The boys hockey team clinched a playoff spot, and swimmers Gabby Carr and Ruairi Mullin broke records during sectionals at MIT during an action-packed week of Vineyard high school sports.
Carr made history when she finished sixth in the 50 freestyle, the first time a Vineyard swimmer had finished in the top eight at sectionals. Her time of 25.36 beat the longest-standing Vineyard swimming record. She also broke her own school record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.56 and finishing 17th.
Mullin set a swim team record in the 200 freestyle. His time of 1:55.02 also qualified him for the state championships this weekend. His 17th place finish is the highest ever for a Vineyard boy. Mullin shaved over three seconds off his sectionals-qualifying time in the 200 freestyle with his performance on Sunday.
The boys hockey team vaulted themselves into playoff contention with a 6-0 win over Cardinal Spellman last Wednesday. Hunter Meader scored twice while Jackie Pizzano, Jake Scott, Liam Marek and Nick BenDavid notched the other four Vineyard scores.
On Saturday the boys were on Nantucket for their second matchup with the Whalers. Pete Gillis put the Vineyard in front six minutes into the contest, but Nantucket answered with three goals before Cam Geary closed the gap to one halfway through the third period. The Whalers bolstered their lead with six minutes left but Kenny Hatt netted a powerplay goal to make it a one score game. In the end, however, Nantucket won 4-3.
Monday afternoon the boys faced another tough test in Bishop Stang on the Island. The Spartans put two goals on the board less than a minute apart in the first period. The Vineyarders answered with a Nick BenDavid score that came off a feed from Cam Geary. But the Spartans tacked on another goal with less than a minute left in the first as the Vineyarders were unable to catch up and lost 5-1.
On Wednesday the boys righted the ship with a 4-3 win over Mashpee/Monomoy at home. Freshman Alex Walsh got the start in net for the Vineyard, filling in for Graham Stearns who was out sick. The Vineyarders jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but their adversaries responded with three goals to end the first tied at three. Four minutes into the final period, Elias Gundersen put the Vineyard back in front with an assist from Liam Marek and the home team held on for their tenth win of the season.
Jeremy Regan’s game winning three-point buzzer beater at Old Rochester Sunday could prove to be the defining moment in the boys basketball season. With under a minute left and the score tied, Mike Trusty forced a turnover to give the Vineyard the ball. Jared Regan caught the inbound pass and kicked it over to his twin brother Jeremy who drained the shot to win it 58-55 for the Vineyard.
Tuesday, on senior night at the high school gym in Oak Bluffs, the Vineyarders faced a fearsome Nauset squad that sits behind first-place Dennis-Yarmouth in the Atlantic division. Jared Regan drained six straight free throws with under two minutes left to propel the Vineyard to a 73-69 win. Regan finished with 24 points, Nico De Paula had 15 and Aidan Araujo had 13.
On Wednesday the boys had an opportunity to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win against Sandwich. The Vineyarders and Blue Knights both built and lost leads in the first half before Chris Cronin of Sandwich scored 24 of his 31 total points in the second half. Cronin’s surge proved too great an obstacle to overcome as the Vineyarders fell 64-62 in their final home game of the season. The Vineyard needs to win one of their final three games this coming week to qualify for the playoffs.
The girls hockey team was victorious Saturday at home against Latin Academy/Fontbonne by a 6-4 margin. Team captain Lauren Boyd got the scoring started for the Vineyarders in the first period as Alana Nevin, Ingrid Gunderson and Ava BenDavid bolstered the home team’s lead with scores in the second period. Skyla Harthcock also found the back of the net at the beginning of the final period as Amelia Simmons made 22 saves en route to the Vineyard’s sixth win of the season.
The girls had a quick turnaround as they headed off-Island Sunday to face the Sandwich Blue Knights, one of the best teams in the Cape and Islands league. The Vineyarders fell 5-0 to the Cape powerhouse. They return to action Monday at 1 p.m. against Norwood at home.
On Sunday, the indoor track team was back at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury for the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Last Chance Invitational. The Vineyarders had strong showings from both the boys and girls squads as they faced competition from all corners of the commonwealth.
The girls relay team finished 5th in the 4x800, Charlotte Packer tossed the shot put the 7th farthest, Annabelle Biggs placed 9th in the 300-meter and Catherine Cherry was 10th in the 2 mile. Eloise Christy finished 13th in the 600-meter; her twin sister Adrienne also finished 13th in the 1-mile.
For the boys, Zach Utz placed 6th in the one mile, Joseph Bonneau was 10th in the 55-meter hurdles and Kieran Karabees finished 14th in the 2 mile.
Also on Sunday, the girls basketball team was in action off Island in Sandwich but came up short against Blue Knights, falling 54-37. The two teams were tied 27 all at halftime, but Sandwich held the Vineyard to two points in the third quarter while building a double-digit lead. Taylor Hughes and Kiley Estrella were the high scorers for the Vineyard with 12 and 11 points.
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