The week of Halloween proved to be action-packed with great contests across the board for Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School athletes.

The cross-country team had another tremendous showing at the Wrentham 5K on Saturday, placing 12th overall for boys and 13th overall for girls. The girls’ soccer team ended its season with a loss at Dennis-Yarmouth on Oct. 29, while the boys’ soccer team won their battle with Dennis-Yarmouth at home on the same day. That proved to be a good warm up for their first round of MIAA action as they beat Bishop Stang in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday. Halloween was the most exciting night for Vineyard sports as the cold and windy night didn’t stop the football team from completing another rout of the Bourne Canalmen at Dan McCarthy field. And the field hockey team lost a season-ending heartbreaker at Medway in double overtime in the MIAA playoffs.

Cross country took their talents to Wrentham for a massive 5K race as they competed against division one and division two schools. Patrick Best, Aivaras Gedvilas and Nate D’Angelo all had strong times for the Vineyard at 17:21, 17:23, and 17:43 respectively. The girls also had impressive times as Julia Neville, Sabrina Reppert, and Mary McCarthy all ran well with times of 21:02, 21:17, and 22:16 respectively. In a field of well over 30 division one and two schools, it was great to see both Vineyard teams finish in the top 20.

“We all ran extremely well that day,” said Patrick Best, who had the best time out of any Vineyard competitor. “I’m very proud of the way we ran, especially the girls because the talent was blanket thick throughout the course for them.” The Vineyarders have one more meet away at Wrentham again on Saturday before the season concludes.

Boys’ soccer kicked off the week with a win at Dan McCarthy field over Dennis-Yarmouth 2-0. With Jason Lages serving part one of a two-game suspension, the Vineyarders looked to others to carry the scoring load. Elie Jordi and Noah Kleinhenz provided the answer as both scored goals in the first half. Yannick Gonsalves assisted both scores.

That game proved to be an energizer for the first round of the MIAA playoffs the following Tuesday with a win over Bishop Stang 2-0. This time no red cards could prevent the Vineyarders from coming out on top at Dan McCarthy field as Yannick Gonsalves scored off an Elie Jordi free kick, and defenseman Ben Poole scored unassisted off of a corner kick. Goalkeeper Matt Stone recorded his 12th and 13th shutouts of the season. “We always play well in the face of adversity, and playing against a chippy and aggressive team like this one and being able to keep a level head and come out on top says a lot about who we are as a team, especially with our leading goal scorer suspended,” said co-captain Lee Faraca.

The Vineyarders play again on Thursday in the second round at Dan McCarthy field against Old Rochester.

Girls’ soccer unfortunately ended their season on a low note with a loss to Dennis-Yarmouth 2-0 on the road. The girls had a down year with an overall record of 1-3-12. That’s not say we didn’t see strong performances all year from a tight-knit group of seniors: captain Annie Ollen, Emily deBettencourt and Katrina Latkis. “We stuck through thick and thin, and even though this season wasn’t the best we are all still a team in the end,” said junior Molly Houghton. The future looks bright, however, as the team only graduates three seniors on varsity and six through the whole program this year.

The field hockey team ended what can only be described as a colorful and outstanding year for them losing 2-1 in double overtime to a talented Medway team in the first round of the playoffs. The only goal of the game scored for the Vineyard was Aubrey Ashmun on a stroke, or a penalty shot for those less familiar with field hockey. The deciding goal came with four minutes left in double OT as a Medway player dove to her knees to make an incredible shot that ended the game in sudden death for the Vineyard.

“I am so unbelievably proud of my girls, they played their hearts out tonight, and every night for that matter, they always go out and play their damnedest and fight to get the win, we just came up a little short on the day,” said coach Lisa Knight.

“This has been a remarkable year chemistry wise for us, I can’t remember a team that I have coached with this much camaraderie and friendship like these girls had and will have,” she continued. “I give it to Medway, they are a tremendous club and it was a great game, you just hate to see a year as great as this one come to an end so soon. Having said that, I would have rather lost the way we did than lose in a blowout like what the polls were predicting.”

Football left it all on the field in a terrifying Halloween night display of power against the Bourne Canalmen as they trounced them 44-6 at home. Many fans were not there, it being Halloween night and the fact that the Vineyarders had already beaten the Canalmen earlier this year 48-0. Jacob Cardoza had yet another stellar game with three touchdowns and 200 yards of total offense. He also broke another record this week, by taking the single season receiving yards record away from Albie Robinson in the win. Ben Clarke added two more touchdowns and James Sashin added one score as well, James also went 5-6 on extra points. On defense, Austin Chandler had 15 tackles and Andrew Dimattia had 14 tackles.

Of the win, coach Donald Herman said: “We really had the big plays going for us in this game, other than three plays we stuck to our game plan and executed extremely well.” The Vineyarders play Case High School on Friday, who have a record of 0-7.

“They really like to air it out and pass, and are very athletic so it should be an interesting game regardless of their record or who they lost to,” said Coach Herman. There are no injuries to report, but two seniors have been suspended for one game for disciplinary issues.

Keep reading to stay updated next week on the high school sports scene.