The rivalry football face-off between the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and Nantucket High School usually kicks off at either team’s home field, but this will be the first held at an alternate location. And what a location it is: the 44th Island Cup kicks off in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, on November 26 at 5 pm.
The Vineyard–Nantucket rivalry game dates back to the late 1950s, before the Island Cup came into play in 1978. High school athletic director Mark McCarthy said the teams’ hard-fought matchup was one of the reasons the Island Cup caught Fenway’s interest — the Vineyard has so far won 22 Island Cups to Nantucket’s 21.
McCarthy, who played in the first-ever Island Cup as a senior, said high schoolers are looking forward to the Fenway face-off.
“Obviously, there’s a whole excitement about playing at Fenway,” he said. “It’s like the Super Bowl — a whole different atmosphere.”
This year’s venue will require a fair amount of extra planning compared to all previous Island Cups — McCarthy said that who is considered the home team is yet to be decided. Both teams will also sit on the same sideline, which will have to mean more careful communication between coaches and players.
“Coaches will have to sort out messaging plays and signals to the team, and what plays are going to run … Coach [Tony Mottola] is going to have to work around some of those details about how to communicate,” McCarthy noted.
Another major boon of the major league host is that the Fenway Group is setting aside 25 percent of ticket sales for the high school teams. And McCarthy expects a large turnout. “We’re expecting a lot of people, and a lot [from] the Boston area.”
Tickets will cost $20 each.
