The march to the postseason continued this week with split results; the boys’ basketball team secured an easy victory on Tuesday while the girls took a hard-fought loss. Both basketball squads need just one more win to clinch a spot in the postseason tournament. Meanwhile, the fledgling swim team, hampered by illness and injury, hosted Sacred Heart in a close meet on Monday, but ultimately came up short.
League play begins this week for three teams, with boys’ basketball and boys’ hockey facing two of their toughest opponents of the season in home matchups. Basketball takes on Eastern Athletic Conference rival Bishop Feehan on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., while hockey plays Coyle and Cassidy Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Like teams staking out turf on the ballfield, nearly 30 students, coaches, parents and school administrators this week debated the merits and weaknesses of a proposed zero-tolerance policy for high school athletes caught using drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
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.
Unlike the world of professional sports, the concept of a dynasty is not often associated with high school athletics. Because students filter through the system every four years, the success of any high school team changes from year to year as players graduate and underclassmen move up take their place.
The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are continuing a tradition of excellence this season, with the boys sporting a 5-0 record and the girls a 4-0 record. For coach Joe Schroeder’s Vineyard team, this year’s impressive run is just the latest in a recent string of dominance.
Last Thursday, both the boys’ and girls’ teams overwhelmed Bishop Connolly in Fall River, each winning the top five slots. Megan Dreyer took first for the girls and Robbie Osmers led the boys.
The undefeated Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls lacrosse team defeated Oliver Ames at home on Wednesday by a final score of 8-3 in the first round of the Division II state tournament.
The game was especially physical and played in the rain on a wet and sometimes slippery field.
With the win, the number-one seeded Vineyarders advanced to the second round of the tournament, which will be played at home either Friday or Saturday.
Hayley Pierce led Vineyarders with three goals; while Sophie Lew and Laura Jernegan each had two goals.
There were no vuvuzelas at Veterans Memorial Park in Vineyard Haven when the Island’s U-13 boys’ travel soccer team approached their playoff game on Saturday, but the lack of long plastic horns did not make it that much quieter than the World Cup games going on at the same time in South Africa.
Nearly all of the Vineyard teams compete at home this week; of particular note are the sailing team’s races against Harwich on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Competition takes place on Lagoon Pond and can be viewed from Sailing Camp Park.
Baseball
The Vineyarders rose to the challenge of playing three games in two days last week, taking home two wins on clutch performances.
“Two out of three was pretty awesome,” head coach Gary Simmons said. “Things are falling into place.”
