Champs Indeed
One year ago, following the bitter 25-20 Island Cup defeat in Nantucket, J.D. Wild crouched at midfield, reached down, snatched up a piece of turf from the Whaler field, and held it aloft. He took it home as motivation for the next encounter, which would be his final home game in a Vineyard uniform. Every player who has ever worn the purple and white dreams of defeating Nantucket in their senior year.
Saturday, on a sunwashed fall afternoon at Dan McCarthy Field, Wild ran for two touchdowns as he and his teammates stood up to every weapon Nantucket could throw at them. A James Rebello interception and a blocked punt by Zach Mahoney set up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to break open a nail-biter as the Vineyarders reclaimed the Island Cup with a 20-7 victory.
"It's [the turf] still in my house right now," J.D. Wild said after the emotional win. "I can't tell you how much this means to me. I've seen five of my teammates crying. This is our life. We grow up as kids and look at this game. I can't even put it in words. It's unbelievable."
For Head Coach Donald Herman, the victory was sweet redemption for last year's loss.
"I feel fantastic," Coach Herman said. "This has been a year in the waiting. It's very gratifying. I can't say enough for the effort of our guys and our coaches. They make my job a lot easier."
The 10-1 Purple clinched the Mayflower Large title with a perfect 5-0 record and will start the division 6 playoffs against either East Boston or South Boston in the capital on Dec. 2. The Whalers suffered their first league defeat and finished the season at 7-3. Nantucket still holds a 17-9 advantage in the Island Cup and leads 35-19-3 overall through 50 years of the series.
The game didn't come down to the final play as it had in 2002, but the 26th Island Cup was an intense, thrilling game of football, played by two excellent teams. Both sides played to their strengths--the Vineyard by land, the Whalers by air. Ultimately, Nantucket was done in by the Vineyard defense and one crucial error on special teams. The Vineyard offense, though not prolific, capitalized on golden opportunities, and by its rugged nature, wore the Whalers down.
Brad Cortez returned the opening kickoff 32 yards, but the Whaler defense rose to the challenge after giving up one first down.
Nantucket immediately showcased its vaunted passing attack, led by senior Ryan Sosebee (9 for 14, 132 yards), who was an equal threat with his feet. The swift and agile quarterback moved confidently downfield in a no-huddle offense, mixing play action passes and slants over the middle, with the occasional run. The drive established a pattern, however. Although, the Whalers were consistently dangerous and accrued good yardage, (155 in the first half), the Vineyarders eventually stopped them.
After the second Purple possession went wanting, the Whalers started their next drive at the 38. Sosebee completed three passes and Nantucket closed out the 1st quarter at the M.V. 41 - good field position to be sure, but they had failed to take advantage of the strong wind at their backs.
On 3rd and 3 from the 34, Adam Goodwin ran for 20 yards. With the Whalers threatening to draw first blood, Adam Petkus stepped up and intercepted a Sosebee floater. It was the first of four Whaler turnovers and the first big swing in momentum.
J.D. Wild took that momentum and carried it 39 yards downfield on the next play, putting the Purple at the Nantucket 37. Three plays later, QB Hans Buder showed the Whalers that the Vineyarders could also play the passing game, by completing a perfect play action strike to John Valley for 29 yards. Kyle Robertson plunged ahead for a big first down at the 6 and J.D. Wild (10 carries for 87 yards) completed the 76-yard march with his 19th touchdown of the season. E.J. Silvia added the PAT for a 7-0 M.V. lead. The drive was just what the Vineyarders needed. They kept the Nantucket offense off the field and put a little wear and tear into the Whaler D.
As the first half came to a close, the Vineyard defense was starting to catch up with Sosebee and his shotgun attack. They applied consistent pressure, closed off passing lanes, and flushed him from the pocket, without giving his fancy feet as much room to maneuver.
The Whalers fumbled the ball at their 35 to start the second half, but the Vineyarders failed to cash in. Still, the turnover was a bad omen for Nantucket. The real drama unfolded at the end of the period. With the Vineyard pinned back at the seven yard line, Kyle Robertson's punt from the end zone died in the wind at the 20 and rolled slowly to the 26. What should have been a 1st and 10 from the M.V. 26, with the Whalers in good striking distance to tie the game at 7, turned into a Nantucket nightmare. Before the ball came to a complete stop, Whaler John Farrell made contact with it and John Valley leaped on the live ball. Thus, the play turned into a 19 yard Vineyard gain and kept the M.V.drive alive. The Purple moved the ball to the Whaler 42 to close out the 3rd quarter, thanks to a 15 yard J.D. Wild run and some artful dodging from Hans Buder.
The drive stalled, but Kyle Robertson now had the wind at his back and booted the ensuing punt to the Whaler 13. After one first down, Nantucket stood at the 27. The next play proved to be the Whalers' undoing.
Ryan Sosebee dropped back to pass and underthrew his target. James Rebello snagged the ball at the 36 and ran to the Whaler 13. Two plays later, J.D. Wild scored his 20th TD of the season on a 12 yard sweep to the right. With six minutes to play, the Vineyard led 14-0.
Nantucket started anew at their 20, but by now, the Whaler offense held few surprises. The offensive line began to break down and allow constant Vineyard pressure. Enter Zach Mahoney. First, he sacked Sosebee for a 5 yard loss. Next, he blocked the Whalers' punt. Then, he caught the final Vineyard touchdown on a 9 yard pass from Hans Buder.
The PAT missed wide right and the score stayed at 20-0.
One question remained: Could the Vineyarders finish their league schedule without conceding a single point? Unfortunately, no.
Coach Vito Capizzo's proud team had one last drive in them. With a mere 27.4 seconds remaining, Sosebee lobbed a perfect 25 yard pass to Tyler Santos in the left corner of the endzone to cap the six play, 68 yard drive and end the Vineyard shutout streak.
No matter, that was all forgotten when the Island Cup came back home.
Fan Bus to Boston for Playoff
A fan bus will be running to the Vineyard's MIAA Division 6 semi-final game at Boston's White Stadium in Franklin Park, Tuesday, Dec. 2. Game time is 4 pm and admission will be $5-7.
Passes for the boat and bus are free of charge, courtesy of the M.V. Touchdown Club and will be issued on a first come, first serve basis in the MVRHS cafeteria, Monday, Dec. 1 from 10:45 to 12:30.
The trip departs from Vineyard Haven on the 1:30 ferry and returns on the 8:45 boat from Woods Hole.
A second bus is possible.
