As the regular season wraps up full of triumphant wins, heartbreaking losses and plenty of nail-biting finishes, four of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School fall sports teams have their sights set on postseason tournaments.
The golf team already has one postseason trophy secured after finishing first out of 13 teams at the MIAA Division 3 Cape and Islands Sectional championship Monday afternoon in Dennis. Sophomore Andrew Marchand led the way for the Vineyarders, fighting blustery winds to shoot 79 on the day, the third best score out of the 78 players in the tournament. Pete Gillis finished in the top 10 with a score of 82, followed by Benny Binder with a score of 84 and Aiden Marek with a score of 89.
The victory means the six-member team that finished the season 14-3 will get a shot at a state title Monday at the Black Swan Country Club in Georgetown. Marchand and Gillis will also play in the state individual tournament.
“They definitely accomplished through hard work more than what was expected this season,” said golf coach Doug DeBettencourt.
Field hockey coach Lisa Knight’s 32nd and final year will continue into the postseason with a chance to improve upon last season’s quarterfinal run in the south sectional tournament. The team is currently 11-3-2 heading into a senior day match against Nauset on Sunday at 11 a.m. A ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. before the game to honor Ms. Knight and 13 senior players, including Hailey Meader, who signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play for Nichols College in Dudley next fall.
The date and location of the field hockey team’s first postseason game has not yet been announced.
“It’s a huge season for us,” said Ms. Knight. “They’re an amazing team. They have exceeded all of my expectations and more.”
The boys soccer team has been dominant throughout their 13-3 season, scoring 53 goals while holding their opponents to just 11 goals. Coach Esteban Aranzabe chalks up the team’s impressive offensive performances to the quick feet of Luidi DeOliveira, Matheus Brito and a team-record 19 goals from Emmanuel Da Silva.
The only team ahead of them in the Cape and Islands League is Nantucket, which beat the Vineyarders 2-0 in a match on the Island. The second game in Nantucket ended in a 0-0 tie. Mr. Aranzabe said the Vineyarders are looking forward to a possible playoff rematch, but added there’s still plenty to improve on in the meantime.
“The team is playing good together, but we still need to work on finishing and putting the ball in the net,” he said.
The boys and girls cross country teams are undefeated heading out of the dual meet season and into the Cape and Islands League eight-team championship meet set for Tuesday at Cape Cod Academy. Coach Joe Schroeder said he believes the streak could continue after the team’s strong showing last Friday at the Twilight Meet in Barnstable where the boys finished sixth out of 34 teams and the girls finished third out of 24. Peter Burke led the charge with a personal record of 16:34 in the five kilometer race, with the next four Vineyard boy finishers less than 50 seconds behind him. Adrienne Christy led the girls with a time of 19:38 and a 27th place finish out of 192 runners, followed close behind by Catherine Cherry with a time of 19:41.
“This part of the season is all about teamwork and getting the team close together,” said Mr. Schroeder. “That’s what we’re trying to instill. Hopefully on Tuesday we’ll see that come to fruition.”
Football coach Don Herman’s comeback season has struggled to gain momentum since starting off with a 55-0 blowout win, the only victory in seven games so far. Despite the disappointing results, Mr. Herman said over the season he’s been impressed by the performances of several key members of the team. He singled out quarterback Ivan Shepard, linebacker Andres Garcia, freshman receiver Antone Moreis, freshman linebacker Jayden Coyle, senior linebacker Michael Courtney and running back Tristan Scheller for keeping the Vineyarders close in each of the season’s tough losses.
“For a team that’s small, we’re fighting and that’s what’s encouraging,” said Mr. Herman.
Though the playoffs are out of reach, three games remain in the season, including the Island Cup at rival Nantucket on Nov. 17.
Hard-fought, narrow losses are the story of the girls soccer team’s season, culminating in a 2-1 loss against Rising Tide at home on Tuesday. Senior Nattielly Dias was the lone scorer on the day and gave the Vineyarders an early lead. The last game of the season is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. at home.
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