Jacoby Light, the senior captain of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) varsity boys’ golf team, closed out his high school career during the state championship at the Franklin Country Club Monday.
He represented MVRHS with a 17th-place finish out of 104 golfers in the Massachusetts Division 2 tournament.
Light said he was predicted to finish with a worse placement amid other top golfers from around the state, but after shooting a 78 in Franklin, just seven over par, he secured his placement. It was an improvement from last season, when he finished 25th with an 81 at the Foxborough Country Club.
“I never checked the leaderboard or anything, but I thought, ‘I’m going to break 80,’ and I knew not many people are going to do that today,” Light said in an interview on Tuesday afternoon. “I was expected to finish probably in the middle of the pack, nothing special, so it was great to shoot the 78.”
Light’s performance on Monday capped off a strong season for a senior-heavy Vineyard golf team. The Vineyarders went 10–3 this season and won the Cape and Islands League title for the first time in 13 years.
“No one expected us to be any good,” Light said of the league title. “It was cool to come out firing and just show everyone.”
MVRHS golf Head Coach Henry Smith said the Island golfers have been “kind of clicking a little bit more and more” over the past four years, “as a team and individuals.”
“Jacoby’s just kind of been at the head of it all the past four years, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He was just so aggressive, and had a really good finish in his last tournament ever,” Smith said.
After four years of being a key member of the program, the last round was bittersweet for Light. The eight-person team will also say goodbye to four other vital seniors: Ben Kokoszka, Chandler Blau, Peter Williamson, and Macallan Moran.
“This was my last round of high school. But, I mean, it was a great four years,” Light said.
Smith said Light has grown into a leader and top player in the program. “It was a little emotional yesterday, because he’s kind of been my guy for the past couple of years and grew into a great leader, an important part of the team,” said Smith. “The future is bright, but it’s been a really good past couple years.”
Smith said he hopes to see Light take his talents to college courses. “Fortunately, he’s put himself in a position where he should have plenty of options next year, but I’d love to see him keep playing golf … I think he can do it.”
Light said he hasn’t decided on his next step but has spoken with coaches at Williams College in Williamstown.
A standout moment for Light on the course came at the seventh hole of the Monday tournament: a par five. Light was sitting three over par after two consecutive bogeys, but after a strong drive, he hit a seven-iron from 190 yards that landed the ball 20 feet from the pin. Light said he played a conservative putt, but the greens were fast, and there was a slight downhill that trickled the long putt in for an eagle, which got him back to one over par. He said the long putt for eagle gave him the confidence he needed early in the match to finish strong.
In the days before states, Light played in the Cape and Islands Invitational at Willowbend and the Cape Cod Amateur at Hyannisport. He said he logged about 54 total holes the week before the state tournament on challenging courses, which helped him prepare for the competition.
“I was a little nervous,” Light said. “But I wasn’t the favorite, so I was just playing.”
Smith highlighted the team’s depth and promising future, including sophomores Gusto Martone and Shane Harding, who stepped into key roles as consistent low-40s or better scorers on nine-hole rounds. Though the program will lose five seniors next year, Smith expects those underclassmen to lead in the 2027 fall season, alongside junior Jake Gatchell.
