The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team literally fumbled away the chance for a state championship on Saturday, turning the ball over four times in the first half en route to a 40-19 loss to Amesbury in the Eastern Massachusetts Division 3A Super Bowl at Bentley University.

Although the matchup between the Vineyard football team and visiting Cape Cod Tech team last Friday under the lights at the regional high school was billed as the most important game of the season, in the end it wasn’t even close.

The Vineyarders scored early and often against their conference rival, and won easily 35-8, in the process taking one step closer to punching their ticket to the playoffs.

In the start of what is expected to be another strong season, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School hockey team rolled over Mansfield at home Saturday 7-1 before taking down perennial power Whitman Hanson two days later 4-2.

The Vineyarders took eight shots on goal in the first period against Mansfield Saturday and connected three times as Jock Cooperrider, Elliot Bilzerian and Tad Gold all found the back of the net. Nick Billingham gave the home team a fourth goal in the second period, and the Vineyarders added three more in the final frame.

Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls’ and boys’ cross-country teams capped off another strong season last weekend at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association division III finals.

The girls finished 14th overall at the division meet held at Franklin Park in Boston, while the boys finished 15th. Only the top five teams advance to the all-state meet held tomorrow, also at Franklin Park.

It was a cold day for Nantucket in more ways then one Saturday, as the surging Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team easily defeated the once mighty Whalers by a score of 43-22 in a game not nearly as close as the final score indicated to take the Island Cup for the sixth year in a row.

Vineyarders coach Donald Herman emptied his bench at the start of the second half and the Whalers got two touchdown passes late from quarterback Chris Welch to make the score respectable, but the outcome of the game was never in doubt.

After years of going without a conference affiliation, all but a handful of the athletic teams of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High school finally found a home this week when the Eastern Athletic Conference voted unanimously to accept the Vineyard into its ranks.

The principals and athletic directors of the Eastern Athletic Conference voted without dissent on Wednesday to accept the Vineyard as the newest member of the four-school athletic conference. The vote took place at the conference’s regular meeting held at Somerset High School.

The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys’ tennis team is offering its services to any business or individual who needs help around their home or place of business in exchange for a financial donation to the team.

In the past the tennis booster club has held an annual round robin tennis tournament and solicited donations from local businesses. It was a lot of work and the club was always contending with weather.

This year the booster club, comprised of team parents, decided to give the boys ownership of the team fundraising.

Ten smiling students will appear in the Gazette next week as the top-ranking academic performers in the 2008 graduating class of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, following a decision by high school principal Margaret (Peg) Regan to continue a longstanding tradition.

What was supposed to be a nice matinee match-up between two high school basketball teams turned into an all-out war on Saturday, as the Vineyard and Wayland waged battle for four periods and three overtimes in arguably one of the best games ever played at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

After nearly three hours of play, countless lead changes and more twists than a Russian novel, the Warriors finally prevailed over the Vineyarders by a final of 66-63 to send the packed crowd home disappointed but undoubtedly entertained.

Although the regular spring sports season for high school athletics is inching to a close, several teams will be starting a second season this week when they play in the opening round of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.