Schools
Change is a constant in high school athletics, as players graduate at the end of each year and are replaced the next by a new crop of underclassmen. But as the fall sports season begins this week at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, there is so much change you might need a guide to sort it all out.
The weekend before Thanksgiving will be noticeably less festive on the Vineyard this year as school officials this week confirmed that the storied Island Cup football game with inter-Island rival Nantucket has been cancelled for the first time in almost 50 years.
Sandy Mincone, the new athletic director for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, told the Gazette this week that Nantucket pulled out of the long-standing tradition due to financial reasons.
The Vineyard sent three youth soccer teams to the annual Massachusetts Tournament of Champions this past weekend in Lancaster and each team represented the Island admirably. Both the under-12 team and the under-18 team advanced to the final four of the state tournament, while the under-16 team won a game and tied another before being eliminated.
The Vineyard yet again has several youth soccer teams excelling in the post-season, as the under-12 team heads to league finals, the under 14-team heads to semifinals and the under-16 team has already qualified for the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC).
The regional high school boys’ tennis team fought valiantly on Wednesday in the second round of the Division 3 state tournament against number three seed Dover-Sherborn, but in the end fell to the defending South Sectional champions 4-1.
Despite the loss the Vineyard boys had a remarkable season, going 15-5 overall and advancing to the semifinals of the state tournament for the first time. Dover-Sherborn improved to 16-1 with the win.
Capping off a stellar season, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School senior Mark Reppert captured the 800-metre run at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 3 Track and Field Outdoor Championships held on Sunday at Ipswich High School.
The Vineyard girls’ track team finished 17th overall, while the boys’ team finished 20th.