We are deep in the heart of the fall sports season and the Vineyard high school teams are hitting their stride against some of the toughest competition yet.
We are deep in the heart of the fall sports season and the Vineyard high school teams are hitting their stride against some of the toughest competition yet.
On the cross country team, freshman Ben Fuller broke a Vineyard freshman school record in the 5K by 10 seconds at the Bay State Invitational Saturday in Wrentham. He finished the “sneaky difficult” track in 17:13.5 seconds, placing 25th overall in the Varsity B race. The previous record had stood since 2002.
Coach Joe Schroeder’s team is young, with many of them new to cross country this year. He said the course in Wrentham can run fast but is challenging for those who don’t know it. It was also 83 degrees that day, ideal for a September beach day, but not exactly what you hope for in cross country running.
“It was cooking, the kids were kind of melting,” Coach Schroeder said.
Stands were packed over the weekend as soccer teams played hard and raised money to fight cancer.
Stands were packed over the weekend as soccer teams played hard and raised money to fight cancer.
Despite the weather and the “soul crusher” hills hidden throughout the race, nine of Fuller’s teammates also ran personal bests that day.
“Our kids rose up and did really well; we were psyched,” Coach Schroeder said.
Meanwhile, on the gridiron, the Vineyarders won their second straight game over the weekend against Cape Tech 33-28 on the road. It was a gritty, hard-fought battle that purple won with dominant play in the trenches and a bruising rushing attack.
The senior duo of Simone Arbelaez and Syius Rivera combined for over 200 yards on the ground. Rivera bulldozed his way into the endzone for two touchdowns including the go-ahead with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth, while Arbelaez showcased his speed on a 51-yard touchdown run down the sideline.
If there’s one thing that’s obvious about these boys it’s that they don’t shy away from contact. With one usually leading the way for the other, they lower their shoulders and look to run over any defender in their path.
However, the Vineyard’s offense isn’t all smash-mouth football. The speedy, shifty Matthew Macmillan also rushed for two scores and caught four passes from quarterback William Nicholson.
Helena Goncalves controls the ball.
Helena Goncalves controls the ball.
Up next, the Vineyarders are back on the Cape to face Sandwich in what should be another exciting, tough matchup. Their next home game comes on Oct. 10 against Falmouth at 6 p.m.
The field hockey team has won three in a row dating back to Sept. 16 when they beat Wareham 6-0 on the road. Since then, they have also defeated Brockton 3-0 and Sharon 3-1. It’s an exciting turnaround for a team that has steadily improved after falling in the first three games of their season.
E.B. Carestia earned the two shutouts in net while Savannah Matthews, Bella Burns and Eva Coelho held down the defense in front of her. Offensively, Abby Geary, Paige Smith, Lethicia Diniz, Brynn Savva, Hailey Smith, Carolina Smith and Isla Solon have been contributors during their winning streak.
The girls’ next home game is Saturday at 11 a.m. against Whitman-Hansen.
Team showed tremendous grit on Saturday night.
Team showed tremendous grit on Saturday night.
The golf team has been in some very close matchups lately and split the outcomes evenly. Macallan Moran has been playing very well for the Vineyarders, leading the team in scoring in each of their last two matches. In the win over Cardinal Spellman last Tuesday, he shot even par with a 36 at Farm Neck and his 41 also at Farm Neck was the team’s best in a loss against Barnstable.
This week, the team will be on the Cape to face Sandwich at Sandwich Hallows Golf Club and Sturgis West at Bayberry Hills in West Yarmouth.
On the soccer pitch, the boys and girls teams have also been in some very tight matches lately with the boys defeating Sandwich 1-0 at home last Wednesday and then tying Falmouth 1-1 on Friday.
In the win over Sandwich, Chris Da Silva netted the game-winner which was also his first varsity goal. He also played strong defense to keep the Blue Knight offense at bay while Grady Stalgren earned the shutout in net.
The boys next home game is Thursday against Barnastable at 3 p.m.
Fans show their spirit.
Fans show their spirit.
Last week, the girls went 1-1-1 with a 2-1 win over Sandwich on Wednesday, a 0-0 tie against Falmouth Friday and then a 3-2 loss to Archbishop Williams on Saturday.
The win over Sandwich was especially impressive as the Blue Knights had a five-game winning streak coming into the match. Leah Thompson scored the game winner for MV as Laney Light did a tremendous job in the midfield stifling Sandwich’s attack.
In the tie against the Clippers, it was the first time all season the girls were held scoreless. Falmouth did just enough to keep the Vineyarders out of the net while purple’s defense held true and keeper Lucy Doyle completed her fourth shutout of the season.
The next day was another tough test against Archbishop Williams. MV was up 1-0 at the half on a Charlotte Sebastian score but the Bishops roared ahead for a 2-1 lead in the second. The Vineyarders netted the equalizer with three minutes left as Eleanor Mone pinpointed a perfect free kick from 30 yards out into the upper left corner of the net. Unfortunately, the game ended in heartbreak as a Vineyard back pass to the goalie took an unexpected bounce and rolled in for an own-goal with two minutes left.
It was a tough way to lose but these girls will bounce back. The team next plays three away games on the Cape against Monomoy, Sturgis West and Saint John Paul II. Their next home game will be Oct. 11 at 11:30 a.m. against Milford.
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