Sports Highlights
By Don Lyons - September 27, 2007
Lee leveled
Friday's football game at Lee had something for everyone.
The Vineyard fumbled away the ball on the very first play from scrimmage. Then the MV defense stopped the Wildcats in their tracks. With fourth and 11 yards to go for a first down, Lee kicked to the MV 28. On the first
unfumbled play, Josh Paulson ran 72 yards for a touchdown.
Zach Coutinho, who was perfect on the day, kicked the extra point.
In the second quarter, Lee began a scoring drive on their own 8-yard line. The extra point attempt failed and MV led, 7-6.
MV quarterback Mike McCarthy uncorked a series of passes that resulted in a TD by Michael O'Donaghue. Another pass to Paulson was good for a two-point conversion. Another McCarthy to Paulson scoring pass was canceled by a penalty. So Coutinho kicked a field goaI. The score was 18-6 at the half.
No points were put on the board in the third period, but both sides posted 14 in the fourth. Paulson ran 42 yards to score again for the Vineyard - he totaled 246 yards on the day, 117 rushing, 70 yards returning kicks and 59 receiving passes.
Lee responded with a 35-yard scamper and added a two-point conversion. 25-14. Eric Dolliver took a turn at crossing the end line from 20 yards out and Coutinho's kick made it 32-14.
Lee wasn't through. Two pass plays put the ball on the MV 13 from where Lee punched it in with seconds remaining,
Final score: 32-20.
Coach Herman certainly must have been pleased with the effective passing game. McCarthy was 7 for 10, gaining 124 yards. But there were some negatives. Penalties hurt the Vineyard and the Islanders fumbled the ball away three times. Allowing 20 points to be scored, when there had been none in the first two games, catches the attention of the coaching staff. Lee quarterback Ryan Eckert was 7 for 15 passing and scored twice on fourth-period on runs of 34 and 5 yards.
The team was treated to the BC-Army game at Chestnut Hill on Saturday.
Unbeaten Littleton, 3-0, with wins over Murdock, Grafton, and West Boylston, visits Friday at 5:30 pm.
The MV junior varsity football team tied Mashpee at Mashpee, Saturday, 20-20
Winged feet, strong arms
In the first of three pairs of interscholastic track and field meets, Friday, the West Tisbury girls ran by Oak Bluffs, 55-13, while the O.B. boys trounced their up-Island neighbors, 47-24.
The WesTiz girls swept the field events and took first and second in the 100. Mia Benedetto was a double winner of the long jump (11' 9") and the dash and took second in the 200 for W.T.
Jeremy Alley-Tarter was a triple winner for the O.B. boys in the long jump (15' 2"), hurdles and, his specialty, the mile in 5:28.
The Edgartown boys topped Tisbury, 46-23, despite Tyler Araujo's double wins in the shot (35' 8") and discus (94' 8") and second in the 100-meter sprint for Tisbury. Edgartonian Will Dietz was a triple winner in the discus (71' 7"), long jump (13' 9.5") and hurdles (12:08)
The Edgartown girls were almost as dominant as the boys, 43-28. They swept the long jump, hurdles, and the mile. Maggie Riseborough was a double winner for Tisbury in the shot (25' 1") and discus (65' 5").
The interscholastic track and field season comes to a climax at a quadrilateral meet in mid-October.
X-Country
Bristol-Plymouth sent its boys cross-country team to the Vineyard, Thursday, and one hopes that they enjoyed the ferry ride for they had little to show for their day trip to the Island. Only one Craftsman finished in the top ten: Billy Palmer ran the 5K course in 19:09, good enough for fourth place.
Lead Vineyarders were (1) Lucas Emin, 18:24 (2) Max Conley, 18:49 (3) Forrest Harcourt, 19:04 (5) Robbie Osmers, 19:13 (6) Alan Wiley, 19:29 (7) Evan Kendall, 19:49 (8) Ben Williams, 19:54 (9) Taylor Smith, 20:00 (10) Michael Kendall, 20:02.
The meet was billed as a coed occasion but B-P did not bring a girls team. The M.V. girls ran anyway.
Tuesday the boys team added Southeastern to its list of victims, 18-45. Eight of the first ten finishers wore purple, led by (1) Max Conley in 18:07 and (2) Lucas Emin in 18:25.
Robbie Osmers was 4th at 19:12 and Evan Kendall 5th in 19:38. Then came Taylor Smith, Thomas Phillips, and Ben Williams filling the 6 through 8 slots. Michael Alberice was 10th.
To the beach,
the hard way
Eleven Vineyard distance runners teamed up for the 9th annual Reach-the-Beach relay Friday and Saturday, Sept. 14-15. At 203 miles, from Franconia Notch to Hampton Beach, the Reach the Beach is the longest relay race in the USA.
The race started Friday, at 1:30 pm, at Cannon Mountain, wound through the national forest on the Kangamangas Highway then zigzagged south through Chocorua and Tamworth, by Squam Lake and Winnepesaukee, through Deerfield and Exeter to the Hamptons.
It was a couple weeks too soon for the peak of the color season, but with mountains, and rivers, and waterfalls and lakes there was plenty to look at.
The intrepid eleven: Garry Metters, the captain, David Diriwachter, Paul Vertefeuille, Jessica O'Connor, Kathryn Barrows, Marylee Schroeder, Bonnie Kingsbury, Pamela Thomas, Neal A. Sullivan, Larry Johnson, and Dana Gaines.
The team did itself proud. They took an hour off their last year's time, finishing in 26 hours and 48 seconds, 33rd of 370 teams, 8th in their Mixed Open division of 154 teams.
Their average pace was 7:34 per mile. Congratulations!
Women's ice hockey
Last year's national champion women's C division ice hockey team goes by an Island sounding name, the Cape Cod Black Dogs. There is at least one Vineyarder on the team's roster: Sue Mead, a goalie. It seems a bit early but we are told the CC Black Dog season has begun.
Other teams in the league include the Boston Bears, Westchester (N.Y.) Wildcats, the Chaos and the Gloucester Storm among others.
Fore!
The MVRHS golf team is on a tear, winning their last five matches. They defeated Seekonk at Farm Neck, last Thursday, 43-29. Henry Smith's par 35 was the medalist round.
Tony Grillo won his match and Henry Smith tied his in the first flight.
Both Sam Scott and Luke Pisano won in the second. Gregg Leonard tied his Warrior foe and Gus Hayes beat his in the third flight.
Alex Bilzerian and Will Oberfest tied opponents in the fourth.
The day before, the Islanders sank Sturgis at Cummaquid, 43-20. Winning their matches were Grillo, Smith, Alley, Scott, Pisano and Hayes. Gregg Leonard halved Zach Arnt in the third flight.
Tony Grillo smoked the Falmouth Country Club course with a medalist round of three under par 34, Friday, pacing the Vineyarders to a 41-31 defeat of the Clippers. Playing with Tony in the first flight, Henry Smith also won easily, 7.5-2.5.
Albion Alley and Luke Pisano lost their second flight matches. Sam Scott won in the third flight but his co-pilot Gregg Leonard lost. Alex Bilzerian won in the fourth flight and Gus Hayes halved his opponent.
The Islanders missed their captain, Tony Grillo, Monday, but had no trouble defeating Fairhaven at Farm Neck, 35.5-18.5.
Henry Smith won his first flight match with the medalist round of 37. Albion Alley halved Fairhaven's Bill Ashworth.
Both Stan Scott and Luke Pisano won second flight matches and Gregg Leonard and Gus Hayes were tops in the third.
The Vineyard's record improved to 9-2 by dropping Wareham at Bay Point GC, Tuesday.
Chipping in for cause
Sunday, from 10 am to 2 pm, is the Habitat for Humanity hole-in-one and putting tournament at Farm Neck. See houses@habitatmv.org or call 508-696-4646 for more information.
The third annual Birdies for Baseball golf tournament will tee off at Mink Meadows on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Income from the tourney will go toward the maintenance of the field of dreams, the new baseball field at the high school.
Call Mink Meadows, 693-0600, to register. Call Gary Simmons, 508-989-8154 with questions.
Yard sale
The field hockey and girls lacrosse teams are having a joint fund-raising yard sale Saturday at the Chilmark Community Center from 10 am to 3 pm.
The field hockey team hopes for funds to pay for uniforms. The lacrosse team is looking for travel money to play in England in 2008.
To learn more, e-mail TeresaMtemple@aol.com or call Zoe or Alexa Fisher, 508-645-3256.
Busy field hockey team
The purple and white field hockey team defeated visiting Tahanto Regional on Saturday and Wareham at Wareham, Monday. But Bishop Stang put an end to the mini win streak, Tuesday, 3-0.
Fairhaven comes to call Saturday, at 11 am.
