Sports
"Great stuff"
A week ago Vineyard high school boys tennis coach Ned Fennessey characterized his team's hard-fought defeat of Somerset, 3-2, as "great stuff." Monday, after the third- seeded Islanders edged Norwell, the sixth seed, by the same 3-2 margin, the dean of the MVRHS coaching staff allowed himself the liberty to quietly remark with a smile and a wink, "greater stuff."
After nearly three hours, the Vineyard's hopes rested on young Reid Yennie. Photo by Ralph Stewart
It took almost three hours of tennis to reach a conclusion as "neither team gave any quarter," the coach said. "Three of the five contests went to three sets and the outcome was in doubt until the very end."
The Vineyard's first doubles team, Dylan Hutchinson and Win Grimm, did make quick work of their opponents, Tim Delferro and Tim Healy, 6-2, 6-3.
At first singles, Andrew McHugh started slowly and trailed in the first set 1-4 before he found Jay Wright's weaknesses. He charged back, evened the match at 5-5, then took the next two games to take the set 7-5. McHugh swept the second set, 6-2, giving the home team a 2-0 lead.
At third singles, Nik Wojkielo lost his first set 6-3 but rebounded to take the second by the same 6-3 count. The score was tied at 3-3 in the deciding set when Tom Koch of Norwell reeled off the next three games for a 6-3 win. That brought the Clippers closer, but they still trailed, 2-1.
At second doubles, Islanders Zach Rubin and Grant McCarthy lost the first set, 3-6. In set two they fell behind, 0-3 and 1-4 before forging a comeback that brought them to a tie-breaker at 6-6. The Vineyarders went ahead 5-2 only to see Norwell win three of the next four points to pull within one, 5-6. Zack and Grant prevailed 7-5 to force a third set in which Norwell proved too much and won, 6-1.
Now the match was even and all turned their attention to the only match remaining at second singles where sophomore Reid Yennie faced Keegan Allahyarian, a senior. Well matched, the players seemed equal in athleticism and stroke production. Reid jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set only to see Keegan run off four games and take a 4-3 lead. They fought each other to a standstill and got to a 6-6 tiebreaker. Now one of the players had to win by two points and Allahyarian proved equal to the task, winning the set, 7-6.
Undaunted, Yennie charged back in the second set, 6-4.
Now the match depended on the conclusion of set three.
Yennie had a 2-1 lead in games, then lost the next two and trailed, 2-3. Playing determined tennis, Reid broke Keegan's serve and evened things at 3-3. Momentum favored Yennie and he reeled off the next three games to nail the third set, 6-3, and give the Vineyard the win, 3-2.
The Islanders' (15-4) next task involves facing Dover-Sherborn Regional at Dover, Wednesday. D-S is seeded second in Division 3 with a record of 15-1. They trounced Fairhaven, 5-0, Monday to advance to the semi-finals with Martha's Vineyard.
Dover Sherborn won Division 2 last year.
Molly Fischer's shot on goal is snagged. Photo by Ralph Stewart
The end of a long and scenic road
It was not their finest hour, but the high school girls lacrosse team has had so many fine hours it would have been difficult in any case to surpass all of them.
But Hingham was the better team last Saturday and deserved the 12-8 win. Their passing game was superior. They were fleet of foot and accurate in their shots on goal.
The Vineyarders started well and when Laura Jernegan scored her third goal of the contest 16:30 into the game, the Vineyarders enjoyed a 5-2 lead. But 14 seconds later Hingham scored its third goal and then its fourth, and fifth and sixth followed in the time remaining to reach the half ahead, 6-5.
The second period was pretty much all Hingham.
It took the Harbor ladies less than a minute to score their seventh goal. Hayley Pierce responded by scooping up a rebound of her own blocked shot and slipping it past the Hingham goalie. But then Hingham scored four goals in a row, putting the game on ice.
The Vineyarders would score twice in the closing minutes but the horse had left the barn and Hingham rode off with a 12-8 win and the Vineyard was through for the year.
But what a year!
Laura Jernegan led Vineyard scorers with four goals. Hayley Pierce had two. Kate Cecilio and Brianna Davies also scored. Goalie Zoe Fisher made eight saves.
Congratulations and a hearty thanks to the team and its coaches for a most enjoyable ride.
Have ball, will travel
The under-10 boys travel soccer team thumped Norton at the West Tisbury school, Sunday, 8-1. Six MV players scored: Owen Hess (2), Nainoa Cooperrider (2), Jonathan Santana, Owen Hess, Zachary Danz, and Theo Guerin.
It was the team's sixth win against no losses and one tie.
This Sunday the U-10s will be at Fall River.
Also Sunday, the under-14 boys team edged Taunton, 2-1, and the under-16 boys got by New Bedford, 1-0. The under-18 boys beat Westport, 4-1.
The under-16 girls team lost to Sandwich, 0-6 and the U-13 girls lost to Sandwich, here, 0-4.
Jessica Campbell splits the Sandwich defense in the under-13 match.
Ethan Mendez finishes a perfect shot to put the MV United
under-10 squad up 2-0 over Norton. Photos by Ralph Stewart
MVGYL teams win
The M.V. Girls Youth Lacrosse under-15 team beat visiting Hanover last weekend with four goals each by Alayna Hutchinson and Jennie Lindland and single goals by Hannah Moore, Zoe Nugent, and Taylor Poggi.
The under-13 girls also won by a single point with three goals by Aubrey Ashmun, two by Leila Gardner, and one each by Shannon Morris and Erin Hill. Sam Hargy made six saves in goal.
The Vineyarders are home to Weymouth this Sunday at 1 pm at the high school in their final game of the regular season.
Boys Youth Lax
The U-11 Boys Youth Lacrosse team lost its game to Scituate, 12-3. Henry Wallace did all of the MV scoring.
The U-13s got by Scituate, 6-5, on three goals by Spencer Schofield and one each from Weyman Harrison, Greg McCarron, and Thomas O'Shaughnessy.
The U-15 squad was drubbed by Scituate, 13-2. Tyler Paulson and Thomas Wilkens scored for the Islanders.
All teams will be home to Cohasset on Saturday.
The Legend's latest
Kim O'Callaghan sent The Times a copy of Bill Brown's latest communiqué from Nepal and the Mount Everest marathon.
"I'm not sure about the first American. I think I was (first) because there were only a few of us. I think I came in around 80 out of 106. I hooked up with a bud from New Zealand who was sick so I stayed with him for the second part of the race. All in all it wasn't a race but a day of survival. It was minus 15 Centigrade the night before at base camp. I didn't sleep at all. We hiked Kala Patar two days out then up to base camp the day before. We ran on ice back to Borek Shep with rocks falling down on us from overhead. Not for the weak of heart.
We have a three-hour hike today followed by a five-hour hike tomorrow back to Lukla. We spent three days at Gorek Shep snowed in. Crazy."
MVRHS sailing finale ends
The high school sailing team took to the water Saturday at Clark's Cove in New Bedford in the Cape & Islands Championship regatta, the sailors' last event of the season.
Led by senior co-captains Conor Lodge and Emmie Schreck, the team also included Julie Pringle, Solvig Sayre, and Jesse Thomas. Twelve teams sailed in two divisions with five races in each division. Breezes were shifty out of the west at the outset, but a sea breeze filled in for the afternoon's fifth race in each series.
The Vineyarders placed fourth, only five points out of second place.
The team finished the season ranked 10th of 150 registered teams for team racing in New England and first in the Cape & Islands League.
Congratulations to the sailors and bon voyage to the seniors: Emmie Scheck, Conor Lodge, Becker Awqatty, Beau Monast, Paul Bagnall, and Justin Kane.
Baseball Babes
The Island's three Babe Ruth teams had a busy weekend.
On Friday pitchers Noah Stobie and Ramon Estino held the Irving Oil nine of Falmouth to a single run as the Vineyard Bonitos were crossing the plate ten times.
Saturday, the Bonitos lost to the Red Sox, 8-7, at Mashpee. Sunday, at Falmouth the Bonitos won twice, 6-5 and 8-4.
The Vineyard Sharks have won 8, lost one and tied one. Last weekend they swept two double-headers versus Mashpee, 6-1 and 10-9, and Falmouth 15-4 and 4-2.
The Babe Ruth teams are coached by Paul Hakala, Ray Tattersall, Taylor Ives, and Kyle Crossland.
His work on the rings was Thomas Goodell's ticket to Cincinnati.
Fling on the rings
Thomas Goodell, 15, of West Tisbury, competed in the 14-to 15-year-old age group at the National Gymnastics meet in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 5 to 11. After two days of competition in six events, Thomas stood ranked at 67th. His 17th place on the rings qualified him for the second day of competition during which his rings score of 13.55 tied him for third with Ian Thompson of Texas behind Donnell Whitenburg of Maryland and Devon Bennett of Texas.
Of the 16 qualifying boys from New England, Thomas ranked fifth overall.
Thomas was unable to compete last year due to injuries.
Mark, Kim to the States
At the MIAA Eastern Mass. Championships track and field meet in Ipswich, Saturday, the Martha's Vineyard girls finished 17th with 10 points and the boys were 20th, also with 10 points. The Wellesley girls won, scoring 67 points to beat out Bishop Feehan with 64.
Bishop Feehan won the boys meet with 54.5 to Hingham's 48.
The Vineyard's Mark Reppert dove across the finish line just nipping Andy Sukeforth of Middleboro and winning the 800-meter race. Mark's winning time was 1:58.29 Sukeforth was a fraction of a second behind at 1:58.38.
Kim Carlomagno took second place in the 400m dash in 60.69 behind Hannah O'Flynn of Ipswich who finished in 58.62 and just ahead of Cali Peffer of Wilmington.
Mark and Kim qualify for the State Championships at Fitchburg
Also earning points for the Vineyard was the girls 4x400 relay team which finished fifth in 4:14.05: Megan Dreyer, Maddie Penicaud, Lauren Lucas, and Kim Carlomagno. The 4x100 team finished 13th: Alexia Schroeder, Christine Janak, Kia Minor, Maggie Lindland.
The girls 4x800 team was 12th. Hilary Dreyer finished 11th in the mile at 5:28.9.
Doug Asselin finished 8th in the 400m hurdles at 59:41.
Also ran: Marcus Hopkins in the 200m dash, Emma Lee Iversen in the 100m hurdles.
Major mastery
Last Wednesday the Cardinals bested the Tigers at Veira Park, 15-10. The Bengals led 8-2 after two innings with timely hitting by Mitchell Chaves, Silas Berlin, and Emerson Mahoney whose three hits included an inside-the-park home run. But the Cards came storming back with hits by Greg McCarron, Nick Vukota, Austin Mahoney, and Emily Turney. Curtis Farrell slammed the door in the Tigers face getting the final seven outs, four on third strikes.
The next day the A's got by the Mets, 10-5.
In the Saturday triple-header at Veira Park, the Cubs topped the Tigers, 15-6. The Cubs scored seven times in the third inning. The key hit was a bases-loaded bunt single by Chase Sylvia. Nico Cardoza collected more than his share of hits for the Cubs.
Also Saturday, Mike Mussell and Tucker McNeely hooked up in a pitchers' battle as the Sox faced the A's. Both hurlers posted 10 Ks. Fielding errors hurt the Sox chances and the A's claimed a 4-0 win.
In game 3, Cardinal pitcher Tony Canha shut out the Mets 7-0, fanning 12 in 5 1/3 innings and going 4-for-4 at the plate. Jonas Lukowitz relieved with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth. Charlie Parkhurst scored three times and Pete Engley turned in some stellar plays at the hot corner.
Mets starter Morgan Michalski struck out six in four-plus innings.
Little League majors standings
Team G W L T % RF RA
A's 11 10 1 .0 62 92 17
Cardinals 11 8 3 0 .73 76 60
Cubs 11 7 4 0 .64 72 46
Red Sox 11 6 5 0 .55 63 72
Tigers 11 1 10 0 .09 48 102
Mets 11 1 10 0 .09 32 86
Little League minors standings
Team G W L T % RF RA
Twins 8 7 1 0 .88 86 45
Rockies 9 7 1 1 .78 98 67
Marlins 8 6 1 1 .75 98 83
Rays 8 5 3 0 .63 76 55
Indians 8 5 3 0 .63 79 66
Orioles 8 2 6 0 .25 51 88
Blue Jays 8 0 8 0 .0 52 95
Reds 9 0 9 0 .0 51 92
The Blue Jays won their first game of the season in the most dramatic way possible. With their team trailing the Rays, 9-1, relief pitchers Joe Davies and Charlie Whalen cooled Rays bats as each pitched two scoreless innings giving the Jays the chance to gain ground and gain they did, enough to win, 10-9. Colin Hickey was 3-for-3 with three rbi. Louis Neville hit the game winner, driving in Jared Revard in the bottom of the sixth. Blue Jays coach James Hickey remarked "every player on the Jays contributed with smart play in the field and at the plate." He also credited Thomas Weston of the Rays for a well-pitched game and for an "outstanding" homer.
In another Minor League game, the Rays topped the Marlins, 7-5. Chase Soulagnet was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Sterling at Stoneham
More than 800 girls from 50 gymnastics teams competed at Stoneham high school for the Prep Optional Championships title, May 16 - 17.
Caroline Woodard, 9, of Aquinnah, placed second overall in the Novice Division behind Clara Stewart of Woburn. Caroline was first on bars with a 9.6 score, second in floor exercise at 9.3, seventh on the balance beam and tied for ninth in the vault. Her 36.95 score out of a possible 40 was a personal best and her bars score was the highest of any event in her session/age group.
In the Rookie Division, Sofie Devanski, 10, of Vineyard Haven tied for 17th place overall. Her score on bars was with an impressive 8.4. She placed 14th on floor with 8.2, and 16th on beam at 7.75, She tied for 17th in the vault at 8.0. Her overall 32.35 out of a possible 36 points was a personal best in this, her first season competing off Island at sanctioned meets.
Darts update
The M.V. Dart League championships men's and ladies singles toss off tonight at the P-A Club at 7:30 pm. All 2007-8 players are encouraged to play. A second round of singles matches for 08-09 winter players will be Sunday, June 20, at 2 pm.
Come again!
Errors crept onto last week's sports pages and we are eager to correct them. The winner of the Memorial Day Fun Run was nine-year-old Timothy Peters, not Peers. Two times were given for 12-year-old Jeremy Tarter Alley's running of the Memorial Day 5K. The correct one was the faster of the two, 18:54. The second round of singles matches for winter season darters will be at 2 pm, June 20, not 7 pm.
Mea culpa.
