The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys varsity cross-country team placed 22 out of 23 teams at the MIAA Division 3 state finals on Saturday at Fort Deven’s Willard Park.
Despite the young Vineyard team’s finishing toward the bottom of the state finals standings, they are coming off a strong season, winning the Cape and Islands League title, and qualifying for the state finals race, which the Vineyarders missed by one placement last season.
“Not our best race, but to reach this level [state finals] is a great accomplishment. Learning how to excel at this level is the next step our team needs to take,” said Head Coach Joe Schroeder.
The Vineyarders are a young squad and were dealing with some injuries and fatigue after the long season, which hamstrung some of their top performers for the final race, but Schroeder said he was proud of their performance all season.
“No excuses — that’s what it is at this time of year,” said Schroeder. “The team is still learning how to compete at a high level, and they did really well this whole year; we had a great season.”
The team will be hosting the 5K for KJ on Saturday, Nov. 29, with proceeds going to the Kevin Johnson Cross-Country Scholarship Fund to support a Vineyard graduate in college, and an awards banquet on Dec. 3 to officially close out the season.
“Our kids performed above and beyond our expectations all season; they are ready to take the next step, and they are even more hungry for 2026,” said Schroeder. “We are looking forward to indoor track, then going right back at it next season.”
