Boys’ tennis off to dominant start
This past week, the Vineyarders had their second and third meetings of the season, handily defeating Barnstable 5-0, and then Dennis-Yarmouth 4-1.
The Vineyarders obtained all nine victories in only two sets apiece — the minimum — which they also succeeded in doing four times against Dover-Sherborn earlier this month. MVRHS is now 3-0 on the season.
Against the Red Hawks and Dolphins this week, MVRHS doubles players were especially dominant, dropping only two games total.
On Wednesday versus Barnstable, Teagan Myers and Caleb Dubin won first doubles 6-1, 6-0; while Clyde Smith and Kert Kleeman won second doubles 6-0, 6-1. Then on Friday in Yarmouth, Myers, Dubin, Kleeman, and Kyle Levy swept both doubles matches, 6-0, 6-0.
When asked about her team’s blistering start to the season, Coach Nicole Macy stated, “I guess we’d view the early success as exciting, but we’re cautiously optimistic. We know that we’re generally on the stronger end of the talent in our league … but you can never know what a team can bring before you see them,” she said. “We’re going to continue to work hard at practices, focusing on taking an already talented team up to the next level.”
Girls’ tennis kicks off league play with a win
Prior to this week, the Vineyarders still hadn’t faced any Cape and Islands opponents. Their first two matches came against foes Dover-Sherborn and Newton North. On April 12, though, the Vineyarders began league play against Barnstable away, and took advantage of the opportunity to shake off their first couple of losses.
Led by Coach William Rigali’s trio of experienced seniors — Cali Giglio, reigning Cape and Islands MVP, Evelyn Brewer, and Andrea Morse — the Vineyarders swept singles in two sets apiece, and also won first doubles with the help of some solid play from junior Sofia Balsas and sophomore Ellie Pennington. “[It’s] great to get that first win of the season!” Coach Rigali stated.
Moving forward, the Vineyarders will take another five days off before welcoming Dennis-Yarmouth to the Fennessy Courts on Monday, April 24, at 3 pm.
Boys’ lacrosse faces tough opposition
Going into this week’s spring break, Coach Chris Greene took a “no days off” approach with his team, and scheduled them for a couple of tough midseason games in Connecticut to sharpen their skills. First up was Newington HS on Saturday, and then Canton HS on Monday, two strong teams that gave the Vineyarders everything they wanted.
Against Newington, the Vineyarders battled hard, and kept it to within two through three quarters. According to Coach Greene, the junior Conley twins played amazingly, with Aiden scoring a “masterful” five goals, and Liam winning 11 of 14 face-offs “to help control the tempo early.”
On defense, sophomores Frankie Paciello and Chase Toomey led the way with five ground balls and three takeaways apiece, while Michael Perry (also a sophomore) kept the game close with 12 saves against 34 shots. Unfortunately, however, the hot weather combined with a short bench led to the Vineyarders’ demise, as they lost for the first time this season, 9-6.
Two days later, the Vineyard “went to war with the Canton Warriors,” quipped Coach Greene. With four different Vineyarders getting on the scoreboard, and “the close defense [doing] an incredible job against a seasoned opponent,” MVRHS valiantly fell 8-4. On offense, Aiden Conley added on another goal and assist, to get to six and two for the weekend, and Liam got another 10 face-off wins (in addition to scoring once). Junior Wyatt Nicholson also had a goal and an assist.
On defense, Paciello snagged six ground balls and three takeaways, and sophomore Jordan Souza “had an impressive first game back.” According to Coach Greene, Jordan’s matchup went for a total of 92 goals and 54 assists last year, but Souza held him to only two goals, one assist, and seven shots on Monday: “A great way to return to the team.”
Looking back on the weekend, Greene seemed pleased with his team’s efforts: “I think we learned a great deal about ourselves … While [we had] tough losses, [it was] a great weekend.” The Vineyarders’ next game will be at home versus Sandwich on Saturday, at 11 am. MVRHS is 3-2 on the season.
MVRHS co-ed sailing ranked 13th in New England
This past week, the New England Schools Sailing Association released its midseason rankings of 60-plus schools, naming MVRHS the 13th best program in the region. So far this season, the Vineyarders have competed in two dual meets against Cape and Islands opponents, and three larger meets versus teams from around New England.
MVRHS kicked off their season in Greenwich, Conn., on Saturday, April 1, against five opponents. They beat Boston College Prep and North Kingstown (R.I.), but lost to hosts Brunswick Academy, Greenwich Academy, and Greenwich HS.
Staying busy, the Vineyarders then had dual meets against Sturgis East and Sandwich on the 4th and 6th, winning both 3-0 and then 3-1, before making the trek up to Portland, Maine, to face five more opponents. In Portland, MVRHS cleaned up, beating Portland HS 2-0, Cape Elizabeth HS 2-1, Lincoln Academy 2-1, and Falmouth, Maine, HS 2-1. They lost to Milton Academy 2-1.
Most recently, the Vineyarders had another long day of racing at Moses Brown School in Providence, R.I., this past Saturday. They beat Dartmouth HS 3-0, but lost to powerhouses Hotchkiss, Portsmouth Abbey, and Moses Brown 3-0. “Excellent conditions, and solid teams, but we didn’t sail well early in the day,” explained Coach Andrew Burr. “We finally woke up later in the afternoon and put some pressure on Moses Brown, but the damage was already done.”
But despite last weekend’s tough showing, the Vineyarders still boast a solid 10-7 record, with the majority of their opponents being private academies and/or boarding schools. According to Coach Burr, only one public school has ever qualified for nationals before. If MVRHS locks up a top-8 ranking, they would qualify for the New England Championships at MIT on May 6-7, where they could potentially clinch a spot at nationals.
“We’ve come a long way this season,” Burr added. Drivers junior Simon Hammarlund and senior Griffin Stead (a rookie driver) have especially impressed him with how they’ve improved: “It’s been night and day.”
Varsity baseball’s offense cools off
A week after recording two incredible comeback victories over Monomoy and St. John Paul II, the MVRHS offense struggled to get things going against Barnstable and Dennis-Yarmouth last Wednesday and Friday.
Against the Red Hawks, the Vineyarders gave up five runs in the first inning, and couldn’t catch up. “The Vineyard settled down after that, but Barnstable kept chipping away and adding runs,” Coach Kyle Crossland said. “It was too much to overcome.”
Led by junior second baseman Brian Sornas, the Vineyarders recorded six hits (the same number as Barnstable) and plated two, but walked 11 fewer times. They lost 10-2.
Versus the Dolphins, the name of the game was clutch hitting and earned runs. On the bump, junior Sam Zack allowed only two earned runs over six innings, but four errors and some timely hitting allowed Dennis-Yarmouth to score five times. “Dennis-Yarmouth put the bat on the ball with runners on base, where the Vineyard did not,” Crossland said. “MVRHS stranded eight runners on base.”
In the 5-2 loss, senior Cam Napior hit a triple, and senior Micah Simmons logged two hits and two runs. Junior Jack Debettencourt drove Simmons in both times.
Next up, the Vineyarders will play a doubleheader against the Dover-Sherborn Raiders away on Saturday, and then play Sandwich away next Wednesday. MVRHS is 2-3 on the season.
