarms are non-competitive. Teams will be told if their word is correct or incorrect, but there is no elimination.

The 5th and 6th grade swarms are competitive using our famous “two stingers before you’re out” rules. Challenging, off-list words may be used, if needed. 

In preparation for the Bee, each team picks a name and is encouraged to wear attire (shirts, hats, etc.) to show their team spirit. Pizza, drinks and desserts will be available for sale in the cafeteria. Family members and friends are welcome to come and watch. Participants should check the FBE website before the Bee to determine approximately what time teams will be on stage. 

More questions? Check out this year FAQ! Still have questions? Contact the Spelling Bee Co-Chairs, Christa Bauge or Jacqueline Kaiser, at beemaster@fbe-belmont.org

Volunteers are always welcome and greatly appreciated. Contact beemaster@fbe-belmont.org

‘Bee’ there!

Ohlin’s Celebrates Century Mark Saturday, Oct. 17

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Photo: Ohlin’s Bakery celebrates 100 years in business.

Two family owners, a century of memories and millions of donuts, pastries and cakes will be recognized on Saturday, Oct. 17 as Ohlin’s Bakery celebrates a centennial doing business in Belmont.

The store, in the heart of Cushing Square at 456 Common St., will be holding hourly raffles until 6 p.m. commemorating the Ohlin and Klemm families who have been operating the business since 1915. 

The bakery has been honored over the years by local publications and national magazines for making some of the best donuts around, especially the maple glaze which the Boston Globe described as “one of the most aesthetically pleasing treats we encounter, overflowing with topping and beautifully drizzled with chocolate.”

Profiled in the Belmontonian in July, the business is truly a family run business as Marybeth and Paul Klemm and their children work either running the store or creating the baked goods.

“There’s no magic to Ohlin’s success and longevity; just the dedication of a pair of families over the past century creating a landmark destination for sweet confectionary treats,” the profile read. 

 

Sports: Field Hockey Tweaks D, Rights Ship as Watertown Looms

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Photo: Senior forward Katherine McCarthy scoring against Reading.

Belmont High’s Field Hockey Head Coach Jessica Snith still shakes her head and goes silent when she’s asked about “that” game. The one where Winchester scored four goals in the final 12 minutes to defeat the unbeaten Marauders, 5-4.

“Oh, I hate talking about it,” Smith said.

But two solid victories since has Belmont riding high again (8-1-0) and giving Smith a renewed sense of confidence as she and the team prepares for the regular season game of the year as Watertown, six-time consecutive state Div. 2 champion and winner of 148 straight games (as the Raiders prepare for a strong Lexington squad on Tuesday, Oct. 6) will travel the two-and-a-half miles down Common Street in both towns to Harris Field for the 6 p.m. match on Thursday, Oct. 8. 

On a blustery and cool Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3, the Marauders defeated a team they could not figure out last season, Reading, scoring four goals in the first half to ease past the Rockets, 5-0. 

The win puts Belmont in the Div. 1 North sectional playoffs, the earliest the Marauders have ever secured a ticket to the post season. 

“Now every game is to get up a higher seed so we can avoid the big schools (Andover and Acton-Boxborough) until late in the playoffs,” said Smith.

“Right now, this team is playing so well that we can challenge anyone (in the post season),” Smith said. 

Senior forward Katherine McCarthy scored the opener on an acrobatic shot from in close 11 minutes into the match. Morgan Chase tipped in a shot at the doorstep and Kerri Lynch got back into the scoring grove for the team’s third. Junior midfielder AnnMarie Habelow finished the scoring, her first from about 10 meters in front of the goal, the worst location a team could leave such a deadly scorer. 

On Thursday, the girls defeated Burlington, 7-1, on Thursday, Oct. 1. In that game, Bridget Gardner scored as McCarthy and Habelow each scored a pair. 

Smith said despite the Winchester loss – she has circled the date the Sachems will be visiting Belmont for the return match – the team has been growing in their teamwork such as multiple passes and stopping the other team from breaking out from their zone.

Smith has also tweeked the defense by changing a position player to add stickhandling and speed in the back line.

“We just want to make the change well before Watertown so it doesn’t feel like we’re doing something desperate,” said Smith, who said the Raiders “will be a tough squad [to meet] but so are we.” 

Next up for the girls is a trip to Wakefield on Tuesday, Oct. 6 before Thursday night’s big match.

Sold in Belmont: Affordable in a Potpourri of Styles, Locations

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Photo: 81 Statler Rd.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 77 Leicester Rd. Old-style center-entrance Colonial (1932). Sold: $987,500. Listed at $1,050,000. Living area: 2,510 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

• 25-27 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $710,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,308 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 42 Walnut St. Townhouse condo (1993). Sold: $667,000. Listed at $630,000. Living area: 1,800 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 43 days.

• 96 Beech St. Early Cape with commercial space (1922). Sold: $625,000. Listed at $599,900. Living area: 1,691 sq.-ft. 11 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 38 days.

• 49-51 Slade St. Two family (1925). Sold: $755,000. Listed at $749,000. Living area: 2,150 sq.-ft. 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 69 days.

• 285 Common St. Brick Cape-ish (1945). Sold: $810,000. Listed at $820,000. Living area: 2,383 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

• 271 Common St. Brick Cape (1948). Sold: $810,000. Listed at $820,000. Living area: 1,684 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 42 days.

• 16 Bay State Rd. Brick/frame Colonial (1928). Sold: $1,005,000. Listed at $999,000. Living area: 2,165 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 57 days.

• 81 Statler Rd. Cape (1939). Sold: $545,000. Listed at $525,000. Living area: 984 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 63 days.

From one of the smallest single-family homes in Belmont (most new condo/townhouses are double the size of the Cape on Statler) to a pair of classic two units close to Trapelo Road, a mishmash of add-on extensions along the Beech and a lot of Capes, the traditional frame for first-time homebuyers. There is affordable housing in the “Town of Homes.”