Men’s tennis got off to a dominant start
This past weekend, the Vineyarders had their second and third meetings of the season, easily beating Barnstable 5-0, and then Dennis-Yarmouth 4-1.
The Vineyarders took all nine wins in just two sets apiece – the minimum – which they also did four times against Dover-Sherborn earlier this month. MVRHS is now 3-0 on the season.
Against the Red Hawks and Dolphins this week, the MVRHS doubles players were the most dominant, dropping just two games overall.
On Wednesday against Barnstable, Teagan Myers and Caleb Dubin won first doubles 6-1, 6-0; while Clyde Smith and Kert Kleeman won the second doubles 6-0, 6-1. Then on Friday in Yarmouth, Myers, Dubin, Kleeman, and Kyle Levy swept both doubles matches, 6-0, 6-0.
When asked about her team’s exciting start to the season, Coach Nicole Macy said, “I think we look at early success as exciting, but we’re cautiously optimistic. We know we’re generally on the stronger end of the talent spectrum in our league… “We’ll continue to work hard in practices, focusing on taking a talented team to the next level. “
Women’s tennis began league play with a win
Prior to this week, the Vineyarders had yet to face any Cape and Islands opponents. Their first two games come against rivals Dover-Sherborn and Newton North. On April 12, however, the Vineyarders began league play against Barnstable, and took the opportunity to shake off their early losses.
Led by Coach William Rigali’s trio of experienced seniors — Cali Giglio, reigning Cape and Islands MVP, Evelyn Brewer, and Andrea Morse — the Vineyarders swept singles in two sets each, and also won first doubles in help with some solid play from junior Sofia. Balsas and sophomore Ellie Pennington. “[It’s] Great to get the first win of the season! Coach Rigali stated.
Going forward, the Vineyarders will take another five days off before welcoming Dennis-Yarmouth to Fennessy Courts on Monday, April 24, at 3 p.m.
Men’s lacrosse faces tough opposition
Heading into spring break this week, Coach Chris Greene took a “no day off” approach with his team, and scheduled them for a couple of tough midseason games in Connecticut to sharpen up. their skills. First up was Newington HS on Saturday, and then Canton HS on Monday, two strong teams that gave the Vineyarders everything they wanted.
Against Newington, the Vineyarders fought hard, and held it for two to three quarters. According to Coach Greene, the junior Conley twins played wonderfully, with Aiden scoring a “masterful” five goals, and Liam winning 11 of 14 face-offs “to help the control the tempo early.”
Defensively, sophomores Frankie Paciello and Chase Toomey led the way with five ground balls and three takeaways each, while Michael Perry (also a sophomore) paced the game with 12 saves against 34 shots. . Unfortunately, however, the hot weather combined with a short bench led to the death of the Vineyarders, as they lost for the first time this season, 9-6.
Two days later, Vineyard was “fighting the Canton Warriors,” Coach Greene joked. With four different Vineyarders getting on the scoreboard, and “the close defense [doing] an incredible job against a seasoned opponent,” bravely defeated MVRHS, 8-4. Offensively, Aiden Conley added another goal and an assist, to make it six and two for the weekend, and Liam picked up another 10 faceoffs (in addition to scoring once). Junior Wyatt Nicholson also had a goal and an assist.
Defensively, Paciello had six ground balls and three takeaways, and sophomore Jordan Souza “had an impressive first game back.” According to Coach Greene, Jordan’s game totals were 92 goals and 54 assists last year, but Souza held him to just two goals, one assist, and seven shots that season. Monday: “A great way to give back to the team.”
Looking back on the weekend, Greene seemed pleased with his team’s efforts: “I think we learned a lot about ourselves … [we had] severe loss, [it was] have a great weekend.” The Vineyarders next game is at home against Sandwich on Saturday, at 11 am. MVRHS is 3-2 on the season.
MVRHS co-ed sailing to 13th place in New England
This past week, the New England Schools Sailing Association released its midseason rankings of 60-plus schools, naming MVRHS the 13th best program in the region. So far this season, the Vineyarders have competed in two dual meets against Cape and Islands opponents, and three major meets against teams from around New England.
MVRHS begins its season in Greenwich, Conn., on Saturday, April 1, against five opponents. They beat Boston College Prep and North Kingstown (RI), but lost to hosts Brunswick Academy, Greenwich Academy, and Greenwich HS.
Staying busy, the Vineyarders then had dual meets against Sturgis East and Sandwich on the 4th and 6th, winning 3-0 and then 3-1, before traveling to Portland, Maine, to face five more opponents. In Portland, MVRHS cleaned up, defeating Portland HS 2-0, Cape Elizabeth HS 2-1, Lincoln Academy 2-1, and Falmouth, Maine, HS 2-1. They lost to Milton Academy 2-1.
Most recently, the Vineyarders had a long race day at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, on Saturday. They defeated Dartmouth HS 3-0, but lost to powerhouses Hotchkiss, Portsmouth Abbey, and Moses Brown 3-0. “Very good conditions, and strong teams, but we didn’t sail well in the early morning,” explained Coach Andrew Burr. “We finally woke up late in the afternoon and pressed Moses Brown, but the damage was done.”
But despite the tough showing over the weekend, the Vineyarders still boast a solid 10-7 record, with most of their opponents being private academies and/or boarding schools. According to Coach Burr, only one public school has qualified for nationals before. If MVRHS can lock down a top-8 ranking, they will qualify for the New England Championships at MIT on May 6-7, where they could earn a spot at nationals.
“We’ve come a long way this season,” Burr added. Junior drivers Simon Hammarlund and senior Griffin Stead (a rookie driver) impressed him the most with how they improved: “Night and day.”
The Varsity baseball offense went cold
A week after recording two remarkable comeback wins against Monomoy and St. John Paul II, the MVRHS offense struggled to get things going against Barnstable and Dennis-Yarmouth on Wednesday and Friday.
Against the Red Hawks, the Vineyarders gave up five runs in the first inning, and never caught up. “Vineyard settled down after that, but Barnstable kept chipping away and adding runs,” Coach Kyle Crossland said. “It was too much to overcome.”
Led by junior second baseman Brian Sornas, the Vineyarders recorded six hits (the same number as Barnstable) and plated two, but walked 11 fewer times. They lost 10-2.
Against the Dolphins, the name of the game is clutch hitting and scoring runs. On the bump, junior Sam Zack allowed just two earned runs in six innings, but four errors and some timely hitting allowed Dennis-Yarmouth to score five. times. “Dennis-Yarmouth put the bat on the ball with runners on base, where Vineyard didn’t,” Crossland said. “MVRHS stranded eight runners on base.”
In the 5-2 loss, senior Cam Napior hit a triple, and senior Micah Simmons recorded two hits and two runs. Junior Jack Debettencourt drove in Simmons twice.
Next, the Vineyarders play a doubleheader against the Dover-Sherborn Raiders away on Saturday, and then play Sandwich next Wednesday. MVRHS is 2-3 on the season.