Boys’ tennis moves to No. 1 in the state
After blanking Dennis-Yarmouth and Sandwich this past week, then beating Nantucket 4-1, the Vineyarders have officially earned the No. 1 seed in all of MIAA’s Division III.
According to first-year Coach Nicole Macy, the Vineyarders have been bouncing between No. 1 and No. 2 for most of the year, but with only three more matches to go in the season, it appears that the Vineyarders have locked up the top seed going into the postseason.
Due to AP testing and other scheduling conflicts, the Vineyarders used five different singles hitters and five different doubles teams during this past week. As a testament to their depth and winning culture, the change in personnel had no impact on their performance, as they crushed both the Dolphins and the Blue Knights 5-0.
Against Dennis-Yarmouth on Wednesday, May 10, seniors Jacob Riis and Clyde Smith were lights out at one and two singles, winning 6-0, 6-1, and 6-0, 6-0, respectively. Versus Sandwich on Friday, sophomore Zak Potter dominated at two singles, winning 6-0, 6-0, and doubles teammates, senior Teagan Myers and sophomore Caleb Dubin, also went 6-0, 6-0.
The Vineyarders also handled the Whalers with ease, winning four of the five matchups in two sets. In the win, Potter was excellent once again, winning 6-0, 6-1, at two singles, while sophomores Kert Kleeman and Kyle Levy also showed out at two doubles, winning 6-0, 6-3. The Vineyarders are undefeated against Cape and Islands opposition this season, and stand alone at the top of the table.
Unfortunately, the Vineyarders’ 11-game winning streak was finally snapped on Monday, May 15, as they lost a tight battle with the 15-2 Sharon Eagles, 3-2. MVRHS won their first meeting with Sharon this season 3-2, at home. They took Monday’s loss on the road. Sharon is ranked fourth overall in the MIAA Division II standings.
Moving forward, the Vineyarders will play Falmouth and Dover-Sherborn away this week, and their home finale will be against Nauset on Friday, May 19, at 3 pm. Then the playoffs will begin, as MVRHS seeks to one-up their semifinal finish last postseason.
Girls’ tennis headed to the playoffs
On Saturday morning, the Vineyarders traveled to Nantucket for a twin bill, taking down both matches 3-2, 3-2. The doubleheader was a makeup of their first scheduled meeting of the season, which was canceled in April.
According to Coach Bill Rigali, the “heroes of the Nantucket matches” were MVRHS’ first doubles players, junior Sofia Balsas and sophomore Ellie Pennington. In match one, Balsas and Pennington took down a five-point tiebreaker to close out the pro set to 10. In match two, they won their final seven games in a row to win 10-7. With their clutch play, the Vineyarders were able to simultaneously claim the season sweep over Nantucket and qualify for the MIAA Division III playoffs.
Earlier in the week, the Vineyarders also faced off against Dennis-Yarmouth and then Sandwich away. On both days, MVRHS’ trio of star singles hitters Cali Giglio, Evelyn Brewer, and Andrea Morse led the way, beating their counterparts without dropping a set. MVRHS ended up winning both meetings 4-1.
Moving forward, the Vineyarders will host Falmouth on Wednesday at 3 pm, after our paper’s deadline, and then travel to Nauset and Dover-Sherborn to wrap up their regular season. The Falmouth and Nauset matchups will be critical for MVRHS, who are looking to beat them out in a tight race for the Cape and Islands League title. The Clippers have been the only league team to beat the Vineyarders all year.
Boys’ lacrosse with three big wins
Over the past couple of weeks, the Vineyarders beat Cape Cod Academy 12-7, Dennis-Yarmouth 14-2, and Falmouth Academy 12-2. Led by the junior Conley twins, MVRHS continues to stake their claim atop the Cape and Islands Lighthouse Division.
Versus Cape Cod Academy away, tri-captain Aiden Conley was excellent on offense, going off for six goals and two assists. Freshman attacker John Hoff also scored two goals, and junior Wyatt Nicholson, junior Liam Conley, sophomore tri-captain Frankie Paciello, and freshman Finn Callen also got on the board. Furthermore, midfielder Liam Conley won an outstanding 18 of 21 face-offs to help MVRHS “work with tempo” and keep their opponents’ offensive rhythm “out of whack,” explained Coach Chris Greene. “A major part of our success has been Liam at the face-off X.”
On defense, MVRHS “withstood a first-quarter rush” to help keep themselves in a position to win. Paciello snagged six ground balls, made two assists, and forced six takeaways. In goal, sophomore Michael Perry had eight saves.
Against Dennis-Yarmouth, the Conley boys outdid themselves, scoring nine goals between the two of them. Liam had four goals, six ground balls, and was 11 for 19 at the face-off X. Nicholson also got on the board with two goals; senior Jack Walsh and sophomore Will Baliunas both scored a goal each. Rookie attacker Phillip Oliviera assisted two of the Vineyard’s goals.
On the other end, Paciello (six ground balls, eight takeaways) and Perry (seven saves) led the way once again. Sophomore Chase Toomey had four takeaways, helping to keep the Dolphins “out of sync.”
Rounding out the action for the Vineyard were clashes with Fairhaven on May 12, and Falmouth Academy on May 16. The Vineyarders dominated Falmouth Academy, but were stymied by Fairhaven, losing 11-3. After the loss, Coach Greene stated, “We were unable to pick up ground balls or score … We hit the goalie or his stick on eight different shots. We got outhustled by an opponent that really wasn’t better than us.” He added, “I like this team. We just have to figure out how to compete for four quarters consistently.”
Next week, MVRHS will wrap up its regular season with three home games: Monomoy on Tuesday, May 23, at 3 pm, St. John Paul II on Thursday at 3 pm, and finally Nantucket on Saturday at 12:30 pm. The Vineyarders are 9-5 overall.
MVRHS baseball with tough task ahead
This past week, the Vineyarders played three home games, against Dennis-Yarmouth on Wednesday, Sandwich on Friday, and Bristol-Plymouth Tech on Monday. All three clashes ended close, with the Vineyarders beating Bristol-Plymouth by two, and losing the other two games by a total of three runs.
Against the Dolphins, MVRHS collected 13 hits, but unfortunately lost 6-4. At the top of the lineup, seniors Cam Napior and Tobey Roberts each had three base knocks, while sophomore Hunter Johnson had three RBIs in the cleanup spot. Senior Liam Marek also recorded two doubles on the day.
Versus Sandwich, the Vineyarders were down 5-0 through three and a half innings, but turned it on in the bottom of the fourth, initiating a strong comeback bid. Scoring four runs over the next three innings, MVRHS brought it within one, but ultimately couldn’t tie the ballgame up.
In the loss, Johnson had two hits, two runs, and a walk, and fellow sophomore Wyatt Loughman got three singles. For the third straight game (going back to last week’s loss against Barnstable), the Vineyarders actually outhit their opponents, which was an encouraging sign for Coach Kyle Crossland. After the game, he stated, “I feel like this group has battled and been competitive all season long … The boys have scraped and clawed in every game this season, and haven’t felt overmatched.”
Finally, against Bristol-Plymouth Tech, it was do-or-die for MVRHS, as they needed to secure a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. With their backs against the wall, the Vineyarders dropped nine runs on the Craftsmen, winning 9-7. The Vineyarders got their revenge after Bristol-Plymouth had beaten MVRHS 7-5 in their first matchup earlier this season.
Leading the way for the purple and white on offense were usual suspects Roberts (two hits, one RBI) and Johnson (three hits, two RBIs), as well as sophomore Grady McCracken (two hits, two RBIs), who came off the bench to play DH.
With this win over the Craftsmen under their belts, the Vineyarders now have to win three more to make it to the MIAA Division III playoffs. Their opponents for this final stretch of the regular season will be Falmouth, Nauset, and finally Nantucket, all of whom MVRHS has beaten earlier this year. “Our destiny is in our own hands,” said Crossland. He added, “This is a young group with a bright future, and I am proud of how they played this season regardless of how this last stretch turns out.”
MVRHS sailors compete at New England fleet racing championships
This weekend, the Vineyarders traveled to Hyannis and then Quincy for the regional scholastic fleet racing championships, the O’Day Trophy.
In Hyannis on Saturday, the Vineyarders had to score in the top four of 14 teams in their pool to qualify for the finals. Kicking it into gear right away, the Vineyarders won the first race outright, across both the A and B divisions. Finally, seven heats and some hours later, they finished in a fantastic second, right behind powerhouse Tabor Academy.
“They crushed it at the qualifier, and legitimately had a shot at bumping Tabor to second,” Coach Andrew Burr said. Their A boat ended the day with four top-two finishes, and their B boat with six top-three finishes.
Next up was the finals in Quincy on Sunday. Against a stacked field featuring private programs from around New England, the Vineyarders had their work cut out for them, but still managed to finish a respectable ninth out of 18. They finished the third-highest among all public schools in attendance, behind Greenwich (Connecticut) and Barrington (Rhode Island). Moreover, their B boat managed to win the seventh heat outright.
After the finals finished up, Burr stated, “This group continues to surprise me … their learning curve has become parabolic, and teamwork has grown proportionally as they feed off each other’s successes and increasing confidence. [They’re] always challenging each other.”