Sports Highlights

By Don Lyons - October 18, 2007

Columbus walkers

We failed to acknowledge the walkers in the recent Columbus Day 5K at Oak Bluffs. If Cool Running is correct, though it is labeled Memorial Day results, the fastest walker was Jill Zamarro, 34, of Shrewsbury and Oak Bluffs, who finished 8:48 ahead of 70-year-old Portia McDonnell of Allentown, Pa.

Twenty-five walkers made the trip.

Down east with Garry

Garry Metters, 42, of Vineyard Haven ran the Mount Desert Island Marathon off Bar Harbor, Maine, Sunday, finishing in 3:20:28. He was 34th of the 669 runners to complete the course and qualified for the Boston Marathon. Congratulations.

Go Amy!

Amy Coffey of Edgartown has been selected as a finalist to carry the Olympic Torch in Beijing prior to next year's summer games. More than 6,000 people worldwide submitted applications for the honor. Eighteen were chosen as finalists.

Ms. Coffey, a part-time florist who volunteers her help at the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, has worked as a volunteer in the last three Olympics. Her application took the form of a rap performance.

Three of the 18 finalists will be elected by the public to carry the torch.

Votes may be cast at www.lenovo.com/torch before October 24.

Soccer team in South Sectionals

The MVRHS varsity boys soccer team won its eighth game of the season against four ties and just one loss, Saturday by shutting out Dennis/Yarmouth, here, 2-0. Their win-loss record has already qualified them for a berth in the MIAA post season South Sectionals.

Both of the Vineyard goals were scored in the first half. Eight minutes and 50 seconds into the game, Joao Oliveira headed the ball into the net off a nifty feed by Alex Poole from the left corner.

Oliveira scored again with 11 and a half minutes remaining in the period.

Nico Cuba was in goal and when called upon made all the necessary moves and saves. Kenny MacDonald and Leandro Trindade received special mention for their play from Coach Bob Hammond

The team hosted Nantucket, yesterday.

Girls soccer

The MVRHS girls varsity soccer team posted its fifth win of the season against seven losses and two ties with a 3-0 win at Nantucket, Tuesday.

Erin Morris produced the game's first goal off a pass from Nica Sylvia. Rachel Schubert added two more goals as netkeeper Kia Minor stopped every Nantucket scoring threat. It was Kia's third shutout.

Before the game the teams joined hands in silent solemn tribute to Kate MacLellan, a popular Whaler honor student and outstanding soccer player whose untimely death last week had shaken the team, the school, and the entire community. The Vineyard girls presented the Whalers with a sourwood tree in her memory and contributed money to the newly created Kate MacLellan scholarship fund.

Thumper is a calendar dog

TurfNet magazine has just released its 7th annual Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar, and Thumper from Mink Meadows Golf Club is one of 14 featured dogs, chosen from 168 submissions. The calendar is mailed to more than 30,000 TurfNet subscribers in the golf course maintenance industry, with roughly 2,000 being handed out at various industry events.

Thumper assumed an ambassador's role at Mink Meadows after his owner, Matthew Crowther, became superintendent in 1995. Eager to play with tourists on the course or nearby beach, the Labrador retriever's many friends included a visitor who made a tee-shirt with Thumper's photo on it. As the years passed and Thumper slowed, visitors sought him out until he died in 2006 at age 10. He was buried beneath a tree near the second tee.

The annual quadrilateral meet

The final interscholastic track meet was postponed last Friday due to wet grounds and rescheduled for this Friday at the high school oval.

Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and West Tisbury will all be trying to wrest the boys and girls Island cups from Tisbury, last year's double winner.

Bay State XC

The MVRHS girls cross-country team finished 13th of 34 teams entered in the Bay State Invitational Division 2 meet at Boston's Franklin Park, Saturday. Hilary Dreyer led the Islanders, completing the run in 21:26, just two seconds ahead of teammate Emily Carter. They were 51st and 53rd overall. Sarah Jean Flanders and Kim Carlomagno finished together in 22:25, 95th and 96th. Liz Reid, Ellie Hehre, and Emily Sobel were 174th, 181st, and 192nd.

The MV boys team was 18th of 41 teams. Lucas Emin (18:10.2) and Max Conley (18:11.2) came in 63rd and 65th.

Alan Wiley was 124th, Forrest Harcourt 137th, Evan Kendall 138th, Michael Kendall 148th, Taylor Smith 190th.

Teams from Bishop Feehan won both the girls and boys meets.

In Div. II junior varsity competition Ben Williams was 19th of 220 runners, followed by Thomas Phillips (39), Nate Hurwitz (41), Thomas Knowles (84) and Chad Curtis (129). The MV JVs placed 7th of 38 teams.

Sophie Willey was the 145th of 204 girls in JV competition. Eliza Gowell was 194th.

Among freshmen, Willie Nevin was 25th of 230 and Megan Dreyer 13th of 156.

The cross-country teams were at Old Colony yesterday and travel to Sacred Heart for the Mayflower meet, Monday.

Tony abdicates C&I throne

Defending Cape and Islands Individual Golf Champion Tony Grillo relinquished his crown and title to Nauset's Paul Ecker at Bayberry Hills Golf Course in West Yarmouth, Friday. Tony shot 77 on the par-72 regular course and 40 on the par-36 nine-hole links course, finishing fourth, tied with Chase DeLuga and C.J. Cricco, both of D/Y.

Winner and new champ, Paul Ecker of Nauset shot 73 and 40 for 113. Nick Clark of Cape Cod Academy was second at 114 (77-37) and Nathan Mead, another Nauset entry, was third with 115 (80-35).

Other Vineyard players were Greg Leonard, 14th at 121, Albion Alley, 22nd at 130.

Youth Hockey update

In Neponset Valley League ice hockey games, all of which are held in the Foxboro Sports Center, the Vineyard Squirts lost to Barnstable, 6-2. M.V. scorers were Christopher Perry assisted by Austen Morley and by Dorian Johnson, unassisted.

Also at Foxboro, the M.V. PeeWees edged Tri-County, 6-5, on four goals by Shay Hill and two by Tyson Araujo. Tyson also had an assist. Coach Greg Carroll called the game "a solid up-and-down game by first-place teams." He lauded Jake Hart for "firepower and great all around play."

The M.V. Bantams blanked Canton at Foxboro, 7-0. Tyler Araujo had a hat trick plus one. Nelson Dickson added two and Brian Fraser one. Assisting were Fraser, Charles Goldthwait (2), Thomas Wilkens, Charlie Ashmun, and Dakota Delviento.

In Cape & Island league games, the M.V. Squirts lost to the Barnstable Avalanche, 4-3, at the Kennedy Arena in Hyannis. Greg McCarron scored, assisted by Joshua Forend. Jack Slayton had a breakaway goal, and Tristan Araujo tallied unassisted. Coach Bill Jacobs had high praise for his team's passing and overall play, especially for brand-new goalie Thallyson Riberio, "a natural in the net who did an incredible job."

At the M.V. Arena, Saturday, the M.V. PeeWees defeated the Barnstable Hawks twice, 5-1 and 2-1. Eamon MacKensie (2), Mac Sashin, Marco Petricone, and Brian Fraser scored. Kyle Stobie (2), Nicklas Kent (2), and Mac Sashin assisted in the first game. In the second, it was Sydney Davis and Eamon MacKensie scoring, assisted by Stobie, Kent, and Fraser. Marco Petricone, Aaron Figueroa, and Dylan Lyonnaise were commended for "intense defense."

On Sunday, at Nantucket, the PeeWees won the first of a double-header, 1-0, on a goal by Kyle Stobie, assisted by Sydney Davies. They lost the second game, 5-1. Marco Petricone's unassisted goal averted a whitewash.

MVRHS sailors conclude seasons

In the final regatta of the high school sailing season, Friday and Saturday at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., the young Vineyard sailing team finished a respectable 8th out of 20 competing teams.

Conor Lodge, a junior, sailed all A division races with Caleb Gray, a freshman, as crew.

Julie Pringle and Solvig Sayre, both sophomores, rotated skippering in the B division with Seneca Craig and Kelly Felder as crew.

In very shifty winds ranging from 5 to 20 knots, the Vineyarders were as high as 4th before settling for 8th. Conor finished 5th.