Sports Highlights

By Don Lyons - August 9, 2007

Dana does it

Dana Gaines planned to row his sea kayak to Nantucket on his birthday but was prevented by circumstances beyond his control. Last Thursday, however, Dana accomplished his goal, rowing the 23.93 miles from the Edgartown Light to Brandt Point in 3:38:25. "Conditions were great at the start," Dana said, but an unexpected wind shift and a contrary current under a hot sun complicated things for the last mile and a half.

Nevertheless, Dana beat his previous time for the trip by four minutes.

A diabetic, Dana runs, rows, and paddles for the Joslin Diabetic Clinic. His inter-Island venture raised $16,000 for his favorite cause.

A challenge met

It was Tisbury fire chief John Schilling's 16th Pan Mass Challenge and Edgartown lawyer Jim Reynolds's 13th, but it was a first for Marlene DiStephano of West Tisbury and Pinky, her 21-year-old Shogun bicycle. It was also a first for summer Islander Peter Hutton of Newton and Oak Bluffs, an experienced cyclist who was riding for a young neighbor with leukemia.

To all, but especially the novices, the experience was overwhelming: the logistics, the spirit, the support crews, the trip itself, all combined to make the experience about as life-changing as one can be.

All of the riders were committed to raising at least $3,600 for the Dana Farber Center for children with cancer.

The Pan Mass Challenge is the most successful athletic fund-raising effort in the world.

It is also addictive. Those who do it once get hooked and go for it again the following year. All four of this year's Island challengers plan to ride next year.

RePlanted

Mark Plante of West Tisbury retained his MV Rod & Gun Club skeet championship by breaking 47 of 50 clay pigeons, Sunday, one more than Edgartown's Bob DeLisle who was second best.

The class B title went to Phil Hughes of Oak Bluffs and the class C prize to Nelson Sigelman of Tisbury.

The final four

The Men's Softball League is into its second season, the playoffs, to see which team will have bragging rights all winter long. In the first round, best two of three games, all who advanced to the final four did so by winning the first two games of a possible three-game series. The Brewhas (12-2) took two from the Boilers (1-13), The Hurricanes (12-2) did the same to the Riptide (2-12) , the Highlanders (10-4) swept the Loose Cannons (6-8) and the Wildcats (6-8) defeated the Treds (7-7).

Monday, the Hurricanes and Highlanders filled puddles at the bases and at home plate to prepare the field for play after a brief but heavy shower in order to begin play of the final four. It turned out to be a one-sided game with the Canes running off with a 12-4 win. James Rebello hit a two-run homer for the Canes in the second. Russell Hodson drove in three with a circuit blast for the Highlanders in the fourth.

The second game was almost a mirror image of the first as the Brewhas trounced the Wildcats, 12-3. The only round-tripper was a John Van Putten two-run job in the Brewhas five-run fifth.

The teams met again last night, Wednesday.

Soccer

The second season of the Vineyard Football Assn. (soccer) divides the six-team league in two with teams playing games within their three team divisions.

In last Thursday's first group A game, the Atlantic Football Club defeated Broadway, 1-0. Tuesday, Sports Haven topped Broadway, 1-0. Ben Sprayregan provided the goal.

In Group B Shirley's Hardware upset Coop de Ville, 1-0, on a goal by Erly Pinheiro. Tuesday Shirley's went right on winning, dropping Lath & Plaster, 1-0. Pinheiro scored again.

Standings at the end of the regular (first) season

Team G W L T Pts GF GA GD
Atlantic FC 10 7 2 1 22 15 3 12
Coop de Ville 10 6 2 2 20 22 14 8
MV Lath & Plaster 10 6 3 1 19 16 14 2
Sports Haven 10 4 2 4 16 15 12 3
Broadway 10 2 7 1 7 9 19 -10
Shirley's Hardware 10 0 9 1 1 7 22 -15

Group A standings on Tuesday:
Atlantic 1 1 0 0 3 1 0 1
Sports Haven 1 1 0 0 3 1 0 1
Broadway 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 -2

Group B standings on Tuesday
Shirley's Hardware 2 2 0 0 6 2 0 2
Coop de Ville 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 -1
MV Lath & Plaster 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 -1

Horse & rider

Ladislav Nauratic from the Czech Republic won the hunter jumping competition on Benjamin Bones of the Allen Farm Sunday at the M.V. Horse Council's show at the Ag Hall.

Bridgeheads

Seven tables were in play at the MV Bridge Club meeting, Saturday, at Tisbury's senior center.

Winning at north south were Millie Briggs and Ann Brown tied with Bob Henry and Jim Kaplan. Gloria and Ted Manning were third.

At east/west, the top scorers were Virginia and Richard Hines. Tied at second were Maggi Gasnick and Lozelle Deluce, Thelma Hurd and Trudy Johnson.

The call of the running tide

The Holmes Hole Sailing Assn. raced twice last Sunday. At 9 am, with winds from the north at 15 knots, the fleet sailed a 5.2-mile course into the Sound and back via East and West Chop marks.

Winner in the A division was Mike Loberg in Masquerade followed by (2) Phil Hale in Mischief, (3) John Amabile in Solitude, (4) Roger Becker in Gloria, and (5) Jerry Goodale in Stormalong.

First in the B division was Dan Culkin in Magic Time. Then came Lisa and John Stout in Isabella and Tom and Laurie Welch in Eastaway.

At 2 pm the wind had moderated and the course took the fleet to West Chop and back, twice. Phil Hale led the A division with Roger Becker, John Amabile, Mike Loberg following in that order.

Lisa and John Stout took B division honors with Dan Culkin and the Welches filling the second and third slots.

Frisbee golf

At the Riverhead Field Disc Golf course in the State Forest, players used the white tees on odd numbered holes and blue tees for those with even numbers.

John Tate won the weekly trophy shooting an even-par 55. Steve Butman was second at 57 and Jake Gifford third with 58.

The Amateur 2 division saw a playoff with Junior Brazil edging Dennis Kaeka. Ben Coulter was third at 58.

All-stars all

MVRHS track and field coach Joe Schroeder was named girls track and field Coach of the Year by the Cape Cod Times. The Times was impressed with the M.V. girls 8-0 team record and their victories in four individual events and both relays at the Mayflower League championships.

Alice Hopkins, Emma Lee Iverson, Kim Carlomagno, and Hilary Dreyer all made it to the CCT 22-girl all-star team.

Jason Chaplin, Connor Rasmussen, and Ry Yennie were named to the CCT boys track and field all-star team. Josh Jackson, David Flanders, Doug Asselin, and Stephen Greenberg were honorably mentioned.

The Times all-star girls lacrosse team includes Alaina Aristide and Jane Alexander. Mentioned with honors: Zoe Fisher, Laura Jernegan, and Christina Wiley.

Tyler Hathaway, Riley Dobel, and Taylor Pierce won places on the Times Cape & Islands all-star boys lacrosse team.

Tony on top again

With four birdies to his credit, 17-year-old Tony Grillo of West Tisbury fired an even-par round of 72 on the third and final day of the Massachusetts Junior Championship tournament at the Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston and retained his claim to the title of Junior State Champion. Tony nosed out Josh Salah of Bass Rocks with whom he was tied at the end of the second day.

Tony went from 14th to first place in the tourney on day two with a four-under-par round of 68, tying him with Salah for the lead. Then he edged out Salah by a stroke on day three.

Memo from Coach Herman

The Lift-a-thon for MVRHS football players is Sunday, Aug. 12, at 6 pm in the weight room of the high school.

Equipment will be issued to seniors and juniors Monday, Aug. 13, at 5:30 pm and to sophomores and freshmen Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 5:30 pm.

Make up for issuing equipment, for all grades, is Thursday, Aug. 16 at 5:30 pm.

First official practice will be Monday, Aug. 20, at 5:30 pm.

All players must have a valid physical on file at the school in order to begin practice. All school debts must be cleared prior to receiving equipment.

Attention junior high prospects

Practice for junior high football will begin Monday, Aug. 27, at 5 pm at the high school. Go to the MVRHS game field parking lot. All players must have a valid physical exam. This team is for 7th and 8th graders, but 6th graders are welcome.

On deck

The 2007 Martha's Vineyard Tennis Open, August 17-19 at the Farm Neck Tennis Club, promises a weekend full of action for tennis buffs of all ages, including men's and women's and mixed doubles tournaments, an adult clinic with the Jensen Brothers, of French Open fame, who will also offer "skills and drills" for kids at the Vineyard Youth Tennis Center.

It all begins Friday, Aug. 17, with a cocktail party and live auction catered by Jan Buhrman with music by the StingRays. Tickets are $100 to benefit of the MV Cancer Support Group and the Mebbit Morano Memorial Scholarship Fund.