The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team cruised to a 38-12 win in their home opener against Sharon Saturday afternoon.

Senior quarterback William Nicholson, senior Harrison Lazarus, senior Syius Rivera, junior Matthew Macmillan and freshman Otho Nunes led their team to a huge win over the non-conference opponent, bringing their overall record to 1-1.

The Vineyarders showcased their firepower on both sides of the ball. The game began on a high note when Nicholson made two running plays that led to the Vineyarders’ first touchdown. Sharon responded with a touchdown of their own, but the Vineyard fired back with another score, leading at the end of the first quarter 14-6.

Right before halftime, junior Brett Regan kicked a field goal, putting the Vineyard ahead 17-6.

Quarterback William Nicholson gains ground with a run.

Ray Ewing

Quarterback William Nicholson gains ground with a run.

Ray Ewing

Success continued in the third quarter, when sophomore Matthew Alves had trouble with a pass from Nicholson but then recovered to it and brought it over the goal line. The team led 24-6 at the end of the third quarter, and then scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the decisive win.

According to head coach Tony Mottola, the result was due to hard work from both players and coaches.

“I felt like it was a great team effort. I thought the O-line did a great job. I thought our D-line did a great job, and going right across the board, I thought our coaching staff just did a great job of preparing them,” he said.

The sense of urgency and focus has been instrumental to the start of the season, according to Mr. Mottola. A key moment was when Nunes opened the second quarter with an interception.

“We had a freshman that made an interception and that was all based off of him watching film and knowing exactly what he was going to do and get himself in a good position to be successful,” he said.

The spirit on the sidelines was strong.

Ray Ewing

The spirit on the sidelines was strong.

Ray Ewing

Stands were filled with Vineyard fans — parents and students alike. The Minnesingers began the day with a performance of the National Anthem, the Rise dance team performed at halftime to an energetic soundtrack, and the cheerleading squad lifted spirits throughout the game.

Putting together four complete quarters is something that Mr. Mottola hopes to replicate as the season continues.

“I thought that our consistency throughout the whole game was really good, and something that we’re going to kind of use [to] hopefully propel us into next week and moving forward.”

The Vineyarders’ next game is Saturday, Sept. 26 against Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich.