Belmont Rugby Teams Meet Familiar Rivals In Saturday’s State Finals [VIDEO]

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Photo: Senior Scrumhalf Joe Viale racing down the pitch vs. St. John’s Prep

With a pair of dominating performances in the state championship semifinals last week, Belmont High School’s boys’ and girls’ Rugby squads now prepare to meet familiar foes in the state finals in a rare doubleheader where girls and boys high school teams will be seeking championships on the same day this Saturday, June 23.

The number one-ranked boys’ (6-0) in Division 1 will meet defending championships and second seed Boston College High School (5-1) in the late match of the three championship finals taking place at Newton South High School at 4 p.m. 

In the middle match at 2 p.m., the first seed and defending champs Belmont (7-0) is match up against second-ranked Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School (5-2) in the Division 1 Girls’ finals. 

The Belmont teams earned their place in the championship match with convincing victories in the semifinals that took place at Harris Field. On Tuesday, June 12, Belmont’s girls’ defeated the Needham High squad, 54-7, in a game that was more competitive than the earlier encounter between the teams.

Saturday’s opponent Lincoln Sudbury has been the one team which has placed the most pressure on the Marauders. It took Gabby Viale‘s ten-meter “tap and go” dash up the middle for a try on the last play of the game to give Belmont a 17-12 away victory on April 25. In the reverse fixture on June 12, Belmont’s defense and tackling kept a surging Warriors’ at bay for the 14-12 win, the margin of victory provided by junior Johanna Matulonis‘ converting both two-point conversion kicks after trys. 

Belmont will be relying on Senior Scrumhalf Jessica Rosenstein – who will be playing collegiately at national champs Lindenwood next year – to deliver the ball to the backline and direct the offense. Expect the team to rely on Number 8 Grace Christensen to take inside runs while Viale will be relied on to continue her season-long game-breaking runs while the back row wingers – highlighting juniors Hannah Hlotyak, Clare Martin, and Kiera Booth – will play a central role advancing the ball. 

The Marauders will need to protect the ruck – when a runner is stopped, their teammates attempt to push back the opponents so the scrumhalf can release the ball to the back row – and win the scrum when Belmont’s front eight players battle Lincoln-Sudbury’s front eight for the ball. 

On defense, watch for Belmont tackling attempt to counter the speed and physical nature of the Warriors.

If there is one advantage Belmont will carry into the game will be its experience – Saturday will be consecutive championship matches for nearly all the players on the field – and knowledge of the game which will 

Belmont Boys’ completed the season undefeated and rarely challenged in the late going of matches. And they showed its superiority in the semifinals as they dispatched St. John’s Prep High, 33-3, on Wednesday.

Boston College High squeaked into the championship game with a 12-10 semifinal victory over Lincoln Sudbury. Belmont defeated the Eagles on a rainy April 25, 26-14, with BC High scoring a late try. 

The Marauders will look to its senior front-runners, captain and flanker Will Lozano and scrumhalf Joe Viale, who will provide leadership by example on both sides of the ball, leading the attack into the heart of the BC High squad while being the first line of defense with an emphasis on stealing the ball from the ruck or during the run of play. 

And it will be in the ruck, side out and especially the scrum where Belmont will attempt to continue its season-long dominance. Despite being outweighed by BC High and St. John’s Prep by a significant amount, the forwards – front row Jake Parsons, Ryuichi Ohhata, and Mark Morash; locks Andra Duda and Maxwell Baskerville; flankers Connor Shea and Lozano; and 8-man Sam Sagherian – have controlled the majority of scrum restarts by working in concert as a single unit, resulting in the Marauders dictating how the game is played.

Look for Belmont to control the line-outs with Baskerville as the jumper who is lifted to capture the ball. Center back Sam Harris and wings Joe Altomare will give Belmont a great amount of pace in the open field. 

And the Marauders is expected to have an advantage in the kicking game as senior flyhalf Laurent Brabo has been hitting conversions and penalty kicks from well past 30 meters.

2018 Belmont High Graduation In Words And Pictures

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Photo: Mortarboard saying

With a cool 60-degrees outside keeping the temp ceremony below the usual sweltering conditions of past graduations, the Wenner Field House was packed with family, relatives, and friends who witnessed a record 331 seniors from the class of 2018  graduate from Belmont High School on Sunday, June 3.

The afternoon was filled with pomp and circumstance, a cappella singing, thoughtful remarks, senior pranks, an hour of presentation of diplomas and throwing of hats at the conclusion of the ceremony. 

Three students addressed their classmates and the audience: 

Class President Benjamin Brody

“As we sit where we are, right now, we are on the precipice of the old and the new. We can look retrospectively on our lives as high school students as we look prospectively on whatever comes next. … When we get to the beginning of the next part our prospective journeys, that same confident, that same level of comfort, that same feeling of belonging and of ‘I’ve made it’, all the stuff that makes up our right foot, our best foot, our ‘pedidextrous’ … it can all stay with us if we put our minds to it. … All us can look to the future and put our best foot forward … take on this journey with the same zeal and confidence that I know we will all have as we walk across this very stage.

Kosta Tingos, School Committee Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship

“It isn’t a fluke that his class of 2018 is special. I believe we were not born this way but instead we fought for every inch of our success and made a mark at BHS and our greater community. … Today we find ourselves facing a similar transition, one from high school to a new chapter in our lives, whether it be college, career, gap year, or some other pursuit. We have been through a lot and accomplished a lot and now we have an opportunity to start fresh and do what we love and dream of. Everything is possible, and relish all the unexpected twist and turns. … Go into the world, wear your heart on your sleeve, win your own championship and, most importantly, enjoy your life. 

Sofia Schlozman, School Committee Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship

“As we step away from the familiar routines of Belmont High School and the next stages of our lives, we will all encounter setbacks. There will be moments when we will feel small, confused and a little bit lost. But while the prospect of these challenges  [is] truly frightening, there is also excitement and the opportunity to work for something new and to learn from the moments that don’t immediately go our way. … Let’s learn to embrace the difficult moments and to celebrate what we accomplished, whether the outcome is as perfect as we hoped it would be or not. After all, the beauty of things that don’t come easily is that they always matter more.”

A Cruise For Graduating Seniors At The Annual All Night Party

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Photo: All Aboard. 

Entering Belmont High School less than three hours after graduation last Sunday, June 3, you’d have found yourself on the gangplank to a voyage into the future.

The 44th annual Belmont High School All Night Party transformed the hallways, the lunchroom and the school’s auditorium into a cruise ship – “USS Marauder” – with shuffleboard, casino games, Karaoke in the auditorium, a DJ and lots of food in the cafeteria and Pitch Perfect 3 on the widescreen. 

The annual eight hour-long party allowed Belmont High seniors a night to celebrate their graduation with their friends in a controlled, alcohol-free environment rather than going out on their own for unsupervised activities. Starting at 9 p.m. on June 3 and concluding at 5 a.m. on June 4, the “All Nighter” provided games, contests, dances, entertainment, music, food, refreshments and good times.

Thanks to the effort by the All Night Party Executive Committee, run by junior and underclass parents, which met for more than a year, and with the help of business supporters and food contributors, the committee undertook the monumental task of building out and decorating the rooms and cafeteria, organizing a boatload of volunteers, keeping the kids fed and raise the money – think north of $20,000 – to put it all together.

“Wow it’s hard to send our beautiful Belmont kids off to college next fall but I was lucky enough to be asked to be the lead sponsor of the year-end bash where the kids could wrap up the year together in a variety of fun and friendly and exciting events….while being safe,” said Anne Mahon. “Having coached some of these kids in basketball and soccer and worked with them in our after school program all I can say is the world is a better place when them in it and I’m so glad I got to know so many of these great kids.”

One Run Playoff: Belmont High Baseball Bows Out To Arlington In First Round

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Photo: Senior Steve Rizzuto crossing the plate after hitting a home run in the bottom of the 10th against Arlington.

The playoffs ended way too soon for Belmont High baseball.

A pair of errors on fly balls in the outfield proved the difference as Belmont walked off Brendan Grant Field as 12-ranked and Middlesex League rival Arlington (12-9) celebrating a 5-4 upset victory over the fifth-seed Marauders (15-6) in the first round of the Division 2 North sectional playoffs on Thursday, June 7.

“It’s a tough one,” said Head Coach Jim Brown after the game. “We were winning those lately.” 

The senior-heavy team nearly made off with another last inning victory, scoring three runs with two outs in the bottom of the 7th off Arlington reliever Jay Masci on four consecutive singles by seniors Dennis Crowley, Ryan Noone, Connor Dacey and Steve Rizzuto to tie the score at three. 

“That’s what is great about this senior class and these kids. They don’t panic and fight to the very end, to the last out. They never quit,” Brown. 

After allowing two runs to score on a two-out dropped fly ball in the top of the 10th off hard-luck loser Martin Marintchev who relieved senior starter Nate Espelin, Belmont quickly reduced the lead to one with a home run by the game’s hitting star Rizzuto, who went 4 for 4 with a double and the dinger, scored a run and drove in a pair. 

But with a man on second, a line drive to the Arlington shortstop started a 6-3 double play and an easy fly to right field ended the season which saw Belmont win consecutive Middlesex League championships, the first time since 1961 Belmont captured the league two seasons running. 

The one-run defeat was apropos for the team; in 21 games the Marauders played this season, 10 were decided by a single run.

“I love playing with this team. It was awesome,” said Espelin, Belmont’s ace southpaw who struck out 17 SpyPonders over nine innings while giving up two earned runs on five hits. “It was frustrating how it ended. It’s memorable the character that they all showed, how we stayed together no matter what.”

On Espelin’s first pitch of the game, leadoff hitter Brendan Jones sent the ball to deep center where the Marauder center fielder stumbles, recovers but then stumbles a second time to see the ball fall beyond his glove. Jones scored on Dara Conneely’s double.  

In the hole by a run after half an inning, the Marauders’ had its chances against Arlington starter Adam Bowler including leaving the bases loaded in the 2nd and 4th innings and stranding 12 men on base, 8 in scoring position. 

The SpyPonders increased its lead scoring twice in the top of the 4th with two singles and a double off Espelin.

It didn’t appear Belmont had anything in the tank offensively until the 7th when the bench erupted with each clutch hit by the middle of the order. But the team could not muster the one extra run to take the game.

Brown said despite the early exit, “it was definitely a good season. Obviously, these seniors, many who were three-year starters, wanted to go further in the playoffs. But I’m proud of them,” he said. 

 

Track: Krafian Repeats As Hurdles State Champ; Perkins 2nd In Record Time

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Photo: Anoush Krafian

Belmont High School Senior Anoush Krafian finished her Massachusetts High School track career in style by repeating as champion in the 100 meters hurdles, coming within one-one hundredth of a second of the state record as she left a talented field in her wake at the MIAA All-State Outdoor Track and Field Meet held at Fitchburg State University on Saturday, June 2. 

The Dartmouth-bound Krafian flew over the 10 33-inch barriers in 14.26 seconds, a personal best and a Belmont High School record to win by more than half-a-second over runner-up Saige Tudisco of Pentucket Regional in 14.80. Krafian’s time was .01 of a second back of the state record of 14.25 set in 2011 by Brockton’s Vanessa Clerveaux who currently runs for Haiti internationally.

Earlier in the meet, Krafian jumped to a fourth-place finish in the high jump with a 5-foot, 6-inch effort, which tied with two other athletes for the second highest attempt (Krafian took fourth on the number of misses she accumulated in the meet) behind Anna Jordahl-Henry of Wellesley who won scaling 5’8″.

On Thursday, Krafian came close to repeating as the state’s pentathlon champion – a title she won indoors in February – as she broke her own state outdoor record by nearly 150 points. But she was overtaken by sophomore Jada Johnson of Sharon who destroyed her own personal best by 300 points to win the five-event competition, 3,529 to 3,408.

With her first, second and fourth place showings, Krafian earned all of Belmont’s 23 points to place 6th out of 71 schools scoring in the meet. 

On the boys’ side of the ledger, Belmont High Senior Calvin Perkins repeated last year’s All-State result placing second in a school record 48.16, this time to Phillips Magre of Somerville who dipped below the 48 second line in 47.98. Perkins took a half-second off last year’s race time to come close to the state record set by Boston College High’s Mike Greene 35 years ago. 

Belmont’s 4X400 relay team of seniors Max Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima, Bryan Huang and junior Nicholas Picardi took 7th in finals in 3 minutes, 24.75 seconds. 

Belmont’s Boys finished 25th with 10 points out of 77 teams scoring.

Dismissal Of Well-Liked Teacher Leads To Call By Students To Reinstate Educator [VIDEO]

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Photo: Belmont High seniors Haley Brown (left) and Eva Hill are working to reinstate popular English teacher Roanne Bosch whose contract was not extended after two years.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Belmont High School student who didn’t enjoy having Roanne Bosch as their English teacher.

“She’s everything a teacher should be, noted Brown; passionate, driven, compassionate and true understanding of all of our needs,” said senior Haley Brown, who with fellow 12th grader Eva Hill took Bosch’s junior honors class – which focuses on American writers – the year before and came back this school year to be her teaching assistants.

“She’s universally loved in a school which is hard to do with such diverse population,” said Brown.

The reason for such high praise for someone at Belmont High for only the past two years, is “this innate talent that’s not commonly found, it’s about her character that makes students really want to learn,” said Brown. “She really cares what each person say in class then asks them more questions, treating us like mature young adults with ideas that are valid,” said Hill.

The result is student’s care about the material rather than completing it by rote, said Hill.

With a growing number of students drawn to her teaching approach and lessons, it would appear that Belmont High had discovered an educator with that something special that every district is seeking to teach in their schools.

But Bosch’s classes will be filled by another educator in September as the school district declined to extend the English teacher’s contract for a third year.

For students, parents and some fellow teachers, the news came as a bolt from the blue.

“All of the blood left my head. I was in shock,” said Brown after hearing that Bosch was not asked to come back

“I saw a Facebook page that said Miss Bosch was leaving and I thought it was a [prank],” said Hill.

It’s not that Bosch lacks experience in the field; a third generation teacher, she joined Teach For America after graduating from the State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry and earned a master’s in education from Harvard. Bosch taught at Lexington High School in the mid-2000s and earned professional status there in 2011 before teaching at Belmont. 

While Bosch quietly told students about her status, the news got out to the hallways and across the school in a flash. 

“The response has been incredibly passionate,” said Brown, which included a student writing “#freebosch” on his arm. 

Students rallied to come up with a plan to allow Bosch to come back for the next year. Brown and Hill joined others to create a petition on change.org in which 705 students, parents and others are calling the Belmont School Committee to rehire Bosch. Parents began discussing possible tactic to remedy what they see is a problem in fairly evaluating staff. 

What is troubling to Brown, Hill and other students is that no reason has been provided by the district for why Bosch was terminated. “We don’t know how many people were part of the decision, who they were and what was the criteria they used. It seems pretty arbitrary since all we know is how engaged and great she was in the classroom,” said Hill.

Belmont School District Superintendent John Phelan told the Belmontonian in an email “[t]he district respectfully will not comment on employment and personnel matters.”

If a teacher of Ms. Bosch’s caliber can be let go without a second thought, it worries us about the future, said Hill.

“It’s evident to us that the district’s decision was a mistake,” she said.

The students and their supporters will take their cause to the Belmont School Committee at its Tuesday, May 22 meeting at the Chenery Middle School with the ultimate goal of seeing their teacher back at Belmont High in the fall.

“We want to make a difference and reinstate Miss Bosch,” said Hill

As they have been working on the effort, the goal is now bigger than just bringing back Bosch, said Brown. “How is an educator who will be in the same position in the future to know how to do better in the future?” she said.

“We want to foster an environment where more teachers aren’t afraid to try new things and engage with all their students and treat them like they deserve to be there no matter how academically talented they may be,” said Brown.

“Why would a teacher who is an innovator want to come to Belmont when they fire the ones they have here already?” said Hill.

Belmont Track’s Krafian, Calvin, Relays Shine At Coaches’ Invitational Meet

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Photo: MSTCA State Coaches Meet director Mike Miller and the field of an athlete of the meet Shira Stoller (left) and the Overall athlete of the meet Anoush Krafian (right). (photo credit: MSTCA)

In a warm-up for the league, division and state championships upcoming in the next three weeks, Belmont High top track athletes are hinting at some big results after putting forth some outstanding performances at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches’ Association Invitational on Saturday, May 12.

At the boys’ events held at Durfee High in Fall River, senior Calvin Perkins destroyed a talented field in the 400 meters, powering home to win in 48.98 seconds, a full second and a half in front of Boston College High sophomore Shawn Carter. Perkins then anchored Belmont’s 4×400 relay to his second victory of the day, again in impressive fashion as the quartet finished in 3 minutes and 27.95 seconds, two seconds clear of the second place squad.

Also showing his talent in two events, junior Merrill Barnes finished in fifth in the long jump (19 feet, 2 and a quarter inches) and tied for eighth in the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches). Senior Mike Pomer raced to 10th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.64.

As for a glimpse into the future, Belmont freshman Preston Jackson-Stephen won the freshman 100 meters in 11.88 seconds, the Marauders’ sophomore 4×100 placed fifth and sophomore Stephen Carvalho dipped under 10 minutes in the two miles in a time of 9:56.77 to place 10th.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Belmont senior star Anoush Krafian came away with her share of silverware as she strode to an easy victory in her specialty, the 100 meter hurdles, in 15.31 second (she qualified for the finals in 15.17) while finishing second in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) and a tie for ninth in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and a half inch. At the end of the competition held a Sharon High School, despite some outstanding performances – including Natick junior Grace Connolly breaking Olympic bronze medalist and New York City marathon winner Shalene Flannigan’s state two-mile record set in 1999 – Krafian left with the Outstanding Overall Athlete of the Meet.

Belmont Girls’ 4×400 relay took home fourth in 4:15.81 while freshman Victoria Meringer finished sixth in the freshman mile in 5:34.23.

Excellence In High School Senior Writing Honored At Blacker Prizes May 16

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Photo: The annual Blacker Prizes will be bestowed on Wednesday, May 16.

The Belmont High School English Department will present the annual Lillian F. Blacker Prizes for Excellence in Writing on Wednesday evening, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Peter Holland Library at Belmont High School. This year, we will honor seniors James Kitch, Mirilla Zhu, and Nanako Tokuo for their outstanding writing.  Belmont residents are cordially invited to attend.

Family and friends established the Blacker Prizes more than 20 years ago in memory of Lillian F. Blacker, a longtime Belmont resident who was very active in community affairs and was director of the Harvard Medical News Office. She is remembered by the school and the community as a true lover of literature and language.

The Blacker Prizes are presented each year to three seniors for outstanding writing ability on their senior theses.  Each senior reads, researches, and writes a lengthy thesis paper investigating a literary topic. English faculty members determine the winners after an extensive reading process.

At the awards ceremony, the three Blacker Prize winners will read from their papers and discuss the evolution of their ideas. A panel of seniors will discuss their topics and the senior thesis process. Teachers, parents, administrators, and friends are invited. Underclassmen are encouraged to attend the ceremony to learn more about the senior thesis process. Refreshments will be served.

Three Performances Of Annual One Act Festival This Weekend At Belmont High

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Photo: Poster for this year’s show.

Three chimpanzees writing “Hamlet”, four women traveling in outer space, an eccentric funeral guest and a delectable bowl of soup.

Those are the plots of eight theatrical pieces the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company is presenting at its annual One Act Festival. And due to popular demand, the company will stage three performances including a Saturday matinee.

The student-directed 10-minute plays, directed by Performing Arts Company members, are a mix of comedy, drama and everything in between. For a synopsis of the plays, head over to the BHS PAC webpage. 

The performances, which are held in the school’s Little Theater, will be on: 

  • Friday, May 11 at 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 12 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

TICKETS
Adults: $12; Students: $5

WHERE TO GET TICKETS:
Tickets are on sale online and at Champions Sporting Goods in Belmont Center.

Mother’s Day Flowers And Plants Sale Friday To Sunday At Lions Club

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Photo: The annual sale starts Friday.

It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a bouquet of flowers and there’s no better – and convenient – place to find that special gift than the annual Mother’s Day Flower Sale sponsored by Friends of Belmont Softball.

Purchase beautiful flowers and blooming plants and help support the Belmont High School Varsity and Junior Varsity Softball teams.

The sale will be held at the Belmont Lions Club at the intersection of Royal Road and Common Street just past the Belmont Commuter Rail tunnel on the following dates and times:

  • Friday, May 11; 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 12; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 13; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.