The wind was blowing a gale across the field — the fans were all bundled up and the two classic rival teams, the Vineyarders and Nantucket Whalers were on the field, ready to play an excellent football game.
At the end of four quarters the Whalers had defeated the home team 28-6. They were undefeated in league competition this year and the Vineyard win clinched the Mayflower league title.
The score was not reflective of the game. The purple-and-white team was up for this one and they gave a good fight. It was the first time this season that Nantucketers had their first string play the entire game.
The Vineyarders received the kick-off and came out passing. They gained a first down but had to punt the ball. Marc Rivers kicked the ball and the Nantucket offense took over on their own 15 yard line.
It was then that the Vineyard folks got a glimpse of the famed Beau Almodobar — the Nantucket junior running back who was claiming a lot of state records. He scored two touchdowns and a two point conversion in this particular game. On their first possession the Whalers managed to score a touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked by an alert defense. On the kickoff, a fumble was recovered by Nantucket. Two plays later it was 12-0 with Almodobar’s first score.
It looked like the afternoon was going to be an eternity for Vineyard fans, but the team came back. A Darren Lobdell — Philip Regan completion for 24 yards and a fourth and one yard gain by John Hotz restored the spirit.
The drive was stopped short. At the third and 15, the Vineyard decided to sneak a punt in and no one was down field to receive it for the Whalers. They got possession on their own seven yard line.
Nantucket came back down the field only to fake a punt and gain a first down. Bill Bennett then blasted through the blockers and sacked the Nantucket quarterback. He forced a fumble that was recovered by Jim Dario. The Vineyard had the ball again.
It was a classic scoring opportunity. First and ten on their 25 yard line. A Lobdell-Scott Morgan completion. First and 1O on their 12 yard line. Marc Rivers gained seven yards. Third and three on the seven yard line. Quarterback Chris Alley was then sacked by a tremendous rush. Fourth down incompletion. It was a good drive.
Two plays later, Almodobar sprinted 80 yards for a touchdown and he got two more on the conversion.
The Vineyard fans still were cheering after Marc Rivers received the kickoff and ran it back 50 yards to their 45. They moved the ball to the 22, but penalty flags forced the punt. The half ended with a 20-0 Nantucket lead.
The second half proved to be a new ball game. Scott Morgan, Fred Hall, Fred Fragoza and Dana Merry were playing excellent defense and were stopping Almodobar. The only score of the third quarter was 75 yard strike to a Nantucket wide receiver.
The teams traded penalties and possessions for the first five minutes of the last quarter. The Vineyard break came when Jim Dario blocked a punt and recovered the ball. It was a first down on the Nantucket 20. Rivers gained 15 yards on a pitch-out. Lobdell then connected with David Grain for the Vineyard score.
The Vineyard team got the ball back and marched down the field with completed passes and penalties against Nantucket. There were only 14 yards between the Vineyard and their next touchdown, but an interception cancelled the threat. Suddenly the whistle blew and it was all over.
The Nantucket troops showed obvious enthusiasm for the win. The Vineyard team should have been proud of their performance. They did a great job against an excellent team.
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