Soccer Night In Belmont Kicks Off Saturday, Sept. 23 With Doubleheader

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It will be an afternoon and evening of top notch soccer the Belmont High School Boys and Girls varsity soccer teams  headline the second annual Soccer Night in Belmont on Saturday, Sept. 23, joined at the event by hundreds of younger players from Belmont 2nd Soccer and the Belmont Soccer Association, their coaches, and other members of the Belmont soccer community.

Soccer Night in Belmont will feature a doubleheader under the lights at Harris Field on Concord Avenue.

  • It is a game of the undefeated as Belmont High Girls at 4-0-0 take on 8th-ranked (by the Boston Globe) and 5-0-0 Winchester game at 4:30 p.m.
  • Two top 20 teams battle it out at 6:30 p.m. when 13th-ranked Belmont Boys (3-1-1) meet 7th-ranked Winchester (4-1-1). 

2nd Soccer and BSA players will participate by parading out with players during the pre-game ceremonies, acting as ball-boys and ball-girls, and competing in mini-games on Harris Field during halftime of both games.

“This event showcases our successful varsity teams and recognizes the role of Belmont 2nd Soccer and BSA in nurturing the talent that makes up these teams year in and year out,” said event organizer John Carson.  “We had a big crowd of 600+ in 2016 despite the rain, and we’re really hoping to exceed that this year.  It’s a really fun night that builds bonds between our “little kid” players and “big kid” high school players, virtually all of whom came up through the Belmont youth program.”

“We had a big crowd of 600-plus in 2016 despite the rain, and we’re really hoping to exceed that this year.  It’s a really fun night that builds bonds between our little kid players and big kid high school players, virtually all of whom came up through the Belmont youth program.”

Admission to Soccer Night in Belmont is free, and the first 100 kids wearing their team uniform will receive a commemorative soccer gift. Concessions including pizza, hot dogs, snacks and drinks will be available for purchase, provided by Parents of Music Students (POMS) so families can come for the games and feed the kids at the same time.  

Soccer Night in Belmont is sponsored by Belmont 2nd Soccer, Belmont Soccer Association, Belmont Savings Bank, Puma, The Rising, Phoenix Landing, with special thanks to Friends of Belmont Soccer  and Belmont High School Athletic Director Jim Davis.

Sports: Volleyball All Even Over The First Four Games

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Photo: Belmont Volleyball

Belmont High Volleyball is halfway to matching its total number of victories in the 2016 season as it has won two games in the four played so far.

Last week, Belmont beat Stoneham 3-1 (25-5, 23-25, 25-11, 25-14) on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Belmont came out serving strong in the first set with Leah Babroudi bringing the Marauders to 11-0 before Stoneham could side out. Another run of 9 points including 6 aces from Sophia Estok kept the ball rolling. In the second set the Spartans started passing, and with it came an effective offense that won them the set. 

The Marauders were able to adjust their play to take back control and win the last 2 sets. Katrena Daldalian played consistently aggressive all match in her hitting as well as near perfect serving, 20 for 21 with 9 aces. Outside hitters Julia Logan and Gabby Viale also contributed 8 and 3 kills respectively by hitting placement shots. 

On Friday, Sept. 15, Belmont lost to Woburn, 3-1 (25-18, 25-11, 22-25, 25-16). Estok played phenomenal defense, adjusting to hard-line hits from the outside hitters and strong right side attacks. She also led the defense with 25 digs and was also 14 for 14 serving with 2 aces. Babroudi and Daldalian contributed consistent passes on serve receive and Jane Mahon led the offense with 8 kills.

Sports: Belmont Football Edged In Home Opener, 20-14, by Framingham

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Photo: Belmont’s fullback Adam Deese leads running back Tyler Reynolds late in Friday’s game vs. Framingham.

Last Friday night’s home opener for Belmont High football squad had all the appearance of the last second, nail-biting victory for the Marauders. 

With 11 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter in a 20-14 game, Belmont had driven nearly 90 yards in five minutes to the Framingham High School Flyers 6 yard line and faced a fourth down and one yard to go. 

But senior quarterback George Fitzgerald’s pass skimmed just over the fingertips of his receiver for an incompletion, allowing Framingham to secure its first 2-0 record in more than a decade while Marauders left the field at 0-2, having dropped last week’s season opener, 28-7, against a tough Milton High School team.

“First and foremost, that was a great football game. It was fun to coach in and fun for everyone to watch,” said Belmont’s fourth year Head Coach Yann Kumin.

“We’re not satisfied being on the short end of a close game … with an opportunity to score. We just need not shot ourselves in the foot. We turned the ball over twice in the first half, and one led to a score.” 

Friday night’s game, which began 45 minutes late due to traffic that delayed Framingham arrival to Harris Field, saw Belmont’s defense spring to action with four takeaways including three interceptions of Framingham’s sophomore QB Jack Beverly. Leading the D-backs was senior Joe Viale who came up with a monster game including a pair of picks and a half dozen times breaking up certain completions.

It was Framingham’s ability to strike on special teams that proved the difference in the game as the Flyers were able to gain vital yards on kickoffs and punt returns. The game started with Flyers’ Christian Alicea returned the opening kick to Belmont’s 8-yard line. 

After Belmont’s defense held and took over the ball at the 18, Fitzgerald was sacked on third down and apparently fumbled the ball despite appearing being down in contact with the turf. Flyer junior Chidi Nna recovered the loose ball for a TD after less than three minutes into the game. 

Belmont’s second drive ended on a fumble at midfield but the Marauders to over on Vitale’s first interception. Late in the first quarter, Belmont’s senior Inside Linebacker Caleb Henman picked off Beverly with 1:15 to go. That turnover led to Fitzgerald finding senior wide receiver Jake Pollock who ran 12 yards into the end zone with 10 seconds left to give Belmont the first quarter lead, 7-6.

Framingham regained the lead in the second quarter when it took over the ball deep in Belmont’s territory. The Flyers then employed an offense more associated with rugby than football; placing all 11 offensive players within a five-yard “box,” handing off the ball to the back who would follow the scrum. With its size advantage up front, Framingham pushed its senior running back Isaac Blackman into the end zone. Missing its second two-point conversion, the Flyers led 12-7.

After Belmont’s offense failed to move the ball, the Flyers took over after another good punt return. After Viate knocked down a pair of passes thrown his way, the third time was the charm as Beverly hit junior Jon Lanzo in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-down and ten from the 18 yard line with 13 seconds left in the half. This time the two-point conversion was successful for a 20-7 visitor’s advantage at halftime.

“If we clean up those mistakes in the first half, we would have been in a better position in the second half,” said Kumin.

Belmont’s defense would stiffen and shut out the Flyers in the second half as the Marauders’ offense took the quarter to begin moving with confidence against a strong Framingham defense.

With senior fullback Adam Deese making much in each run against a defense targeting him, Fitzgerald started winging it out and found his senior receiving corp including senior Will Ellet for 12 yards and Pollard who fought off a pair of Framingham backs for a 30-yard touchdown reception midway through the fourth period.

Framingham began the next possession near midfield and drove the ball to Belmont’s 34-yard line when Viale snagged his second INT to give the Marauders the ball with 5:45 to play and 83 yards from pay dirt.

Fitzgerald found Pollard for 10 yards on a third down and Deese gained 15 yards on three plays before senior running back Tyler Reynolds took a pitch 15 yards to the Flyers’ 40 with 3:08 to play.

With Belmont facing a fourth and six from the 35, Fitzgerald got a Flyers lineman to move for a five-yard offsides penalty resulting in Deese plowing one yard for the first down.

A Fitzgerald scamper around the right edge gave Belmont a first and ten from the 16 with 43 seconds remaining. But a completed pass t0 Ellet and runs by Reynolds left Belmont looking at fourth down with 11 seconds remaining.  The rest is history.

“I am so proud of my team. This team can make some noise in the league,” said Kumin. “This is a team that battles back when things aren’t going exactly the way it was supposed to go. They were driven in what they did and executed in big moments. I’m fired up for next Friday.”

Belmont’s next game is Friday, Sept. 22 at Haris Field against Woburn to begin the Middlesex League part of the schedule.

Learn About Plans For New High School Tuesday, Sept. 19

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Photo: The project even has a logo.

It will likely be the largest and most expensive construction project in Belmont’s history. So don’t you want to know more about the new Belmont High School?

Join the Belmont High School Building Committee for a community engagement meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School auditorium, 95 Washington St.

The night’s agenda will include:

  • High School Building Project updates
  • Introduction of the Project Design team
  • District Enrollment Update and Grade Configuration discussion
  • Results of Recent Education Visioning workshops
  • Questions and comments

“The Community Meetings will be a great chance for the public to hear and comment about the recent work of the Belmont High School Building Committee,” said Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan.

“This will include meeting the Project Team: Daedalus Projects and Perkins+Will who will be leading this work. The audience will also learn about the enrollment and space challenges of the school, the three grade configurations being considered (7-12, 8-12, 9-12) as well as the ‘visioning’ work of the school system as it relates to the design of the new building,” said Phelan.

Additional community meetings will take place:

  • Friday, Oct. 13 at 1:15 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Saturday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. at Belmont High School.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Belmont Town Hall
  • Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. at Belmont High School

To sign up for email updates and to learn more about the Belmont High School Building Project, including project timelines, videos, meeting schedules, presentations, and more, please visit its webpage.

Email questions to BHS-BC@belmont-ma.gov

Sports: Volleyball Bounces Back With First Win; Boys, Girls Soccer On Roll

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Photo: Volleyball for the win. 

During this first week of play, Belmont High School teams are finding their winning strides:

Girls Volleyball: (Friday, Sept. 8) Belmont 3, Wilmington 0

A young Belmont Volleyball (1-1) came back from a challenging first game of the season loss at Burlington with a solid win over Wilmington, 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-20) in the home opener on Friday, Sept. 8.

After a dominate first set victory, Belmont found itself down for most of the second set, trailing 18-22 after a Wilmington side out. But the set turned around on Jen Tan‘s crucial service turn as she won the final seven service chances of the set.

“That really set the tone for the last set,” said Belmont Head Coach Jen Couture. “Jen’s serving really fires the team up and raises the energy level on the court.”

The Marauders was ahead 5-2 in the third set when outstanding sophomore Mindee Lai went on her own impressive service run, winning eight consecutive services points to up Belmont’s lead to 12-3.

“Julia Logan also stepped up to play outside hitter and contributed four kills by finding holes in the defense and tooling the block,” said Couture.

Belmont victory came after a 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17) loss to Burlington. Sophomore libero Sophia Estok and junior Leah Babroudi were outstanding on serve receive, 32 for 34 and 17 for 18 against some very tough serves. Lai led the offense with 18 assists, many to sophomore outside hitter Nena Trifunovic who contributed 13 kills in her varsity debut.
 
Volleyball will be heading to Stoneham on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
 
Boys Soccer: Belmont 2, Wilmington 0
 
It took a while for Belmont Boys’ Soccer to find a way through a stubborn Wildcat defense but the Marauders found the back of the net twice in the final 13 minutes to win its home opener, 2-0, over Wilmington at Harris Field Friday afternoon, Sept. 8.
 
On both goals, Belmont attacked down the left side and with a series of in-close passes, opened the field to allow Will Hoerle to score with 12 minutes remaining and Marc Muser with the assist from Andrew Mauser to close out the victory two minutes from the final whistle. Senior Nate Espelin earned his second shutout
 
Belmont Boys Soccer’s next game is away to Stoneham on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Girls Soccer: Belmont 3, Wilmington 1
The first significant away game of the season and Belmont (2-0-0) passed the test by defeating old nemesis Wilmington, 3-1, on the Wildcat’s home turf Saturday night, Sept 9. 
Goals by junior forward Morgan Krausse from senior Carey Allard, a long distance (estimated at 30 meters) rocket from sophomore midfielder Marina Karalis with an assist by senior Emma Sass and junior forward Elia Gagnon from Sass sealed Belmont’s second victory of the young season. 

“Great game, better than the other night,” said Head Coach Paul Graham.
 

Belmont High ‘Idol’ Awarded Full Scholarship to Berklee

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Photo: Lea Grace Swinson (left) with Berklee alumna Courtney Harrell, an LA-based singer-songwriter and recent finalist on NBC’s The Voice. (Photo by Mike Spencer)                                                                                                                   
 
She was a Belmont High Idol as a freshman and was the definitive Matron “Mama” Morton in this year’s production of the spring musical “Chicago.” 
 
And next month, Lea Grace Swinson, Belmont High class of ’17, will attend the Berklee College of Music on a full ride as the 17-year-old Dorchester native was awarded a four-year, full-tuition scholarship presented to her at the Berklee Performance Center on Tuesday, Aug. 8. 
Swinson was one of five recipients of the 2017 Berklee City Music College Scholarship, part of the  school’s City Music Network which delivers high-quality contemporary music education instruction to youth from underserved communities at no or low cost. 
 
Speaking with Berklee alumna Courtney Harrell, an LA-based singer-songwriter and recent finalist on NBC’s The Voice, Swinson told the audience that music has helped her through many insecurities and has brought her “nothing but joy and healing.”
 
The Berklee City Music Network is an association of 46 community organizations that serves more than 46,000 students in the U.S. and Canada each year. Since its inception 20 years ago, Berklee City Music has awarded 251 four-year full-tuition scholarships totaling more than $2 million.
 
The scholarship presentation came at the conclusion of the Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program, where more than 100 teens were attending on City Music Summer Scholarships.

Belmont High Bomb Threat Deemed A Hoax

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Photo: Belmont High School.

Units from the Massachusetts State Police and Belmont Police Department conducted a search of Belmont High School Wednesday morning, July 13, after the school district received an email bomb threat.

Belmont and three schools in Waltham including the high school were targeted by threats Wednesday. On Monday, several schools in Wareham were shut down due to bomb threats.

The message claiming that a bomb was inside the school arrived at the district office on Pleasant Street at approximately 9:45 a.m. School Administration immediately contacted the Belmont Police who informed the State Police. Law enforcement along with district staff conducted a visual inspection of the building.

After the inspection, and using State Police protocol, the threat was declared a “low risk, ” and the building was not evacuated.

“The School Department thanks Belmont and State Police for their quick response to this matter,” said Belmont Superintendent John Phelan.

Belmont High Alumnus Wins National Junior Shooting Crown

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Photo: Kevin Bennett in action.

Kevin Bennett, a 2016 Belmont High School graduate, won the Junior National Championship in Standard Pistol at the 2017 USA Shooting National Pistol Championships, held last week at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

In winning the junior title, Bennett finished second overall in the Open Standard Pistol contest earning the silver medal. 

The US Coast Guard Academy sophomore also won a bronze medalist in the Junior Rapid Fire event.

The U.S. Championships determine the top shooters in each event as well as the selection of members of the U.S. National Team. Bennett was the first Coast Guard cadet to compete in the U.S. National Championships in several years.

While at Belmont High, Bennett made his first national team in 2015 when he captured the bronze medal in the Junior Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol.

Dancing With The Stars: Belmont High’s ‘Chicago’ Bring Homes Musical Gold

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Photo: The “Chicago” cast in one final pose.

They can tango, do the bunny hop, the shimmy shake, razzle dazzle, and, when need be, perform a reverse standing somersault.

And for all that jazz, the dancers in the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s Spring musical production of “Chicago” walked away with serious bling at the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild’s annual Musical Theater Award Ceremony – think the Tony’s for Bay State high schools – recognizing excellent work by Middle and High Schools on Saturday, June 24.

Nominated in seven categories including the prestigious “Best Overall Production,” BHS PAC took home four awards:

  • Lighting Design and Execution
  • Specialty Ensemble: Featured Dancers
  • Dance: Choreography and Execution
  • Student Orchestra

See a video preview of the show here.

“Congratulations go to all of the cast, crew, and staff who worked on the show. Being nominated for ‘Best Overall Production’ is an honor that is shared by the whole production team for strong work across the board,” said Ezra Flam, “Chicago”s producer/director.

The individual winners are:

  • Lighting Design and Execution: Lighting Designer Chris Fournier, and Lighting Crew Chiefs Addie Leabman (BHS ’17) and Daphne Kaxiras (BHS ’17).
  • Student Orchestra: Band Director Paul Ketchen.
  • Dance Choreography and Execution: Choreographer Jenny Lifson
  • Specialty Ensemble: Featured Dancers: Aidan Hamell, Alex Aleksandrov, Alyssa Bodmer, Alyssa Allen, Amelia Ickes, Andre Ramos, Becca Schwartz, Cheyenne Isaac, Edward Stafford, Elana Chen-Jones, Grace Curtis, Izzy Lazenby, Julia Cunningham, Julia Giatrelis, Kseniya Dzhala, Lennart Nielsen, Liz Biondo, Megan Bodmer, Molly Thomas, Nicole Thoma, Noam Bar-Gill, Raffi Manjikian, Wonyoung Jang and Zoe Armstrong.

“I want to thank to all of the students in the PAC, the parents and community members who support our work and the Belmont faculty and administration,” said Flam.

‘While the recognition for ‘Chicago’ is nice, I am most grateful that I have the wonderful opportunity to run a theater program where the focus is on giving students a strong education in theater and building a community where all students feel welcome and supported,” he said.

At the ceremony, Lea Grace Swinson (BHS ’17) performed “When You’re Good to Mama” to represent the production in the “Best Overall Production” category.

Belmont High Athletes Selected All-Scholastic, All-Stars; Duffy Honored

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Photo: Belmont Girls’ Rugby.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone who attended or followed Belmont High 2017 spring sports that a fair share of athletes would be recognized with season-ending All-Scholastic Awards by Boston’s two daily newspapers.

Junior Anoush Krafian was honored in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald for her All-State victories in the pentathlon and 100-meter hurdles setting a personal record (14.64 seconds) in the hurdles and a new state record (3,243 points) in the multi-event. Krafian ended the season finishing fifth in the seven-event heptathlon at the New Balance Nationals.

Joining Krafian as a Globe and Herald All-Scholastic was her teammate junior Calvin Perkins who stood out in the 400 meters finishing second in a big PR (48.65 seconds) in the All-States while repeating as Eastern Mass 400 meter Division 3 champion.

Senior Julia Cella, freshman Soleil Tseng, and Krafian were named Herald Track All-Stars as were Aidan Carey, Perkins, Max-Serrano-Wu, Brian Huang and Jason Berger.

Speaking of state champions, junior outside center Rachel Iler-Keniston of Belmont girls’ rugby – the winners of the inaugural state rugby championship – and senior Brendan Walsh of the Boys’ Division 1 semi-finalists (and top public school) were named Boston Globe Rugby All-Scholastics. 

The Globe also named Molly Goldberg, Iler-Keniston, Sara Nelson, Georgia Parsons, Jessica Rosenstein and Gabriella Viale as 2017 Girl All-Stars. Laurent Brabo, Ben Jones, Joe Viale and Walsh were named Boy All-Stars.

Over at the diamond, junior southpaw Nate Espelin was honored as a Boston Globe All-Scholastic for his “dominant in his junior campaign, racking up 92 strikeouts over 63 innings with a 1.33 ERA.” Over at the Herald, senior catcher Cal Christofori was selected for its All-Scholastic team for leading Belmont to its first Middlesex League championship in 26 years and a berth in the Super Eight tournament. The four-year starter finished the season with a .414 batting average and a career hitting average of .417 with 42 RBI.

Christofori, Espelin, and Bryan Goodwin were named Middlesex League Liberty Division All-Stars.

Belmont High baseball ended the season 5th – and the top-ranked Division 2 program – in the Herald’s top 25 Eastern Massachusetts poll and 8th in the final Globe poll. 

Hard-hitting sophomore Drew Bates and standout junior pitcher Christine MacLeod were named Middlesex League Liberty Division Softball All–Stars.

The Bay State Games honored Belmont High junior Emily Duffy as one of six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2017 Future Leaders Scholarship Program.

These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics and leadership roles. Each of the six rising high school seniors will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Duffy is vice president of her class and has received many academic awards including the Stonehill Book Award. Duffy served an internship at Mass General Hospital and in a Young Marine Biologist Program at New England Aquarium. She is a talented singer as well as a two-sport varsity athlete (soccer and track) and a team captain in track.