In what is fast becoming a recurring theme of the season, senior quarterback Mike McCarthy on Friday again led the Vineyard football team past Holbrook/Avon 28-14 in a non-league match on the road.

McCarthy scored three touchdowns on the ground to help improve the Vineyarders to 3-1 on the season.

For coach Donald Herman the win was a mixed bag. While he lauded some individual players on offense like McCarthy, he said the defense did not play to its full potential.

“I am glad we won, but was not pleased with our effort, especially on defense. We made a decent team look very good,” Coach Herman said. “We must play with more intensity, tackle better and play more physically this week or we will be in for a long night.”

Coach Herman was referring to tonight’s league game at home against Bristol-Plymouth Vocational at 6:30 p.m.

During that game, a collection will be taken for the families of David Brand, a science teacher at the high school who recently died after battling an illness, and David Willey, a Cape Air pilot who recently died in a plane crash on the Island.

Last week’s game against Holbrook was a rare weekday matinee for the Vineyarders; the game started at 3:30 p.m. to accommodate the next morning’s SAT tests. Most of the game was played under cloudy conditions, and appropriately enough there were few bright spots for the Bulldogs, who fell behind 14-6 in the first quarter thanks to a pair of scoring runs by McCarthy — one for 20 yards and another from two yards.

soccer
Perfect contact on perfect day for play. — Peter Simon

McCarthy ran the option play to perfection all game, pitching the ball to running backs Pat Hart, Fin Kaeka and Cody Brewer on some plays while keeping the ball on others. He added a third rushing touchdown in the second quarter from the six-yard line to seemingly put the game out of reach, although the Bulldogs clawed their way back with a touchdown and two-point conversion in the third quarter to climb within one score.

The Vineyarders scored their fourth and final touchdown on an option play to put the game on ice. McCarthy went the first 15 yards down the sideline before pitching to Nick Gross, who finished with a 49-yard scoring play. Brooks Billingham kicked his fourth extra point of the game, and remains perfect on the season and point-after attempts.

McCarthy finished with 17 rushes for 152 yards; 135 in the first half. Erik Dolliver made seven unassisted tackles and assisted on six more. Matt Costello had four unassisted and three assisted tackles while breaking up four pass plays.

Golf

The golf team tied two matches this past week, giving them three ties on the season, an interesting anomaly considering the rarity of tie matches in high school competition. The Vineyard tied Chatham at the Eastward Ho golf course on Wednesday and tied Dennis Yarmouth at the Captains Starboard course in Brewster on Monday.

The final score against Chatham was 4.5 to 4.5, while the final against Dennis Yarmouth was 36-36. In the match against Chatham, Henry Smith and Serel Garvin won their matches and claimed best ball points. Against Dennis Yarmouth, Smith won in the first flight while Alex Bilzerian won in the second, and Grant McCarthy won in the third.

On Saturday, the Vineyarders notched an impressive second place finish behind Concord-Carlisle in the Cape & Islands Classic Tournament on Nantucket. Concord-Carlisle’s winning score was 340, while the Vineyard total was 358.

Cross Country

The Vineyard boys’ and girls’ cross country teams continued to dominate, as both squads easily won their meet at Diman Vocational in Fall River on Friday. The boys were paced by Mark Reppert, who finished second with a time of 13:33, followed by (3) Will Nevin, 13:59, (4) Max Conley, 14:20, (5) Forrest Harcourt, 14:33, (6) Anthony Piland, 13:44 and (7) David Flanders, 14:44. Robbie Osmers came in ninth with a time of 14:52.

The girls won easily by sweeping the first five positions; Megan Dreyer was first with a time of 15:56, followed by Shivonne Schofield in second with a time of 16:34, Ellie Hehre in third with 17:02, Kim Carlomagno in fourth with 17:10 and Sarah Flanders in fifth with a time of 18:12.

Caitlin Serpa was sixth with 18:17, Julia Sadowski was eighth with 19:09, and Emily Smith was ninth with a time of 19:17.

Last Wednesday, the Vineyard boys team swept Southeastern at Easton by taking the first five positions; Willie Nevin was first with 18:16, Mark Reppert was second with 18:21, Max Conley was third with 18:29, Forrest Harcourt was fourth with 18:40 and Anthony Piland was fifth with 18:45.

Both girls and boys teams also swept their meets against Bristol Plymouth at Taunton on Tuesday. Megan Dreyer led the girls with a time of 17:46, while Mark Reppert paced the boys with a time of 15:03.

Baseball Benefit

Vineyard baseball will sponsor the Birdies for Baseball golf tournament to raise money for the new baseball field at the high school this Sunday at Mink Meadows with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

Gary Simmons, high school varsity baseball coach, said the tournament will be a scramble format; the cost is $90 a player, which includes breakfast and entry into a contest for a prize for longest drive. The goal is to have 14 foursomes, although singles are encouraged to sign up with the hope that they can be put together into foursomes.

To register call 508-693-0600; to volunteer call Doug Reece at 508-696-3704.