Island Cup
Island Cup
November 27, 2003
Sweet Revenge: Vineyard Recaptures Cup
Sweet Revenge: Vineyarders Recapture Cup
By ALEXIS TONTI
After winning the 26th annual Island Cup and clinching the
Mayflower Large League title last Saturday, the Vineyarders now
advance to the playoffs, where they will compete for a spot in the
Division VI superbowl.
The playoff game is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m.
at White Stadium in Franklin Park, south of Boston. The Vineyarders
will face East Boston, which defeated South Boston 36-16 in a game
played yesterday.
November 21, 2003
Dear Nantucket: You Owe Us $63.50 on the Cup
The Island Cup is a treasure shared by two Islands. Though tarnished, occasionally dropped and frequently squeezed, its significance has only increased. For 25 years the cup continues to be photographed, celebrated and coveted by athletes. And tomorrow, when Nantucket meets Martha’s Vineyard on the football gridiron, the cup is up for grabs again.
November 28, 2002
Vineyard Loses Clash with Nantucket for Right to Island Cup
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
November 22, 2002
Island Football Rivalry Spans the Generations
The record shows that in 1953, an informal team of Vineyarders played football against Nantucket High School, losing 33-20. A rematch the next year yielded a scoreless tie.
Five years later, in 1959, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School opened its doors, bringing together under one roof the ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th-graders from all six Island towns. This school consolidation enabled the Island to field an interscholastic football team for the first time, and official competition against Nantucket High School began in 1960.
November 22, 2001
Vineyard Swamps Nantucket in 34-0 Shutout
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.
November 15, 2001
Battle for Island Cup Is Set for Saturday
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.
November 24, 2000
Vineyard Dominates Nantucket; Sets Sights on Super Bowl Game
The Vineyard varsity football team rolled over Nantucket by a score of 31-6 Saturday, winning on Nantucket soil for only the third time since 1978 in a contest whose outcome was never really in doubt.
From the beginning to end, last year’s Island Cup champions controlled the game, holding their opponents defensively and blowing past them on offense.
“It was total domination,” said head coach Donald Herman, who has described his team’s past 20 and 30-point shutouts as fair and even downright bad performances.
November 17, 2000
Island Rivalry: Football Team Battles for Cup On Nantucket
Saturday’s game for the Island Cup is one of the most-storied high school rivalries in the country, and the defining moment for a Vineyard culture that flourishes for three months every year.
But unlike the shedding trees or shrinking afternoons that mark the end of what is arguably one of the nicest times of year on the Island, football season goes out with a bang.
November 26, 1999
Vineyard Crushes Weak Nantucket Team On the Road to State Super Bowl Final
The Cup is home.
Sparked by the spirited play of junior Jeff Lynch and his two touchdowns, the Martha’s Vineyard football squad recaptured the Island Cup last Saturday, defeating Nantucket 38-12. The win marked the end of the Vineyarders’ perfect 10-0 regular season and secured them a spot in the Division 5 Super Bowl on Dec. 4 at Boston University.
November 27, 1998
Vineyard Loses Nantucket Heartbreaker
As Vineyard coach Don Herman arrived at Nantucket’s football field carrying the Island Cup last Saturday, a couple of fans wearing Nantucket sweatshirts jokingly offered to take it from him. Coach Herman smiled politely, clutched the Cup a little tighter, and kept walking.
Nantucket’s team was finally able to wrest the Cup from the coach’s grasp, but it took all 40 minutes of the game to do so. In a brave effort, the Vineyarders came back from a 21-6 halftime deficit to tie the game before Nantucket prevailed by the final score of 27-21.
