Sports Highlights
By Don Lyons - September 22, 2005
Soccer teams
The MVRHS girls soccer team played catch-up with visiting New Bedford here, Thursday, twice, and ended with a 2-2 tie. Rachel Schubert scored both of the Vineyard goals, one in each period.
The Islanders had several other good scoring opportunities in the second period but Fisherman goalie, Baleigh Wirzburger, was equal to the task.
It was the Vineyarders (0-2-1) first tie of the season and New Bedford's (0-2-2) second.
Monday the Islanders were trounced by D-Y at South Yarmouth, 6-2. Rachel Schubert and Katherine Clark scored for the Vineyard. Two freshmen, Julie Foster and Gabbi Jatkola, did the damage for the Dolphins. Each scored three times.
The Islanders are 0-3-1 thus far.
A win and a draw
The MV boys varsity soccer team was shut out at New Bedford on a muddy, slippery field. Thursday , 2-0. The Islanders had scoring chances early in the game but failed to cash in. Despite the Fishermen's two goals, MV net tender Nicolas Cuba was chosen by Coach Hammond for commendation.
Saturday's scheduled game at Chatham was postponed to Friday, Sept. 23.
Monday the Islanders shut out visiting D-Y, 1-0. The only goal of the game, scored 15 minutes into the secod half, was entered as an "own" goal. The Vineyarder closest to the ball, shepherding it into the net, was Josh Jackson. As close as the score was, it was a well-earned win as the Purple controlled mid-field putting constant pressure on the D-Y defense and taking most of the shots on goal.
Of concern was the reinjury of Adam Herman's knee
Yesterday the Islanders (3-2-0) were home to Nantucket.
Jayvees
The MV junior varsity squad spotted visiting D-Y five goals, and then made a run at them in the second half, scoring four times and falling just short of sending the Dolphins home with a tie.
An AD's headache.
What was left of Ophelia was a welcome, albeit sometimes torrential, rain last weekend. It was enough to cause mass cancelations of scheduled matches, meets, and games.
Friday's field hockey game with Old Rochester was postponed to a date to be announced.
The Friday golf match with Old Rochester was postponed to Monday
Saturday's boys and girls cross-country home meets with Sacred Heart were postponed to this Friday.
The boys soccer Saturday game with Chatham at Chatham was also postponed to Friday as was the girls Saturday soccer game with Hanover.
The season opening football game with Carver was bumped from Friday to Sunday.
It was enough to turn an Athletic Director's hair white.
How to go, Kayla
Freshman Kayla Leonard of Oak Bluffs posted her first collegiate soccer shutout as Roger Williams Univ. dropped UMass-Dartmouth, Sept. 8, 2-0.
18th Pat West
Saturday's rain moved the 18th annual Pat West Gaff & Schooner Race from Saturday to Sunday, a beautiful day with light westerly to northwesterly winds.
With one eye on the light wind and the other on the strong west running tide (and the memory of the Moffett freshly in mind) the race committee set the alternate course to the west end of Middleground and return, a distance of 10.8 nautical miles.
Eighteen boats had registered, but only eight reported to the starting line due to conflicts caused by the change in date.
The length of the boats ranged from Juno, a 65' schooner, to Julia Lee, a 21.5' catboat.
The starting gun sounded at 11:30 am and the beat up Vineyard Sound went apace, aided by the west-setting tide.
First to complete the race was Juno with Scott DiBiaso at the wheel in two hours, 17 minutes.
But on corrected time the winner was Eric Little of Woods Hole in the cutter, Lark. Jim Lobdell was second in Malabar II, winner of the Ingrid Robinson memorial prize for schooners. Juno was third followed by (4) Bobbie Crosby in Celeste, (5) Jeff Robinson in Phra Luang, and (6) Woody Bowman in Julia Lee.
Two boats failed to finish
A post-race gathering at Sail Martha's Vineyard was enjoyed by all.
Correction
In last week's Times we reported that Allison Flanders had led the MVRHS girls cross-country team to a double win at Carver, defeating both Carver and Hull in the triangular meet. True enough. But we also reported that Allison had won the race. Wrong. That honor was earned by Carver's Lauren Wadlow. Allison was second.
Winter guys
Five boats raced Thursday, Sept. 8 in the second of the Frost Biters and Winter Guys fall season of races. Winds were from the south/southwest at 8 to 9 knots with the tide running east.
The three-leg course was set by Michael A. Jacobs and Harry B. Duane with a downwind leg from nun 6 in the harbor to nun 4 off West Chop, then a reach to can 23A off East Chop and finish in the harbor at nun 6. Time keeper was Melissa Molloy.
First to finish was the '05 Holmes Hole Division B champ, Dan Culkin in Magic Time. Second was Woody Bowman in Julia Lee. Then came (3) Jerry Goodale in Stormalong, (4) Jeff Gibson in La Tonka and (5) Tom Graham in Swallows and Amazon.
Post-race results were chewed over at Bob's Pizza.
Last Thursday and Sunday the races were cancelled when only Dan Culkin and Jerry Goodale showed up. Predictions of Ophelia were blamed for the no-shows.
FB&WG racing continues tonight at 5:30 pm, 30 minutes earlier than previously, and Sunday at 2 pm with a 5 nm harbor race planned. For more information, call Michael Jacobs at 713-249-1689.
Fore!
The young MVRHS golf team slipped to 1-7 at Pocasset GC, Tuesday, bowing to Bourne, 49-23.
Tony Grillo won his first-flight match, shooting one under par 35, but Bourne won all the other matches.
In a rescheduled match with Old Rochester, Monday, the Islanders lost19.5 to 34.5. Tony Grillo and ORR's Tom Mills halved their match in the first flight when both shot par (35). Albion Alley also matched his opponent making the first flight a wash.
But from there it was all down hill as Sam Bell, Lilla Warren, Tad Gold, and Gus Hayes all conceded. The Final count: Old Rochester 34.5, MVRHS 19.5.
Last Wednesday Falmouth dropped MV at the Cape Cod Country Club, 28-36. Grillo was the ohly Islander to win his match.
The MV junior varsity golf team lost its match to Old Rochester, Monday, 33-44.
The 4th NAACP 5K
Seventeen runners and a dozen walkers turned out for the 4th annual NAACP George Tankard Jr. Memorial 5K at Oak Bluffs, Sunday.
Fifty-one-year-old Roger Armstrong of Edgartown led the way to the finish line in 20:57. Rebecca Geary of Oak Bluffs was second at 22:55 and Taylor Smith, also O.B., third, in 25:30, just ahead of (4th) Natick's Don Olson, five seconds back at 25:35.
The rest of the ten runners: (5) Diane Olson, 40, Vineyard Haven, 26:28 (6) Jason Araujo, 36, Vineyard Haven, 27:35 (7) David Linton, 61, Edgartown, 28:06 (8) Jason Wright, 24, Bronx, N.Y., 29:59 (9) Mia Gonsalves, 24, Hoboken, N.J., 30:02 (10) Joseph S. Vera, 77, Cambridge, 31:13.
Francis MacAdam, Tony Oliver, Roger Wey, Ardel Otten, Avdie Schneider, Craig Tankard, and Ruth Britton also ran.
Steven McCullough, 48, of O.B. beat all the other walkers to the tape, just edging Joyce Steward of Tisbury by a single second.
The next three walkers were the Gonsalves of East Wareham: Fiona, Gina, Wayne, who finished together at 47:44, 47:45 and 47:48. Lisa Capenter, 34, made it in 51:28 and the Edgartown Araujos, Marie, 55, and T.M., 63, strolled in at 51:31 and 52:35. David Araujo, 39, walked the course in 54:07.
Brian Smith, Lisa Salerno, and Felipe Tankard also walked.
Meatless Sandwich
Jessica Wade of Sandwich scored on a first half corner play. It was the only point posted in the 1-0 field hockey shut-out of Martha's Vineyard at Sandwich, last Wednesday.
It was the Blue Knights third win and third shut out without a loss. MV dropped to 1-2 on the season.
The team is busy this week. Yesterday they hosted Nantucket.Tomorrow they are at Old Rochester. Saturday they are home to Fairhaven.
The Arnold Brown
With a score of 46, Xavier won the annual Arnold Brown Regatta last weekend, earning the right to represent New England in the Great Oaks regatta at Austin, Texas in November. MV entered two boats. Martha's Vineyard One was second at 62, just edging out Naval Academy Prep with 64. Then came (4) Marblehead, 66; (5) North Kingston, 73; (6) BC High, 82; (7) Northern Vermont, 93; (8) Martha's Vineyed Two, 112 and (9) Lincoln Sudbury, 149.
Challenge accepted
The 18th MV Challenge sailed Saturday, despite predictions of torrential wind and rain. Seventeen sailors and three paddlers made it from Eastville Beach to Menemsha, some in impressive, if not record setting, time.
The first three windsurfers were (1) Dan Weiss; (2) Steve Besse, (3) Tim Colon.
The first three paddlers/oarsmen were: (1) John Moore: (2) Chick Dowd and Tyler Stapleton; (3) Malcolm Boyd and the Vineyard Voyagers.
The best time back to the beach: (1) Steve Besse, 1:30 (2) Dan Weiss, 1:43 (3) Tim Colon, 1:50.
First woman to the beach: Carolyn Chick Dowd.
First youth to the beach: Solvig Sayre,
Top fundraiser: Keith Gross, $2,513 and counting.
Although the fleet was smaller than usual, the event raised more than $7,000 for MV Community Services. Thanks were expressed for the sponsors: Reliable Market, Vineyard Cash & Carry, Cronig's Healthy Additions, Dippin Donuts, Lola's, Tony's Market, Louis' Tisbury Eatery and MV Bagel Authority.
The checkered flag
Al Clements, 26, of Oak Bluffs, a 1997 graduate of MVRHS, is the winner of the Street Stock Championship at Seekonk Speedway having accumluted 806 points during the past racing season, 50 more than Paul Lallier of Pawtucket, R.I., who was second.
The Street Stock race at Seekonk is one of NASCAR's weekly race series. Racers regularly go 50 laps which translates to about 12.5 miles on Seekonk's approximately quarter-mile track.
In the street stock division, cars race at about 85 miles per hour. Al's race car is a '79 Chevy Camero.
Al has been invited to race in the late model DAV Memorial, Oct. 1-2, the biggest race of the year at Seekonk. (DAV stands for D. Anthony Venditti, the late owner of the Seekonk track now owned and opperated by his widow.)
A friend, Scott Fournier of Berkley has offered the loan of his late model racer to Al for the DAV Memorial. We join his friends in wishing Al Godspeed.
On ice
A women's ice hockey league invites all women, beginners included, to the MV Arena for games each Friday at 7 pm. Coaching and instruction are offered.
Donations of used equipment are appreciated.
Call 508-693-5329 with questions.
