Vineyard football loses home opener

The Martha’s Vineyard football team fell in its home opener to the Mashpee High School Falcons 38–12 on Friday. 

It was the Island team’s home opener, and the stands and surrounding field were packed with local fans dressed in cowboy hats and boots for the “Wild, Wild West”–themed game that started at 6 pm. It was also First Responder Night, so popcorn and hotdogs were free for all first responders. 

On the field, the Vineyarders struggled throughout the game with simple mistakes: too many men on the field, confusion among players that led to delay of game calls, safeties, and fumbles. The Falcons also recovered an onside kick and successfully made two-point conversions against the Vineyarders, causing the Island team to fall behind by nearly 40 points before the half.

“Mashpee’s a tough team; they’re always tough. They’re always big and physical,” Head Coach Zeke Vought told The Times. 

Mashpee scored on its first four possessions, adding a safety and two more touchdowns before halftime to earn a 38–0 lead. 

The Vineyarders were also plagued with injuries, which Vought said will cause some shifts in the lineup. The Vineyarders will have some time to heal, though, as their next game is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 5:30 pm, away against Sharon High School.

“All of it [will impact the lineup] of course. I lost my kicker. But … we have time to heal up and get back at it,” Vought said. 

As for the early mistakes, Vought said the team is young and was experiencing some “first-half jitters,” but added that repetition in coming practices and game experience will help going forward. 

There are three freshmen, 12 sophomores, 14 juniors, and seven seniors on this year’s roster. There is no junior varsity team at the high school this year.

“I’m really proud of our kids for not quitting and sticking it out. We’ve got some young talent here, but we are young. Experience is really what’s going to help them,” Vought said. “These guys really don’t have any reps under their belts, so we just got to get them reps and keep practicing.”

In the first quarter, Mashpee received the opening kickoff and scored on its first offensive drive. The Falcons converted a two-point conversion and then recovered an onside kick at the Vineyard’s 34-yard line after the ball bobbled in Vineyard hands. The Falcons scored again with 6:08 left in the first quarter, and the Vineyard stuffed its second two-point conversion to hold the Falcons at 14–0. 

Mashpee continued with onside kicks, which the Vineyarders recovered in their second attempt, but they were driven back and forced to punt from their own 15-yard line. Mashpee took over at the Vineyard’s 28-yard line after recovering the kick with a strong run upfield, and on the first drive, hit Aarian Brown (No. 3) with a long touchdown pass. The Falcons’ successful two-point conversion made it 22–0 with 3:03 left in the first quarter. 

On their next offensive chance, a fumble on a handoff by the Vineyarders gave Mashpee the ball at the Vineyard’s 38-yard line. The Falcons were still driving as the first quarter ended. 

The second quarter opened on the Vineyard’s two-yard line, where Mashpee continued its drive. The Vineyarders recovered a fumble and sparked some life into local fans, but Mashpee forced a safety, tackling the Vineyard’s sophomore quarterback Adam Parchment (No. 8) deep in the end zone. After tacking on the two points earned from the safety, the Vineyard kicked off again, and Mashpee converted a long pass from the 37-yard line to make it 32–0 with 8:41 left in the second quarter. Mashpee scored again at 3:05 left in the quarter but failed on the two-point conversion, making it 38–0 over the Vineyarders. 

The Vineyarders showed their first offensive spark with 2:34 left in the half: a 55-yard completion from Parchment to Griffin Buehler (No. 5), who pulled in the long ball from overhead while running between two Mashpee defenders. A 20-yard run by Parchment brought the Vineyarders to the 10-yard line, but the clock ran out, and the half ended 38–0. 

The third quarter opened with another Vineyard fumble on the first play after receiving the kick. The Vineyard’s defense answered with an interception of its own. Senior Captain Matt Macmillan (No. 17) had a long run wiped out by a holding call, but on the next play, he made another 34-yard gain. A sneak by Parchment brought the Vineyard upfield, and then a short pass to Buehler ran the Vineyard in for its first touchdown with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. The Vineyard missed the extra point, and the quarter ended 38–6. 

In the fourth, the Vineyarders did not let up a single Mashpee touchdown, and Parchment scored on a 70-yard run with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. The extra point was no good, and the final score was 38–12. 

The Vineyarders outscored Mashpee 12–0 in the second half but could not erase the deficit from earlier slip-ups. 

The captains for the Vineyard football team are junior Matthew Alves (No. 1) and seniors Buehler and Macmillan. 

Macmillan said the young Vineyard team has a lot to learn from the loss. 

“When you’re down a lot, it just matters to keep playing. It’s an important lesson,” he said. 

He also acknowledged that there has been a lot of change to the program since last year. 

“It’s a very young team — a lot of guys who are new to the game — and we have a new head coach, and he’s brought some guys in, too,” Macmillan said. “They have a different philosophy. The culture has changed a lot. The emphasis is more on building a program. Even if there’s no initial success, there’s a more ultimate goal: long-term success for the program.” 

For the Vineyard football team, the next coming weeks are about repetition, learning from game film, and recovery. The next game, against Sharon High School, may be a good rebound point for the team. The Vineyarders beat Sharon 38–12 last year. 

Also at the Martha’s Vineyard football game against Mashpee, an investigation was launched after a student received a photo of a handgun from another student attending the game. After Oak Bluffs Police and school administration officials searched the school grounds, it was discovered the student had gone home. Officers found the student at his parents’ house later that night and said he was cooperative and that there was no credible threat to the safety of the school community. 

The high school said it would address the matter with the student directly, in compliance with the MVRHS student handbook.