Sports: Boys’, Girls’ Soccer Still Unbeaten, Volleyball Ace Spartans, Harriers Empty Watertown

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A busy – and successful – two days for Belmont High School athletic teams:

Soccer: Unbeaten on the field and between the posts

Belmont High’s Boys’ and Girls’ soccer remain undefeated and not scored upon after tussles with Reading Memorial High School.

Not that Belmont Boys‘ Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane was all that pleased with his charge’s 3-0 victory over the Rockets in Reading Monday, Sept. 15. 

“We did not play very good in the first half,” said Bisceglia-Kane, whose team has advanced to 4-0-0 after scoring three goals for the third consecrative game. “We played better in the second half but we have areas of improvement.”

“Peter Berens was the man of the match as he was outstanding. He kept us in the match,” said Bisceglia-Kane of his senior goal keep.

Midfielders Nick Andrikidis, Charlie Frigo and Ben Lazenby scored for the  Marauders.

In their first real test of the season, Belmont Girls‘ Soccer waited until the final minutes of both halves to score, beating the Rockets, 2-0, on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Harris Field.

“We were a little flat especially in the second half but I am proud how they played together. This was a real team victory,” said Paul Graham, Belmont’s long-time head coach.

Much of the credit for the tightness of the game rested on Rocket senior goal keeper Meghan O’Brien who was a rock in net, making two brilliant saves including a diving stretch to palm the ball off the line off a header by Belmont’s Alex Dionne midway in the first.

Belmont broke through when freshman scoring machine Carey Allard slide the ball into the net after a scramble out front with three minutes left in the first.

The Rockets played with renewed spirit in the second and took the majority of the play against Belmont. It was the Marauders back three, led by senior center back Lucia Guzikowski, that pressured Readings forwards into erred shots. 

When they got through, senior goalkeeper Linda Herlihy made two outstanding stops on her right post.

The final goal came within the final two minutes off of Belmont’s favorite corner kick. Junior Katrina Rokosz, who just came off the bench, struck the free kick which was headed by midfield star Lizzie Frick finding a poaching junior forward Kristin Gay who roofed the ball past O’Brien. 

Next up for the Marauders will be a clash of undefeated against hosts Arlington High School on Thursday, Sept. 18.

Aces up as Belmont ups record to 4-2

That was close.

“Wow, we nearly blew that,” said Belmont High Volleyball Head Coach Jen Couture after her team was sent into extra points in a fourth set after dominating the Spartans in the initial two sets.

“We were working on some new set ups that included a new setter and libero. And they were doing well until they got frustrated when they lost a few points,” said Couture, seeing the team drop the third set, 20-25.

And Couture’s team was nearly stretched to a fifth set when, after leading 24-20, they dropped four points to see the score tied, 24-24. But a service ace and a Stoneham mistake in setting a return saw Belmont take their fourth match of the young season, 3-1 (25-11, 25-11, 20-25, 26-24).

It was a special afternoon for junior Kabita Das as she broke the team’s record for aces in a game with 11. In addition, Alex Davis made numerous plays out front, helped by the team’s new setter, junior Faye Regan. 

“We are seeing a lot of great hitting and that’s what we wanted at the start of the season,” said Couture.

Up and running and winning

Belmont’s harriers took a quick trip to Watertown and easily put second victories in their column as both the Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams won going away. Both teams won 19-42 with the Marauders taking first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth places.

Next up for the squads will be at powerhouse Reading Memorial next week.

A Return to the Halls: Belmont High’s School Resource Officer

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There’s something new at Belmont High School this school year: a Belmont police officer.

“The first thing [students] asked me was ‘what did we do wrong to deserve this?'” said Dr. Dan Richards, Belmont High’s principal.

Not that Belmont Police Officer Melissa O’Connor is a stranger to the school; the 2001 Belmont High graduate and former captain of the soccer team use to roam the hallways with her friends and teammates.

“It doesn’t look that much different since I was here,” said O’Connor – a seven-year veteran of the force – standing in the central entrance as the final classes of the day are being dismissed.

There remains a perception that whenever a police officer enters a school building “it means there’s trouble inside,” said Richards.

But to the town, school and public safety officials who supported a dedicated school resource officer, those days have changed and with it, the role of the police and schools.

“The law hasn’t come to the hallways of Belmont High School,” said Richards, noting the high school is one of just a few in the area not to have an officer in the halls.

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The re-introduction of the resource officer – one was assigned to the district until budget cuts about a decade ago ended the program – has now less to do with law enforcement than an added hand to assist educators with nearly 1,200 students at the high school, O’Connor and Richards both said.

A 2013 Congressional Research Service study on school resource officers concluded that schools with law enforcement officers did not see any greater reduction in crime or offenses than in the general school-age population. Belmont High has a very low rate of serious incidents compared to schools statewide, which itself is one of the least violent in the country.

Rather then spend her time patrolling the halls targeting minor offenses – a policy the Congressional Research Study calls out as detrimental to students – O’Connor will be supporting the work of the administration and staff, said Richards.

“[O’Connor] will be assisting the administration. The school has a student handbook that we go by, and Melissa doesn’t trump those regulations. When we need further assistance, she’ll be invited in to help us,” said Richards.

“Being a resource to everyone in the school is the most important thing we are trying to do in addition to building relationships with the students,” said O’Connor.

O’Connor’s “beat” now includes being in the hallways, in the cafeteria, at sporting events; seen but also available to anyone, be it student or staff.

“I’m here so the kids can ask me questions in an environment where they are safe and comfortable and can I build relationships with them,” said O’Connor, who holds an MA in legal studies from Curry College.

And within the first week of being at BHS, O’Connor was asked to assist with two female students who had rekindled an argument from the previous school year.

As the assistant principals mediated the issue, O’Connor added a “real world” element to the resolution: “if you continue making ‘bad’ decisions, this is what will occur to you legally. Don’t go down that road,” said O’Connor.

“That’s something no assistant principal has the background to express,” said Richards.

More than resolving disputes

Nor is O’Connor there to work only on dispute resolution. Teachers are approaching her on education subjects, including one who asked her to discuss criminal procedure in the “You and the Law” class.

“For example, I told the class how should kids act and what should we say during a police stop or if the police shows up to a house party. I gave them my take on the matter,” said O’Connor.

O’Connor arrival occurs after a summer filled with images of the militarization of the law enforcement and the reaction to alleged police misconduct.
Yet O’Connor believes being a presence around campus will breed a familiarity and create an openness with the student where “they’ll be seeing me in a different light.”

“I believe soon she’ll be pulled in all sorts of directions as people get more comfortable with [her],” said Richards.

While O’Connor’s role is expected to expand, the question brought up at this year’s Belmont Town Meeting was the appropriateness of removing a police officers from servicing the entire town and into the school, a role that could be performed with an additional counselor or assistant principal.
Richards counted the argument saying that a councilor “can not respond to certain things that Melissa.”

“In this day and age, threats do exist and are part of the everyday life of kids. We are bringing in expertise or insurance to make sure things are safe here,” said Richards. As an example, a councilor can not review the school’s lock-down procedures or be as effective in a stay-in-place emergency as O’Connor.

“She will also bring a new set of eyes to the school’s overall safety and show how we can be safer if you do this and take away what’s wrong,” said Richards.

In the rare case of a major crisis, “I think she will take the lead role and we’d step aside,” he said, hoping that the administrator’s expertise rubs off on O’Connor to where she gains in the education aspect of the job and the administration can view the school through a public safety lens.

O’Connor has been seeking an opportunity to reestablish the position at the high school, noting that she was a sports coach at the high school and Bentley University and “enjoyed creating relationships “because as a student I had a coach or adult who I could talk to to figure out issues.”

After an admittedly “cool” start, the students are beginning to warm up to O’Connor, said Richards. “At first they were a little shy but that’s changing,” said O’Connor.

“They no longer are asking about police duties but the ‘I have a question’ question,” she said.

Belmont Field Hockey Overwhelms Second Visiting Team

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Belmont High School Field Hockey Head Coach Jessica Smith is never one who wants to pile on the score line.

“I feel so terrible,” said Smith as the team was ahead 6-0 with a minute left to play … in the first half of the Marauders game against visiting Stoneham High School on Friday, Sept. 12.

“I’m not that type of coach but what can I tell my team? Not shot?” she said, pulling off veterans to allow substitutes to play long stretches of the game.

By the end of a long day – the game started 45 minutes late due to travel problems for Stoneham – Belmont would score a pair of second half goals to win 8-0, creating a nice bookend for the week as the Marauders drubbed Melrose 7-0 on Tuesday.

“Two big scoring victories with lots of players getting goals but just as important, everyone got to play,” said Smith.

Kerri Lynch and the team’s midfield leader, senior Suzanne Noone, scored twice while starters sophomore Annemarie Habelow and Jacqueline Hill scored a goal each. Tallying goals off the bench were Kate McArthy and Hillary Fay. Goalies Kate Saylor and Nicole Crowley shared the clean sheet. 

“Gosh, this is a great team. We really don’t have a weak spot anywhere on the field and I have really good subs that I can put in who have been scoring and other good stuff on the field. It’s like I have a second layer in some positions,” said Smith.

And while the Marauders have put in 15 goals over the past two games, Belmont will be meeting teams with greater skills and talented players. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the team travels to Reading Memorial High School, a team that “is always very hard. It’s a game that you really want to win and it’s hard every single time and it’s never easy,” said Smith.

 

 

Football: Promise Amidst the Pain in 31-0 Opening Loss to Stoneham

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Belmont High School Football team’s game and the season didn’t start the way Yann Kumin had hoped.

Belmont’s head coach – his first ever in charge of a program – saw Stoneham High School recover the on-side kick on the opening kickoff under the Friday night lights on Stoneham’s forlorn grass field on Sept. 12.

“Not the way to start,” commented Kumin when the referee pointed towards Belmont’s side of the field.

Despite the hope for a big performance on the first game under a new football mindset, the Marauders stumbled in the season opener, losing 30-0 to the Spartans.

“Disappointing,” said Kumin after speaking to his team, greeting people he knew from when he was Stoneham’s associate head coach last season and receiving congratulations from Belmont Athletic Director Jim Davis.

“I’m proud of my guys. We fought and we were a discipline football team from start to finish. That’s what we wanted to be. We worked hard but we did not get the result we wanted,” he said.

What Belmont could not control was the quickness and football IQ of Stoneham which ran a variety of rushing plays that found gaps in and around Belmont’s front line. Stoneham’s players experience within a system that relies on technique and speed paid off for the Spartans as they made plays that the Marauders could not.

Kumin said the team was not beaten in the physical portion of the game “but [Stoneham] is a team with three years of really quality coaching and teaching them how to tackle. We have had three weeks of coaching so it’s going to take a little bit more time for us.”

“You have a series of bad habits that have been instilled and repeated over and over again,” said Kumin of Belmont’s  past football culture.

“So when our guys find themselves in situations where they’re ‘behind the eight-ball’, it’s easy to revert back to what they’re comfortable doing, So all we, as coaches, have to do, day-in and day-out, is to break those bad habits and get great habits in place,” he said.

Throughout the contest, Kumin and his young assistant coaching staff were either making every play – and mistake – into a teachable moment or encouraging the effort of players. And Kumin saw great promise in several aspects of the Maruaders’ game.

“The positives exist in the fact that we are capable of making mistakes and coming back and try to do good things. We moved the ball really well and by the end of the second quarter, our offense was clicking,” said Kumin.

As he was walking off the field, Kumin told a Stoneham acquaintance that “you’ll have to come next year to [Belmont’s] Harris Field and we’ll be ready for you.”

A New Era Begins Tonight for Belmont High Football

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This is it: the start of a new era for Belmont High School Football begins tonight, Friday, Sept. 12 as new varsity head coach Yann Kumin and his young group of assistant coaches will lead a new look Marauder team to Stoneham for the season opener against Stoneham High School beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The game marks a return to Stoneham for Kumin, who matriculated at Harvard and teaches English at Cambridge’s  Matignon High School, where he was the associate head coach last season. 

The team, which finished 0-11 last season, will bring back talented sophomore Cal Christorfori as quarterback and five senior captains including Max Jones, Austin Lutz, Nick Ryan, Omar Escobar and Darren Chan.

All you need to know about this team can be found in a remarkable video made by a pair of Belmont High School students, Lucas Tragos and James Neylon.

Boys’, Girls’ Soccer: Three Wins, Three Shutouts, All Good

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Walt Whitman wrote in his collection “Leaves of Grass” of “the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!/ The brooding and blissful halcyon days!”

These are indeed the halcyon days for both of Belmont High School soccer teams. In the first three games of the new season, the teams are undefeated (3-0), scoring goals (the boys have tallied seven over that stretch while the girls are averaging a gaudy six per game) each win has been via the shutout.

And to the delight of the head coaches – the boys’ Brian Bisceglia-Kane and Paul Graham for the girls – the games has seen long stretches (sometimes the entire match) in which the Marauders have dominated possession with an aggressive brand of attacking soccer backed by a solid two-way midfield play.

In the latest pair of games, the girls’ have gone on the road to defeat Melrose, 3-0, on Tuesday, Sept. 9, and Stoneham, 6-0, on Thursday, Sept. 11. The boys’ have enjoyed their stay on Harris Field’s new turf rug with victories over Melrose, 2-0, on Tuesday and a 3-0 win over Stoneham on Thursday.

“I think the group is doing a great job staying focused on what we are trying to do,” said Bisceglia-Kane after Thursday’s game where the Marauders

scored three times in the final 20 minutes of the first half.

Senior Co-Captain Norman Kilauititu scored his second goal of the year – although his best play occurred in the second half when he nearly scored from a wide bicycle kick to the thrill of the assembled girls’ team in the stands – followed by Danny Rizzo‘s 18 meter rocket set up by a wonderful series of short passing and finally Alex Berets flew by a pair of Stoneham center backs to volley David Chen‘s pass into the side of the goal. The game was the third clean sheet for senior goalkeeper Peter Berens.

Yet Bisceglia-Kane, who is in his first year as the Marauder’s head coach, said he is not concerned with the score of the games.

“I really don’t determine success by winning; you can win a game when you don’t deserve it and lose a game when you do,” he said, but rather determine success based on the goals they set for themselves before the game.

“That is how players stay focused … and allows them to work out of situations when they are down in a game,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

For the Belmont Girls’, the attacking beat goes on as six different players scored in the first 16 minutes of their game at Stoneham as the Marauders made fast work breaking down the Spartans.

But it’s not the number of goals that has impressed Graham so far this season but in the variety they are scored. Scores are coming from set pieces (corner kicks), physical scrambles in front of the net and building up from the midfield.

“This is the first year where when I put our subs in we do not go down in quality. Everyone of these kids want to play,” said Graham.

Yet Graham, who is nearing his 300th victory, is not about to proclaim this team as anything other than “good, so far.”

“Let’s put this into prospectus; we still haven’t played the better [Middlesex League] teams,” said Graham, who believe that Arlington and Lexington “are the class of the league as of right now” followed closely by the Marauders and their arch rivals Winchester.

“We are way ahead of last year’s team but I try to be a realist. I will know much more when we meet Arlington (away on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 3:45 p.m.),” said Graham.

Belmont Field Hockey Rebounds Past Melrose

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The first two games of the 2014 seasons has been like night and day for the Belmont High School Field Hockey team.

It was like night when the Marauders visited defending state champions (and undefeated for more than four years) Watertown High in the season opener last Friday as the Red Raiders kept the Marauders in the dark on how to break down the four-time consecutive state champs, losing 4-0..

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the light was back on for Belmont as they celebrated playing on their newly-renovated turf field for the first time with a convincing 7-0 drubbing of Melrose High on a cool night, Sept. 10.

Where Belmont was sputtering at times against Watertown, the team – and especially the offense – was playing with all cylinders running as six players scored and everyone played.

“Things that we have been hoping would occur actually did,” said Head Coach Jessica Smith.

“I was looking for Suzanne [Noone] and Annemarie [Habelow] to work well together and they did,” said Smith pointing to the most impressive goal of the night when the senior midfielder Noone fed the high-scoring sophomore Habelow a picture perfect pass into the attacking circle that the talented 10th grader buried in the back of the net from distance.

“I’m picturing that play many times this season,” joked Smith.

Yet Smith said the win was impressive because everyone played with “a real drive” after the first-game loss.

And that determination led to a battery of goals from a slew of players. Habelow scored twice with fellow starters Noone, Kerri Lynch and Julia Chase picking up one each while subs Jacqueline Hill and Kate McCarthy each got their first goals of the season.

Senior goalkeeper Kate Saylor shared the clean sheet with backup Nicole Crowley who kicked out a breakaway attempt late in the game to preserve the shutout.

With the midfield, led by varsity veteran Noone, communicating and working together better and the defense, backstopped by Lauren Noonan and Emma Pejko, being more assertive and confidence, the team “is showing they can compete.”

“But there are a lot of teams between Watertown and Melrose in talent so I want to see how we handle teams in the middle of the group,” said Smith.

Fast Freestylers Wanted: Contact Belmont High Swimming

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All Belmont High School Girls’ Swimming Head Coach Ev Crosscup wants are a few freestyle swimmers who can quickly travel from Point A to Point B.

That would make the legendary coach happy.

After the season opening duel meet clash with powerhouse Acton-Boxborough High at the Wenner Field House Pool in Belmont, on Wednesday Sept. 10, Crosscup was clearly pleased with the overall performance of his team as the Marauders held their own against the visitors who placed fourth in last year’s Division 1 championships.

“I thought we had some real strong efforts. I was happy and pleased with that but we have to get better in some important areas,” he said, after the final score, a 96 to 87 A-B win, was announced.

And that area is the team’s current deficit in the shorter-distance freestyle events. The lack of a steady point producer in the 50 and 100 yards has been a thorn to the team’s side for the past few years and Wednesday’s opener was not an encouraging one for Belmont’s long-time coach.

“That was glaring again as it was last season,” said Crosscup, a season which Belmont took second in the Division 2 state championships.

In the 50, 100 and 200, Belmont’s highest placement was third with the remaining swimmers finishing in 5th and 6th while the 200 relay finished in the bottom

“We don’t seem to have that sprint freestyler and that killed us again today,” he said.

While the shorter free distance races didn’t go to plan, there was a nice surprise in the 500 yard free with Sara Noorouzi taking first, breaking six minutes, with a 5 minute, 50.72 second race, and bringing home the sweep as Elizabeth Levy (5:57.21) and Dervela Moore-Frederick (6:07.07) followed.

As expected, Belmont’s big hitters came through, led by junior star Jessie Blake-West who won her speciality, the 100 fly (which she won the state championship last year), already breaking 59 seconds with a 58.75 in addition to winning the 200 Individual Medley by just about 10 seconds over teammate Maya Nagashima (2:13.41 to 2:23.31).

Also showing great form was Emily Quinn who held off A-B’s Tiffany Shao – who finished second in the Div. 1 state meet last year – in the best battle of the afternoon, taking the 100 breaststroke, 1:12.28 to 1:13.93.

Blake-West and Quinn have returned to swim the 200 Medley Relay this season – the relay is the defending state championships – finishing second to A-B’s number one in 1:58.03, swimming with Solvay Metelmann and Maya Nagashima

Nagashima placed second in the 100 backstroke in a fast time of 1:04.06.

And junior Thea Kelsey scored three 8’s for her reverse dive in the pike position which help win her the 1 meter diving competition with 210 points.

“You can see the effort they are putting into their swimming. It’s a good start to the season,” said Crosscup.

Now, about those freestylers.

Belmont X-Country Off To a Fast Season Start

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The 2014 cross country season got off to a fast start for Belmont High School Girls’ and Boys’ teams as both swept by visiting Stoneham High at Belmont’s Clay Pit Pond course on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

In the Girls’ race, Belmont junior Leah Brams remained undefeated for her career on her home course – and in Middlesex League competition – cruising to an easy wire-to-wire win while leading her team to a 17-44 victory, speeding over the 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) distance in a whippet-fast 19 minutes and 33 seconds.

Placing second was junior Sophia Klimasmith (20:37) and third was fellow 11th grader Meredith Hughes (21:02). Carly Tymm (23:09 in 5th) and freshman Camilla Carere (23:19 in 6th) rounded out the scoring.

Over at the Boys’ race, Belmont senior Ari Silverfine broke 18 minutes with a 17:57 to take top spot over the course that takes runners around the pond several times and through several Belmont High School athletic fields.

Seniors Charlie Smith (18:21) and Seth Altman (18:30) ran to place and show while sophomore Wilder Manion (18:57) and Noan Miller-Medzon (19:07) took 5th and 6th as Belmont defeated the visiting Spartans 17-44.

Rookie Coach Leads Belmont Boys’ Soccer Over Powerhouse Watertown

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Brian Bisceglia-Kane is undefeated for his coaching career.

OK, he’s been in charge of Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer for just one game. But that contest was the season opener against two-time Div. 3 final-four participant Watertown High School in which Belmont took home a 2-0 victory.

Not bad for a rookie head coach.

“This was a good test of our play but then every game has its unique challenges,” said Bisceglia-Kane, who was Belmont’s JV coach for six years before moving up to the top spot this campaign.

“[Watertown] have many quality players; it was the first game of the season so we had a lot of nerves to start the game, and it was super hot (temperatures reached 90 degrees despite a 10 a.m. start time) so conditioning was a factor. Luckily those three things worked out for our team. Hopefully, we will keep progressing,” said Bisceglia-Kane, who played collegiately at Brandies.

Belmont’s victory Saturday, Sept. 6 at Victory Field, was constructed on top of the foundation of simply outworking their opponents – winning most of the contested ’50/50″ balls – and a willingness to emphasize team play over individual skills. While several Watertown players were adept in dribbling with possession – and enjoyed showing it – Belmont relied on the skills of each player on the field.

As commentators noted at the recent World Cup in Brazil while many teams were known for their superstars, Germany’s – the eventual winners – “star is their team.”

Saturday saw “Die Mannschaft” Belmont style.

“I just think we did the simple things right like possession of the ball and variations of passes,” said Bisceglia-Kane, who teaches third grade at the Butler Elementary School.

The first half was a back and forth affair with a few good scoring chance for both teams with Belmont’s senior goalkeeper Peter Berens making a one-hand save on a blistering dipping shot from Watertown’s Roman Davis.

“A couple of fixes at half time and I though we were more aggressive forcing them into mistakes,” Bisceglia-Kane said.

That push was rewarded when Belmont senior Danny Rizzo was fouled in the box in the 53rd minute with senior Charlie Frigo slotted the ball by Watertown’s goalkeeper Joe Keikian.

Belmont got its second score three minutes later after the Marauders took the play to the Red Raiders. After sophomore Marvyn Dorchin had battled to win procession deep in the Watertown end, the ball ended up off Luke Gallagher‘s boot which was parried into the air by Keikian. As the ball came down, Belmont’s senior forward Norman Kilavatitu out jumped a Red Raider and headed the ball over Keikian and into the net.

While he won his inaugural game of his coaching career, Bisceglia-Kane deferred any self-congratulation to praise his players.

“All the credit goes to them for the off season training for the hard work in the pre-season. They are probably the fittest group of guys I’ve seen in Belmont,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

Belmont’s next game is Tuesday, Sept. 9 against Melrose at 3:45 p.m.