As Fall Sports Seasons Close, Tournament Play Opens Door
Ivy Ashe

Football plays its second-to-last home game of the season tonight at 6:30 p.m., taking on Eastern Athletic Conference opponent Bishop Stang.

The field hockey squad took on Plymouth South in its first post-season game on Thursday afternoon. Game coverage is available online at www.mvgazette.com

Boys’ soccer plays its first tournament game in an away game against Scituate Sunday at 3:30 p.m., and the varsity cross country runners compete in the Coaches’ Invitational this Saturday in Wrentham.

Read More

Field Hockey, Golf Team Advance to State Tournament, Football Falls in Homecoming
Ivy Ashe

The Vineyard field hockey and golf teams have both qualified for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament.

Read More

Concussions: Island Serves as Model in Tackling Sports Injuries
Ivy Ashe

Junior defensive end Aaron Lowe’s head hurt after the Sept. 15 football game against Bristol-Plymouth. It wasn’t the score of the game causing the headache — the Vineyard had just taken an exciting 28-26 win. Rather, Aaron had suffered a mild concussion after taking a hit during a routine play. Donald Herman, the seasoned high school football coach, noticed Aaron seemed a bit confused after the game and sent him to see athletic trainer Tania Laslovich. The next day Ms. Laslovich gave Aaron a cognitive test to determine the severity of the concussion.

Read More

Vineyard Swamps Nantucket in 34-0 Shutout
Joshua Sabatini

More than 2,000 fans were on hand last Saturday to watch the Vineyarders harpoon the Nantucket Whalers 34-0, winning a third consecutive Island Cup for the first time since the trophy was created in 1978.

By halftime of last Saturday's game, with Vineyard's 34 points already on the board, the battle was apparently over. In the second half, spectators - bundled in jackets and hats to block the northeast wind - began to converse with their peers rather than pay particular attention to the game.

Read More

Battle for Island Cup Is Set for Saturday
Joshua Sabatini

Forget the season behind them; forget the playoffs ahead. This week, for the football squad and fans alike, Saturday's battle for the Island Cup - like many a legendary sports rivalry - is the only thing that matters.

Martha's Vineyard enters Saturday's game against Nantucket at 9-1, having already clinched the Mayflower League Large title. The Vineyarders have outscored opponents 180-40 in their last five games.

At 5-4, the visiting Whalers have had a disappointing season. But ending the trophy's two-year stay on the Vineyard would turn it into a successful one.

Read More

Vineyard Loses Clash with Nantucket for Right to Island Cup
Brett Ferry

The Vineyard's winning season ended on Saturday afternoon with a narrow 25-20 loss to Nantucket. The annual Island Cup match at Nantucket was a decisive game for the Vineyard, the last hurdle the team needed to clear in order to advance into post-season play.

In the first half, when winds gusted close to 30 knots, both teams managed one touchdown. Nantucket's extra point gave them a 7-6 lead at halftime. The wind factor was most apparent after the Vineyard's touchdown when Ben

Read More

Super Bowl Champs! First Time Since 1999, and It Feels Just Fine

Thirty-four seconds remained on the clock. The Manchester Essex Hornets had just scored on a quarterback sneak to put them within two points of the Vineyard in the Division VI Super Bowl. The Vineyard defense, in a moment reminiscent of their playoff match against East Boston, faced a game-threatening situation in the final seconds.

Read More

Senior Gustavo Simoes Makes the Cut: Center Goes from Futbol to Football
Max Hart

When taken out of context, listening to Gustavo Simoes talk about
football can be quite confusing.

"I played football all the time as a kid in Brazil," the
high school senior and Vineyarders center said after practice Monday.
"And I had seen football on TV, too, but I never played it until I
came here."

Put in context, the confusion is easily sorted out.

Read More

Valiant Vineyarders Bring Home the Cup
Max Hart

With five seconds left in the biggest game of his life, with crazed
fans screaming at him from every direction and with everything riding on
his right foot, E.J. Sylvia delivered.

Read More

Island Cup Victory Punctuates Season
Max Hart

With less than four minutes left in the Martha's Vineyard-Nantucket football game Saturday, several Vineyard players snuck up behind special teams, linebacker and tight end coach Stephen Barbee and doused him with a large Gatorade bucket full of ice water.

The traditional prank was a fitting end to the afternoon for a coach who saw all three of his units play a starring role in the Vineyard's convincing 27-12 win over the archrival Whalers on a bright but chilly day at McCarthy Field.

Read More

Pages