Two productive races in four days for MVRHS cross-country
On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Vineyarders traveled to Warwick, R.I., to compete in the Ocean State Invitational. The Invitational is one of the bigger annual meets in southern New England, with hundreds of runners from both Division 1 and Division 2 schools in attendance. The boys’ varsity Division 2 race had 300 participants alone, but Vineyard seniors Daniel DaSilva and Daniel Serpa separated themselves from the pack, placing ninth and 12th overall. The girls’ race featured 237 runners, and junior Alexa Schroeder (15th) and senior Adrienne Christy (17th) took home medals for MVRHS as well.
Three days later, the Vineyarders turned around and raced against Barnstable in a dual meet at home. Despite being on short rest, MVRHS showed out. DaSilva (16:27), Serpa (16:37), sophomore Broden Vincent (19:10), and freshman Sampson Mallory (20:47) all had personal records, placing first, third, sixth, and 12th. Senior Linus Munn (19:40) also scored for the Vineyarders, finishing in eighth. For the girls, Schroeder (19:58) and Christy (20:15) took second and third.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, MVRHS raced Falmouth in the rain at the Clippers’ shortened 2.7-mile course. The Vineyarders race next at the Dick Atkinson Invitational on Saturday, in Fort Devens.
Girls’ soccer continues to cruise, rain or shine
While many other sports had their games canceled due to rain, girls’ soccer played through it this past week, versus Whitinsville Christian on Saturday, and then Sandwich on Tuesday. The game against Whitinsville was challenging, due to the Crusaders’ high-pressing, strong center midfield. Twenty minutes into the game, Head Coach Matt Malowski decided to counter their aggressiveness with some of his own, switching to a 4-3-3 formation from a 4-4-2. By moving one of his midfielders up into attacking position, Coach Malowski said they were able to “take the pressure off,” and “counterattack much better.”
Right after the switch, junior Paige Malowski hit the upright on a shot, and junior Elena Giordano had two great chances one-on-one against the goalie, but the conditions made it hard for her to convert. Eventually, Paige was able to break the tie on a “laser” free kick from 25 yards out, and added another goal in the second half, assisted by freshman Eleanor Mone. On the defensive end, the Vineyarders kept the Crusaders scoreless. Junior Georgia Magden and sophomore Delilah Oliver split goalkeeping duties, accounting for seven saves total in a 2-0 victory for MVRHS.
Against Sandwich, the Vinyarders won again, this time by a score of 3-1. Coach Malowski said, “The game was dominated by MV, with 85 percent of the game being played in the SHS half.” Paige Malowski, Elena Giordano, and freshman Emily Coogan scored for the Vineyarders, assisted by Eleanor Mone, Emily’s twin sister Jane, and Paige Malowski, respectively. Coach Malowski complimented his defensive line for two great performances in a row, despite the general unpredictability and reduced visibility caused by the rain. The Vineyarders will try to extend their seven-game winning streak on Thursday, against Nauset away.
Martha’s Vineyard golf has ‘incredible’ performance
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, the Vineyarders traveled to Nauset to play the Warriors. Due to the nature of home field advantage in golf, and Nauset being a solid team, the Vineyarders hadn’t beaten Nauset away in four or five years. But Wednesday played out better than Coach Doug DeBettencourt could have even imagined.
The Vineyarders ended up beating Nauset by 25 strokes, 232-257. For reference, Coach DeBettencourt says his team almost never shoots under 240 away, and even an individual score below 40 is noteworthy. On Wednesday, seniors Jake Glasgow and Richie Combra shot a 34 and 36, respectively, while junior Luke Silvia shot a 38, good for only 2 over par. Seniors Ryan Harding (41), Cam Napior (41), and Nick BenDavid (42), weren’t far behind, either. Coach DeBettencourt said of the match: “It might have been the best team effort I’ve seen in my 20 years of coaching.”
On Sept. 29 and Oct. 3, the Vineyarders extended their winning streak to five games with wins over Dennis-Yarmouth and Sturgis East, at home on the Farm Neck golf course. Nick BenDavid led the way against Dennis-Yarmouth, shooting a 36, or 1 over par. Ryan Harding also performed well, completing the course 3 over par. Against Sturgis East, Napior placed first for the Vineyarders with a 38, and Nick BenDavid was right behind him with a 39. Following this successful week, the Vineyarders are 9-1 on the season, and have qualified for sectionals in Foxborough on the 17th. Their rematch against Sandwich was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 4, but was rained out. It has been rescheduled for Columbus Day at Farm Neck. Their match against Barnstable on Oct. 5 has also been pushed back, setting up a tri-match in Falmouth on Thursday.
