One More Time, Fellows: The Vineyarders Play in Championship Match Tomorrow

By ALEXIS TONTI

For the fourth time in five years, Vineyard football is set to play for the state title. After defeating East Boston 17-12 in this week's playoff contest, the Vineyarders now will face Manchester Essex in Saturday's Division VI Super Bowl.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Chelsea High School.

The Super Bowl forecast calls for snow and high winds, a drawback for the Hornets (10-1), whose strength lies in a high-powered aerial attack.

"Their quarterback has thrown for 28 touchdown passes this year and they are a prolific passing team, more so than Nantucket," said Vineyard coach Donald Herman. "But sizewise we have a distinct advantage."

The Vineyarders (11-1) also have the edge on defense. With an average of 6.91 points allowed per game, they rate as one of the top five defenses in eastern Massachusetts. And lately they have come up with the big plays when they needed it most: interceptions, blocked punts and, on Tuesday, a goal-line stand that earned them their Super Bowl berth.

It was the final minute of the Division VI playoff game against East Boston, and the Vineyarders had held the Jets to within four yards of the end zone, bringing up fourth-and-one.

In the decisive play of the game, Vineyard cornerback Seth Coleman batted down an Eastie pass into the end zone. The Vineyarders got the ball back with 16 seconds remaining. A quick kneel ended the game.

The Vineyarders came into Tuesday's game with more than a week's rest. They last played Nov. 22, when they took back the Island Cup and clinched the Mayflower Large League title with a 20-7 win over Nantucket.

East Boston (11-0) had earned its playoff spot by defeating South Boston 36-16 in a Thanksgiving Day game. Offensively the teams were a near even match, with the Vineyard averaging almost 28 points per game and East Boston almost 31.

The contest took place at Satori Stadium in East Boston, the Jets' home field. (It had originally been scheduled for White Stadium, but Jets coach John Sousa had the venue changed.)

The turf already was spotted with snow patches by the time the game began. With the wind chill factor (steady at 25 miles per hour with arctic gusts), the temperature hovered around zero.

But the numbing conditions put off neither the team ("We've seen stronger winds here," said Coach Herman) nor the fans. A slew of Islanders hollered their way through four quarters of football; the aluminum bleachers rattled with feet stamping, as much to keep warm as to cheer. One Vineyard fan bus got lost en route (local exit 24 apparently was sacrificed to the Big Dig) but - when it finally arrived - brought with it a burst of enthusiasm that spread through the stands.

East Boston won the coin toss and deferred its option to the second half. The Vineyarders took the ball but would spend the first quarter driving into a windy wall.

Not that it mattered. Running back J.D. Wild received the opening kickoff, then tore up the middle 81 yards for a touchdown. E.J. Sylvia's extra point put the Vineyard up 7-0.

East Boston came up empty on its first possession. On fourth down their punter lost the ball off a bad snap and recovered, only to be tackled on the Eastie 24 yard line. And so the Vineyard opened its second drive deep in Jets territory.

The Vineyarders ran for short gains, and Kyle Robertson powered in from the one yard line. Another extra point, and the Vineyard was up 14-0.

It was then that the Vineyarders first saw the player who would haunt them throughout the game. Julius Williams took a pitch, swept wide right and ran 62 yards for a touchdown. The Jets' two-point conversion failed, and the score was 14-6 with 3:15 to play in the first quarter.

The Vineyard's next drive (highlighted by John Valley's 16-yard run) carried into the second quarter. The offense pushed to the East Boston 20 before bringing Sylvia out for a field goal attempt. The 37-yard kick banged off the left upright. But Sylvia would not be denied for long.

The Vineyard took over again in the waning moments of the half (in a key fourth-down play, defenseman Dan Defoe had tackled the Jets ball carrier in Vineyard territory). In 31 seconds of explosive football, Wild ran for 34 yards; quarterback Hans Buder threw to Valley for another 20, and Sylvia capped off the drive with a solid 32-yard kick. Halftime, 17-6.

At that point, Coach Herman said afterward, the team still underestimated East Boston a little. But not for long.

In the opening minutes of the third quarter, the Jets carrier Williams ran 39 yards for his second touchdown. Another failed two-point conversion, and the score was 12-17.

"Mayor Menino gave them a pep talk at halftime, and they came out very fired up for the third quarter," Coach Herman said. "For us it was like Nantucket: We had the wind with us in the fourth quarter if we needed it; we just had to survive the third."

The teams battled into the fourth quarter. At 6:26 the Jets took over on downs at their own 40. Their drive, marked by short gains and a willingness to risk the fourth down, would consume the rest of the half.

"We had plenty of opportunities to make tackles for negative yardage, but we missed them," Coach Herman said. "There were two or three plays where missed tackles resulted in positive yardage for East Boston, and that almost came back to haunt us."

Almost.

With 1:15 on the clock, the Jets were first and 10 on the Vineyard's 13 yard line. A Williams run was stopped before it even started.

A minute left, second down. On a quarterback keeper, Jet Aaron Flythe pushed forward for seven yards.

Forty-nine seconds to go, third-and-three, and Eastie took a time out. "We had them right where we wanted them," Coach Herman said. "I asked [my players] how many of them watched the Patriots on Sunday. I said, ‘The Patriots held the Colts, and we have the opportunity to do the exact same thing. More importantly, we have to do it.'"

The teams lined up. Flythe handed off to Williams, who took it two yards to the four.

Twenty seconds remained in the game. With no time outs left, facing fourth and one, East Boston lined up. Flythe threw for the end zone and, in the most beautiful play of the game, Coleman batted down the pass.

Next stop: Super Bowl.

The Vineyard last won a state final in 1999, when they defeated East Boston. But this year's seniors were in eighth grade then, and Saturday marks their last chance to capture a title. "The state championship is the dream of every high school athlete," said Karl Buder, a varsity coach and father of the Vineyard quarterback.

Mr. Buder recalled the championship games in 2000 and 2001: "They were good preparation. The players know the pain, the angst, the long boat ride home. To see how hard these guys have worked and how well they're doing - to see these guys with their chemistry, it's just rewarding to see it all pay off."

Ginger Duarte and C.K. Wolfson also contributed to this story.