Sports highlights

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Bulldogs win the Gridiron Opener

In the past the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team has frequently opened its season with a game versus the Old Rochester Bulldogs. Usually it was a close game.

This year was no exception.

At Mattapoisett, the home team was the first to score.

The Vineyard won the coin toss and elected to receive. Brandon Watkins, a junior, took the kick and returned it to the MV 27. With Delmont Araujo calling signals and Tyler Araujo and Nick Costello carrying the mail, the Islanders systematically ran for two first downs, but with first and ten on the Bulldog 45, the ball was fumbled and Old Rochester recovered. Two penalties, offside and holding, set O.R. back to its own 24. But the running of speedster D.J. MacDonald and Nolan Bergeron advanced the line of scirmmage to the Vineyard 33, from where MacDonald dashed into the end zone, capping a 76 yard drive.

The extra point kick was good and the Bulldogs were up, 7-0.

MV responded with a 61-yard, 11-play scoring effort, Tyler Araujo doing more than his share of rushing, but the final half-yard push was by Chris Parsons.

Ryan Fisher ran for a two point conversion and the Vineyard led at the half, 8-7.

The score remained the same through the third period, but in the final quarter the Bulldogs scored on a halfback option pass from MacDonald to Max Smith, then added two more on a MacDonald run.

O.R. 15, M.V. 8.

As one would expect from a Donald Herman team, the Islanders were in no mood to fold their tents. They moved the ball from their own 37 to the Bulldog 37 when a fumble handed the ball to the Bulldogs. A long scoring MacDonald run was cancelled by an unsportsmanship penalty.

The Islanders took over on their own 33 and began to move the ball through the air on passes to Stuart Hersh and Brandon Watkins, but Bulldog Nolan Bergeron intercepted an Araujo toss, and the game ended with Old Rochester in possession deep in Vineyard territory.

Delmont Araujo proved himself a worthy successor to the amazingly talented Randall Jette at quarterback. Stuart Hersh had a strong game on both offense and defense.

The Vineyard’s next game is at home, Saturday at 1 pm, versus St. Mary’s of Lynn. Also here on Saturday, the field hockey team plays Needham at 10 am, and girls soccer kicks off versus Wellesley at 4 pm.

He can Bear it.

Former Vineyard quarterback Mike McCarthy was named to the New England Football Conference Honor Roll for his season-opening gridiron performance last week. Mike threw for 192 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Bridgewater State Bears 27-0 win over UMass Dartmouth.

Vineyard golfers sink Blue Devils

The MVRHS golf team won its second match, Monday, defeating Chatham at Eastward Ho! Country Club, 4.5 to 1.5. Mike deBettencourt and Chris Morris won their matches in the first flight. Kat deBettencourt won hers in the second, and Matt Marchand won in the third fight.

Mike had the medalist round of 39 on the par 35 course.

MV is 2-1 on the year. It was Chatham’s first match.

Mink Meadows Mashies

A sixteen-week-long golf match came to a close last week at the Mink Meadows Golf Club, Tisbury. Each weekend, competing players with the five lowest scores, using USGA handicaps, were awarded points.

This year’s winner was Constantine “O’Dough” O’Dougherty with an impressive 3591 points. His name will be engraved on the Fred-X cup.

Other members of the top four were George “Doc” Santos Jr. with 3338.5 points, John “Voices” Verrett with 2668.5 points, and Arthur “Rusted” Hitchings at 2658.5 points.

“Fairway Fred” Pekari, for whom the match is named, competed but did not finish in the top echelon.

Over-the-Hill-Gang is reborn

The Vineyard FC Masters over-40s soccer team tied Easton, at Easton, Sunday, 2-2. The game opened the season in the Over The Hill League.

Twenty players made the trip, including many returnees and some players new to the team.

Daniel “Nacho” Vignolo, owner of Island Copper, is the team’s sponsor and coach.

About midway through the first half, Easton beat goalie Lee Carlos and the score stood at 1-0 at the half.

Early in the second period, VFC forward Jonias Assis found himself in a perfect spot to take advantage of a deflection, tucking the ball into the upper left corner of the net, and the score was tied at one.

Easton soon responded, flooding the VFC goal area with players, one of which eluded the Vineyard defense for a second goal.

One down again, the Islanders spent the rest of the game sending wave after wave toward the Easton goal, frequently substituting players to keep fresh legs on the pitch. The effort paid off with a flurry of play in front of the Easton net, which climaxed with a diving header by VFC’s Rudolfo Fernandez.

The VFC Masters host Needham at Veterans’s Memorial Field, Tisbury, tomorrow, Friday, for a 5 pm start. The team travels to West Roxbury on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Soccer feat

Nicholas Andre, 11, of West Tisbury has been selected to the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program. The ODP trains elite young players in a highly competitive environment, run by nationally licensed coaches.

Take a card, any card

Bob Henry and Barbara McLagan were overall winners and tops at East-West in the Island Bridge Club game on Thursday. Story Osborn and Charlie Harff were second; Deidre Ling and Ed Russell were third. Gerry Averill and Anita Persson took fourth place honors.

At North-South the top scorers were Michael and Sandy Lindheimer. Mac Cromwell and Sergio DeChiara were second, Bob Iadicicco and Nancy Neil were third, and Bea Phear and David Donald, fourth. Eleven and a half tables were in play.

At the Bridge Club of Martha’s Vineyard, Saturday, meeting in the Tisbury Senior Center, top scores at North-South were those of Linda and Donad Shaperio. Brooks Robards and Carol Whitmarsh were second.

At East-West the top guns wee Maggie Gasnick and Brenda Davenport. Regina McDonough and Trudy Ulmer were runners up.

81 Run the Chop

Despite the competition of a huge interscholastic Cross Country Meet at the high school and the Warrior Triathlon beginning and ending in Oak Bluffs via Edgartown, West Tisbury and Tisbury, eighty-one road runners turned out for the Run to the Chop 5K, to benefit the Vineyard Haven Library.

First to reach the finish line was 13-year-old Seth Campbell of West Chop, who covered the distance in an impressive 17:58.

Second was Reann Steenkamp, 44, of Vineyard Haven, whose time was 19:40

Mike Goldsmith, 45, of Vineyard Haven was third at 20:23, followed by Spenser Hayley, 30, of Oak Bluffs, the first female to complete the run, at 21:09.

Doug Tan, 32, of Oak Bluffs made it in 21:11; he was fifth.

Steve Katz, 61, of West Tisbury, was sixth at 21:22.

Then came two ladies at 7th and 8th: Emily Gousen, 25, of Arlington, Va., at 21:23 and Hilda Lewis, 30, of Vineyard Haven, in 21:33.

Robert Kania, 59, of Southington, Conn., was ninth at 22:01, and Harold Brown, 37, of Vineyard Haven was 10th in 22:20.

The youngest to finish the race was nine year-old Peter Burke of Tisbury. He was 26th at 26:10.

The senior runner was 78 year-old Cynthia Peterson of Middle Haddam, Conn. Cynthia was 64th in 42:13.

The Tankard 5K

The George V. Tankard Memorial 5K Road Race and one mile Fun Run will be this Saturday, Sept 17, beginning at 10:30 am from the Wesley Hotel, a benefit for the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP.

Youth hockey reminder

Ice Hockey tryouts for the Travel Mites are at 5 pm on Monday and Wednesday, September 19 and 21.

Tryouts for Squirts are Tuesday and Thursday, Sept. 20 and 22, also at 5 pm.

Table tennis season begins

MV Table Tennis begins a new season this week with an expanded playing schedule. Nine of the club’s 50-plus members are rated by the national USA Table Tennis organization to qualify for entry in New England tournaments.

Open club play, which began September 13, is at the West Tisbury School on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and at the YMCA Saturdays and Sundays, 3:30 to 6:30 pm. All player skill levels are invited to play. Equipment is provided.

For more information, call Bob O’Rourke, 508-627-7902.

Correction

In last week’s edition The Times erred in naming George Downing among the Men’s Smooth Doubles tennis players. His real name is Connor Downing. Our informant agrees that “George is a fine name but not one used in our family.”