Editor’s Note: The MIAA announced the game will be played Saturday, June 14, at 2 p.m. at Curry College in Milton
The common theme among most of Belmont High School’s girls rugby players is a lack of experience when they first join the team. Instead, the team is a collection of athletes from diverse sports backgrounds, almost none join the program with any sort of rugby experience.
They’re soccer and ice hockey players, swimmers, cheerleaders, and dancers. You name it, they’ve played it. With a senior-heavy group loaded with talent, the top-seeded Marauders (7-0) face No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury (6-1) in the MIAA Division I title match Saturday at Curry College in search of a seventh straight crown for Belmont High School.
“We find a position on the field that fits with what they come in naturally good at,” coach Katie McCabe said, “but we also help them with athletic skills to add to their toolbox.”
Belmont shut out L-S 47-0 on April 17. The Marauders gave up just seven points all year, outscoring opponents by a combined 334 points. Before each match, the team sets goals, whether they be strategic execution or new roles and responsibilities. In rugby, once a player is removed from a game, they cannot re-enter the contest.
The only coach in the program’s 10-year history, McCabe teaches social studies at Belmont High School. The program began with 17 players in year one. Now, there are 65, more than enough to fill varsity and junior varsity lineups.
This year’s team features 17 seniors, including 13 of the 15 starters. About half of the starters returned from last season’s main group, but took on new positions.
“What’s fun about that is that people are adaptable, jumping into new roles and becoming decision-makers,” McCabe said. “The experience of our squad is that people are comfortable doing the work. They don’t panic. They understand what’s necessary to get out of a tricky situation and that comes with time.”
Some players to watch: fly-half Robyn Tonomura-MacDonald is the team’s captain. An accomplished diver headed to Division I University of Vermont, on a combined athletic and merit scholarship, Tonomura-MacDonald is the lone player on the roster allowed to speak to officials during matches. Anoush McCarthy, also a soccer player and skier who joined rugby last season, is a speedy outside wing. Sadie Taylor, also an ice hockey player, is a gritty scoring threat.
“Nobody comes in a superstar,” McCabe said, “and they celebrate each other as they learn.”
