The remainder of the Vineyard regional high school football season, including the Island Cup, will be cancelled due to a lack of available players. 

Football Coach Tony Mottola made the call on Saturday to not go forward with the rival game against Nantucket as injuries stacked up on the team, which was already down several players. 

“Each week we have been trying to put it together,” the coach said in an interview. “Their bodies are getting worn down…It kind of all came to a head and became a safety issue.”

The Vineyard team, which is 2-4 on the season, started in September with 36 players on the roster. A couple players dropped off, seven had season-ending injuries and six in the past week were dismissed from the team due to disciplinary reasons. 

The team had dropped to about 22 active players, and then more players were injured in recent weeks, meaning there were times where there would be between 15 to 18 players at practice for the 11 positions each on offense and defense. Continuing to play would have entailed asking 14- to 17-year olds to play 100-plus snaps, potentially not at full strength.

“I know the timing isn’t ideal because it’s the Island Cup,” Coach Mottola said. “My job is to have the safety of the kids in the forefront…We obviously felt as a staff that this was the right thing to do.” 

Players were informed of the decision on Saturday, and a booster parade for the team planned for the down-Island towns on Sunday was cancelled. 

“The kids were upset,” Coach Mottola said. “Obviously they are competitors and they want to play.” 

The last several games have been hard to get through, with some players filling in at positions they have never played before. A majority of the team was playing every snap, further contributing to students being run down. 

Going into the Dennis-Yarmouth game on Friday at home, Coach Mottola asked the referees to not stop the clock in the second half to limit the length of the game. During the Sandwich matchup, the team was held together with proverbial “duct tape.”

“We were teetering on someone getting significantly hurt,” the coach said. 

With the state of the team, Coach Mattola said it wouldn’t have mattered where the Vineyard was in the season, he would have made the same call.

“It’s unfortunate it was Nantucket but it really wouldn’t have made a difference if it was Mashpee week,” he said. 

The news has been hard for players, but Liz Barnes, the president of the Martha's Vineyard Touchdown Club said she understood. 

“The kids were willing to fight for their Island and would have given it everything they have,” she said. “But I think this is in the best interest.”

Her son, Harrison Lazarus, has been filling in several other positions. Coach Mattola said he’s had instances where players had to swap jerseys during the middle of games so they could be wearing the proper number for the new positions. 

“My son played new position the last two weeks, as did his teammates,” Ms. Barnes said. 

Both the coach and Ms. Barnes hoped this would be a one-off situation as the football program has put an emphasis on the younger grades in an attempt to bolster the future numbers.

“This is a glitch and the Vineyard has been through tougher things and we will win in the long run,” Ms. Barnes said. 

In a letter to parents, Coach Mottola said he was proud of his players' heart throughout the season.

“We are proud of the effort, dedication, and heart our players have shown all season,” he wrote. “We will continue to support them through the remainder of the school year and look ahead to rebuilding and returning stronger.”