Belmont Public School athletic teams never play Belmont Hill in games that count, despite their proximity.
While the former competes in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and the latter in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NESPAC), their respective town middle school-aged and school boys soccer teams get together on occasion for a friendly tournament deemed the “Belmont Cup.”
This year’s cup went to the Belmont Middle School seventh and eighth-grade town team after winning the first match on Halloween and tying the second last Friday. The team is part of Belmont Soccer Association, not the middle school team. Belmont’s town team beat Belmont Hill’s “B” team and tied the “A” team, which, per cup rules, counts to a Belmont town team victory. The cup now resides in the main office of Belmont Middle School.
“It was important because it didn’t go the way we wanted it to last year,” said goalkeeper John Shea, an eighth grader bound for Belmont High School. “This year, everyone thought it wasn’t going to happen, but it just felt really good to win and have fun with all my friends.”
While the on-field play remains competitive, Belmont town team coach Adrian Ray, a scientist in the biotech space whose three children play soccer, including his seventh-grade son, Miles, said both teams displayed high degrees of sportsmanship. It’s also an opportunity for students considering private high schools to learn more about Belmont Hill and their potential peers. The Belmont Buzzards, as they’re known, are the soccer association’s top seventh and eighth-grade boys team. The team of 18 athletes plays in the Boston Area Youth Soccer (BAYS) division 1B.
Belmont Youth Soccer Association president Mark Healy credited Belmont Hill with their “very generous” nature in allowing the association turf access in recent years, at a time when field space is at a premium.
“It has a history that’s outdated, the parents involved in the town soccer association,” Ray said. “I think kids like it. A lot of kids kind of know each other from club and town play, so it’s a fun and local rivalry that’s built over the years.”
Last year’s score was “a lot to a little” in the first game, Shea said, and slightly closer and “not as bad” in the second game. This year’s aggregate score was 4-2. Santiago “Santi” Olagunju scored two goals, and Nicolas “Nico” Krempus and Gavin Kalmakis potted one apiece. Shea manned the goal.
“I felt we definitely had the stronger team, and we came together and worked hard,” said Olagunju, an eighth grader who is undecided on his high school plans. “It means a lot to get the win; it’s always a challenge for any Belmont team to beat a private school.”
Most weekends, the Belmont association team fields an incomplete roster due to other commitments, like club soccer and other sports. Almost everyone suited up for these games, which showed just how much it really meant.
““I think it’s just a really good relationship between the town and Belmont Hill,” Ray said. “I know there have been conflicts, but this is an example of them working really well with the community. It’s a good connection.”