Girls’ lacrosse season back online after ref shortage
The referee shortage for girls’ lacrosse was resolved for the Cape and Islands league recently, bringing the action back for the Vineyarders. With their schedule backlogged, MVRHS played seven games in the past three weeks, winning four and losing three.
The Vineyarders’ four wins came against Sturgis West, Dennis-Yarmouth, Falmouth Academy, and finally Sturgis East, by a substantial margin of 30 goals total. Against Sturgis West, five different Vineyard girls scored two goals each: senior Lily Moran, junior Ali Dyke, and sophomores Annabelle Metell, Lily Haynes, and Charlotte Scott. Versus Falmouth, Scott and sophomore Lizzy Chvatal each scored four times, and Dyke added on two.
Coach Lacey Dinning explained that attacker Dyke has been her most valuable player on offense this season. “She’s quiet, and then scores on you out of nowhere … She has a good shot from the eight-meter spot, and has been great on the crease roll.” Furthermore, Dinning recently assigned Dyke to the draws, considering her success in face-offs in addition to goalscoring. Last week, Dyke scored four times in MVRHS’ 8-3 win over Dennis-Yarmouth, and three times in a loss against Sandwich.
On defense, juniors Elena Giordano and Violet MacPhail have been holding down the fort for Coach Dinning. “Elena’s been our biggest help all season; she never subs off, and is constantly running,” the coach said. “MacPhail has had huge success on defense as well. She’s our ‘talker.’”
Rounding out the action for the Vineyarders was a tight overtime loss to Monomoy away Tuesday, as they fell short 9-8. Metell tied the game up with 20 seconds to go in regulation, but then the Sharks won it on sudden death halfway through overtime. Despite the frustrating loss, Dinning thinks that the game boosted the team’s energy as they finish up this packed chunk of their schedule.
The Vineyarders lost to Monomoy by three earlier in the season, which proved to themselves that they have been getting better, but also need to keep the intensity up. “We were more prepared this time around. We face-guarded their best scorer, which worked well … This game really motivated them,” Dinning said.
Next up, the Vineyarders will play St. John Paul II on Wednesday and then on Friday, followed by an away game versus Nantucket on Saturday to finish up their regular season. Their game Wednesday is at 3 pm, after our paper’s deadline, and will also be their home finale and senior day. The Vineyarders are currently 8-7, and are on track to qualify for the MIAA Division IV playoffs for the first time in four years.
Total team effort for MVRHS track and field
This past Saturday, the Vineyarders competed in the Cape and Islands League Championships in Monomoy, setting personal records across the board.
In the girls’ two-mile, MVRHS welcomed star distance runner Alexa Schroeder back from injury, and she finished third overall for her season debut. The junior’s 12:37.9 finish was an 11-second personal record. Coach Joe Schroeder (no relation) lauded Alexa’s fierce competitive nature, stating, “She sets high expectations for herself. She’s not satisfied just yet.”
Also headlining the girls’ team were junior Maia Donnelly, sophomore Camille Brand, and freshman Kelley Aredes. Donnelly placed fourth overall in the 400m finals with a time of 1:05.26, a season record. In the 200m and high jump finals, Brand finished with the bronze and silver, respectively. Then in the mile, Aredes set a 20-second personal record with a time of 6:34.6.
Last but not least, the girls’ 100m sprinters racked up a lot of points for MVRHS, with the 4x100m relay team of sophomore Mya Gardner, junior Caroline Bettencourt, Brand, and senior Shantavia Whylly taking second in the finals with a time of 53.80. Both Gardner and Brand are rookies this year, and have stepped up bigtime for Coach Schroeder’s squad.
“Mya is such a solid, reliable starter; [a good] lead leg is super-important … Brand is a very calm athlete; it’s so refreshing to see,” Schroeder stated.
Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, junior Caleb Guerrero and freshman Xeandre Miller continued to impress for MVRHS. Guerrero PR’d in the 200m dash, finishing in eighth with a time of 25.30 seconds. In the javelin throw, Miller PR’d for the second meet in a row, with a heave of 117 feet and nine inches, good for sixth overall. He placed the highest among all freshmen. Miller also helped the 4x100m relay team take fifth.
With the regular season now completed, the Vineyarders turn their heads to the postseason and beyond.
At Divisionals this upcoming Saturday, seniors Wren Christy and Daniel Serpa have qualified to run in the 800m, the girls’ 4x100m relay team has qualified to compete, and Brand will also be participating in the 200m dash and high jump. Serpa and Brand have already qualified for the All-State Meet of Champions the following weekend, and the girls’ sprint medley relay team of Bettencourt, Brand, Donnelly, and Christy will be attending the Nike Outdoor Nationals in mid-June.
Reflecting on the crew as a whole, Schroeder stated, “We have such a great group of kids; they’re already looking forward to next year.”
Boys’ lacrosse clinches Lighthouse division crown
The Vineyarders played only one game this past week, but it was an important one, as they beat Monomoy at home yesterday 15-5 to win the Cape and Islands’ Lighthouse division once again.
Things actually started off poorly for MVRHS, who went down 4-1 with a little more than four minutes to go in the first quarter. But then the Vineyarders took over, with the junior Conley twins and sophomore Will Baliunas spearheading the impressive comeback.
Aiden Conley led all scorers with five goals and two assists, while Liam Conley and Baliunas each scored three. Conley also tacked on nine ground balls, eight face-off wins, and an assist. Sophomore Reland Oliviera, junior Wyatt Nicholson, and senior Trevor Gullotta got on the board as well.
The Vineyarders are currently 11-5, and wrap up their regular season with two more home games this week: St. John Paul II on Thursday at 3 pm, and Nantucket on Saturday at 12:30 pm. They have now officially qualified for the postseason, and are currently ranked No. 19 in the MIAA Division IV power rankings.
Girls’ tennis finishes their regular season
This past week, the Vineyarders finished up regular-season play, facing off against Falmouth on May 17, Nauset on May 19, and Dover-Sherborn on May 22.
The Cape and Islands League title came down to the wire for MVRHS, who unfortunately lost a couple of nail biters to the Clippers and Warriors, 3-2 apiece. Up until their matches with their rivals this week, the Vineyarders had been 9-1 in league play this season, with their sole loss coming at the hands of Falmouth back on April 28, 3-2 as well. All season, MVRHS had been right behind Falmouth in second, with Nauset being in a close third.
On the bright side, MVRHS’ first doubles team of junior Sofia Balsas and sophomore Ellie Pennington continued to impress, pushing Falmouth to the brink, and MVRHS tri-captains had the chance to add to their outstanding win columns.
Despite losing their freshman season to the pandemic, and having an abbreviated sophomore season, seniors Cali Giglio, Andrea Morse, and Evelyn Brewer reached 50, 38, and 35 career match wins this past week. “All three have been consistent team leaders, and their record on court speaks for itself. Their teams have qualified for state playoffs in each of the past three seasons,” Coach Bill Rigali said.
Moving forward, the Vineyarders will begin postseason play in the next week or two, and are currently ranked No. 15 in the MIAA Division III power rankings. “Going into the playoffs, we are looking forward to playing good, competitive tennis, and are happy to have the opportunity to represent our school and the M.V. tennis community!” Rigali said.
Mindsets and mentalities for boys’ tennis
The Vineyarders played their three penultimate matches of the regular season this past week, against Falmouth away on May 17, Nauset at home on May 19, and Dover-Sherborn away on the 23rd.
Against Falmouth and Nauset, it was business as usual for MVRHS, as they took the season sweeps with 5-0 and 4-1 wins, respectively, and moved to 13-1 on the season.
Things went south, however, when the Vineyarders got a small dose of revenge from the No. 3 Raiders on Tuesday, whom they blanked 5-0 for their first match of the season. Without two of their top singles hitters in seniors Jacob Riis and Jack Marshard, Dover-Sherborn turned the tables on the No. 2 Vineyarders, winning 5-0.
“[Dover-Sherborn] wanted their revenge, and we didn’t fight back hard enough,” stated Coach Nicole Macy. “My pep talk to them on our way home included the request that they show me they want to win on Thursday. Don’t just win, but act like it matters; fight.”
With Nantucket away (their regular-season finale) coming up on Thursday, MVRHS has an opportunity to fire back up before the playoffs start.
MVRHS will still have a top ranking going into the MIAA Division III playoffs with a formidable 13-2 record, and in all likelihood, home court advantage for the first couple of rounds.
“They have so much potential. This is what they have been working for; I want it for them so much, and just hope I can be enough to help them get there,” first-year Coach Macy said. “It’s a lot of pressure on those kids; I always ask them to smile. We focus on what they’re doing well, and what they can do next … Really just taking it one point at a time.”
