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The MVRHS girls basketball team started off the new season with a defensive gem in a 32-21 Cape and Islands League win over the Monomoy Sharks, Tuesday afternoon at the Sancy Pachico Gym in Oak Bluffs.

“We focused on defense during practice, and it paid off,” Vineyard Coach Sterling Bishop said after the win.

The Vineyarders scored the first seven points, and used a suffocating defense to hold the Sharks to just one basket through the first eight minutes. Taylor Hughes scored the first Vineyard bucket of the season, freshman starter Braedyn Clark drained a three-pointer, and Sasha Lakis scored on a put-back.

In the second quarter, Monomoy turned the tables on the hosts. The Sharks did a better job of penetrating the paint, and put in a clutch of second-chance baskets, outscoring MV 9-2 to lead 11-9 at halftime.

After the break, the Vineyarders cranked up their defensive intensity to a new level and took control of the game with a 14-0 run to start the third quarter. Kylie Estrella and Braedyn Clark both hit treys, and Sasha Lakis added four points from the low post. The Sharks lost their bite inside, and started throwing up prayers from the perimeter. Following a timeout, the Sharks cooled off the Vineyard spurt with a full-court press, and sank a pair of baskets to trail 23-15 after three quarters.

The final period was a stalemate, with the Vineyarders muscling out a 9-6 advantage to seal up the win.

Braedyn Clark led all scorers with 11 points and added seven steals. Sasha Lakis scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked four shots. Kylie Estrella finished with nine points, a pair of steals and a block. Taylor Hughes and Evanna Quinn chipped in two points apiece.

“As I expected, the girls gave a great effort,” Coach Bishop said. “They never quit, played hard, and played a great game overall. I’m really proud of our freshman Braedyn Clark. She played every minute of the game and gave 100 percent effort.”

Prior to the varsity contest, the Vineyard JVs lost to the Sharks, 32-18. Leah Hairston scored five points for MV, Michaela Benefit and Ella Oskan each had four, and Bella Thorpe chipped in three.

MVRHS girls hoops preview

With only three players returning to the varsity lineup for the Vineyarders — juniors Taylor Hughes and Sasha Lakis, along with sophomore Kylie Estrella — the 2018–19 season is a brand-new thing for Coach Bishop: “We have a lot of rebuilding, a lot of relearning. Some of the JV girls who joined varsity this season bring some experience on a smaller level, and we’re hoping to get them caught up to speed quickly.”

Summer Cardoza, back after a one-year absence, is the lone senior on the squad, and will captain the Vineyarders along with junior Katherine O’ Brien.

Rounding out the Vineyard roster are juniors Riley Yuhas, Kya Maloney, Evanna Quinn, and Jovanna Lowell-Bettencourt, and freshman Braedyn Clark, who was a star for the Tisbury Tigers in middle school hoops. “She’s going to bring a much-needed spark to the team this year,” Coach Bishop said. “She’s projected to be a starter as a freshman because of her talent level.”

“This entire program is basically being run by juniors,” Coach Bishop said with a grin. “They’ve been in this program a long time, and hopefully they can bring that valuable experience to help everyone come along. Even with Summer [Cardoza] being a senior, she left the school and transferred after her sophomore year, so she missed an entire year of Vineyard basketball. Technically she’s a senior, but she has junior experience in terms of basketball.”

After the first two weeks of practice, Coach Bishop is pleased with his team’s chemistry and work ethic: “I’m really, really pleased with the personality of the team. They’re very supportive of one another. They’re close-knit. They seem more like a family than a team of individuals. What we bring, besides support, is going to be hustle, and defense. Offensively, we may struggle at first until we start trying to feel each other out and are able to work together. They’re going to have an attitude where none of them are quitters, so I feel like they’re going into the season with a very positive mindframe, and I think that’s going to grow and progress as the season gets on.”

After nine seasons in the Eastern Athletic Conference, the Vineyarders, who posted a 9-11 overall mark last year, have moved to the Cape and Islands League for 2018–19 to compete against Cape Cod Academy, Cape Tech, Falmouth Academy, Monomoy, Nantucket, St. John Paul II, Sturgis East, and Sturgis West.

In the coaching staff, Kendall Robinson has moved up from the JV team to be varsity assistant coach this season. Jillian Sedlier is the new JV head coach while Alyssa Lemoi, at the JV helm for the past three seasons, is now the assistant coach.

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Caroline Driscoll scored two breakaway goals and added another in the third period to claim a hat trick as Brookline defeated the MVRHS girls hockey team, 3-0, in the season opener Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena in Boston.

Vineyard goalie Amelia Simmons had a solid game in net, and senior co-captain Meghan Sonia paced the offense as the visitors finished with a strong third period. Ava BenDavid was another Vineyard standout. “In the third period, we just turned the puck over at the beginning of the period and we’re down 3-0, but shots were even in the third period, and we finally generated a little offense,” Vineyard Coach John Fiorito said.

The girls skate against Sandwich in the home opener on Saturday at 5 pm.

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The MVRHS boys hockey team dropped the puck on a new season on Saturday against the Attleboro Bombardiers at the New England Sports Village in Attleboro, and lost a tight battle, 2-1. Hunter Meader scored on the power play off a nifty feed from freshman Jake Scott less than two minutes into the game, but Attleboro responded with a power-play goal of their own later in the first period, and notched the eventual game winner early in the second, shortly after a Vineyard penalty had expired.

The Vineyarders tilted the ice in their favor from the midpoint on. In the final 80 seconds, with goalie Michael Metcalf pulled for the extra attacker, MV had four quality chances to tie the game, but could not convert. Metcalf finished with 20 saves in a solid game between the pipes.

The Vineyard offense took a blow late in the game when sophomore forward Aiden Marek suffered a broken collarbone. He could possibly return to the lineup in six to eight weeks.

“We worked really hard for a good portion of the game,” Vineyard Coach Matt Mincone said. “We got better as the game went on. We hit two posts. It’s just little stuff, it’s focus. I thought we did a good job with our defensive unit. We were short a couple of guys, so we really played four, with a fifth filling in on defense, and then rotated the three forward lines. Everyone did a pretty good job for the most part. We’ll get better than that if we keep this team together. Losing Aiden hurts. He started to get his skates under him in the second period. It [the injury] happened in the last couple of minutes of the game. He just got squished against the boards.”

MV plays Cape Tech in the home opener at the Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena on Dec. 13 at 4:30 pm.

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The MVRHS girls and boys indoor track teams posted wins in the season-opening dual meet against Southeastern on Tuesday at Wheaton College in Norton. The boys downed the Hawks 59-41, while the girls won 49-42.

The juniors led the way for the boys. Dash Christy won two events, placing first in the long jump (19 feet, 4 inches) and the 300 meters (a personal best 38.8). JoJo Bonneau (55-meter high hurdles, 8.5), Peter Burke (600 meters, 1:34.8), Daniel Rivard (1,000 meters, 2.58), and Kieran Karabees (2 mile, 11:28) each won their events.

For the girls, Mackenzie Condon was a three-event winner in the long jump (15 feet, 2 inches), high jump (4 feet, 8 inches) and the high hurdles (9.22), while Amber Cuthbert won the 1,000 (3:36) and the 1 mile (5:58).

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Rainy Goodale, a Martha’s Vineyard masters swimmer and coach of YMCA Makos swim team, competed in the New England LMSC and Colonies Zone Short Course Meters Championship at the WPI Sports and Rec Center in Worcester on Dec. 8 and 9.

More than 400 masters swimmers from New England, North Carolina, and California competed in the meet. Swimming in the 45-49 age group, Rainy placed first in both the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke, with times of 1:22.35 and 2:59.73. She took second place in the 50-meter breaststroke (37.30) and 100-meter individual medley (1:18.49), third in 50-meter backstroke (37.81), and fourth in 50-meter butterfly (34.38). In the 50-meter breaststroke, she swam just 0.56 seconds short of her New England record, set in 2015.

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The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School swim team hosted Sandwich in the first dual meet of the season on Thursday at the YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs. The Vineyarders split, winning the girls meet, 86-81, and losing the boys meet, 109-58.

It was a team effort for the Vineyard, led by individual winners Gabby Carr, Eleanor Hyland, Olympia Hall, and Yayla DeChiara. The girls started quickly with a win in the 200 medley relay (Jillian Pyden, backstroke; captain Abigail Hammarlund, breaststroke; Delilah Hammarlund, butterfly, and Eleanor Hyland, freestyle) in 2:36.27. The Vineyard built its lead with a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 freestyle. Gabby Carr won with a sectional-qualifying time of 2:09.14. Olympia Hall (seventh grade) finished second, and Margaret Sykes followed in third. The sweep gave the girls a lead (21-7) that they would never relinquish. Yayla DeChiara and Annabelle Brothers (eighth grade) took second and third in the 200 individual medley. The Vineyard took 1-2 in the 50 free, with Eleanor Hyland breaking 30 seconds for the first time (29.57), followed closely by Jasselle Wildanger. In the 100 fly, Gabby Carr broke the school record with a sectional-qualifying time of 1:04.14. It was only good enough for second place, because Sandwich swimmer Amelie Bouchard set a pool record with a winning time of 1:02.30. Jasselle Wildanger (second) and Eleanor Hyland (third) scored valuable points in the 100 free. In the 500 free, Olympia Hall finished first with a time of 6:38.38. In a very close 200 freestyle relay, the Vineyard got touched out to finish second (Annabelle Flowers, Yayla DeChiara, Eleanor Hyland, and Gabby Carr), but still qualified for the sectionals with a time of 1:53.77. The second relay (Abigail Hammarlund, Delilah Hammarlund, Jasselle Wildanger, and Olympia Hall) placed third. Yayla DeChiara and Annabelle Brothers finished 1-2 in the 100 backstroke, with Yayla winning in 1:08.52. Abigail Hammarlund took third in the 100 breaststroke, leaving the Vineyard with a three-point lead heading into the final event, the 400 freestyle relay. The Vineyard could clinch the meet with a win in the relay, and the team of Jasselle Wildanger, Yayla DeChiara, Annabelle Brothers, and Gabby Carr delivered with a winning time of 4:16.38.

For the boys, Ruairi Mullin was a double winner in the 50 (26.47) and 100 freestyle (58.97). Oliver Dorr was the only other individual winner, with his best time of 2:24.97 in the 200 individual medley. The Vineyard got second-place finishes from Nicholas Lytle (200 free) and Christian Flanders (eighth grader, 50 free). Captain Ryan Laslovich (200 free) and Oliver Dorr (100 fly) each took third place. In the relays, the 400 freestyle relay (Oliver Dorr, Greg Clark, Christian Flanders, and Ruairi Mullin) won with a time of 4:09.50. The 200 freestyle relay (Christian Flanders, Greg Clark, Oliver Dorr, and Ruairi Mullin) took second, and the 200 medley relay (Christian Flanders, back, Jack Crawford, breast, Ryan Laslovich, fly, and Greg Clark, free) took third.

The Vineyarders host nonconference Durfee of Fall River this Tuesday at the Vineyard Y for the last meet before the holiday break.

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The Vineyarders rebounded from an opening-day defeat at Monomoy with a resounding 70-37 Cape and Islands League win over the Sturgis East Storm in the first boys basketball home game of the season, Thursday afternoon at the Sancy Pachico Gym in Oak Bluffs.

In contrast with the season opener, in which the Vineyarders dug themselves a 25-6 first-quarter hole, the intensity and effort was there from the opening tip on the home floor. MV scored the first 13 points of the game and never looked back. The Vineyarders fought for every loose ball and every rebound, as bodies crashed, bumped, and spilled to the floor throughout the physical contest.

Vineyard Coach Mike Joyce was pleased with his team’s effort, especially on defense, but was quick to point out that it’s early in the season, and much work still needs to be done. “There’s still a lot to tighten up, especially offensively, on the free-throw line [MV was 11 of 26], and some layups that we need to convert in tight games,” he said. “We didn’t convert those, and that’s kind of what happened the beginning of last game is we missed a lot of those type of things. But the effort was there, and I’m pleased with how hard the guys are playing, especially defensively. Offensively is where we have to work better at execution and work better at recognition, so we can be more efficient. Defensively, I like it. Other than the first quarter the other day, we played really hard, and that’s how you’ve got to do it.”

A dozen Vineyarders scored points in the game. Aiden Rogers stood alone in double figures with 13. Jared Regan had nine points and Solon Oliver scored eight, while Dylan Dyke, Kaio Reis, and Rammon Dos Santos added seven apiece. Rogers and Dos Santos were the top rebounders.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Vineyard JV boys improved to 2-0 by beating the Storm 61-29. Adam Knight chalked up four treys and 14 points overall, Leo Neville scored 11, and Nico Arroyo had nine.

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Sandwich skated past the MVRHS girls hockey team, 4-1, in the home opener on Saturday afternoon at the MV Ice Arena. The Blue Knights tallied just 1:39 into the game, added two goals in the second, and converted a penalty shot five minutes into the third period before Meghan Sonia scored from an Alex Rego assist with 6:59 left in the game to break up Sarah Currey’s shutout bid.

Vineyard goalie Amelia Simmons made 28 saves on the day, and MV put 15 shots on the Sandwich net.

“Their top two lines are pretty good, and they got to us pretty good,” Vineyard Coach John Fiorito said. “We’re creating a little more offense, but we’re going to have to work hard to score goals. It’s not pretty all the time. We’re not that deep, but we hang in there. We’re going to break through one of these days. They’re pretty positive.”

The Vineyarders (0-3) look to pick up their first win on Dec. 20 at home against big rival Scituate. The puck drops at 4:05 pm.

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The MVRHS boys hockey team scored early and often in a 9-0 Cape and Islands League win over Cape Tech/Cape Cod Academy in the home opener on Thursday afternoon at the MV Ice Arena.

The Vineyarders (1-1) scored five goals in the first 10 minutes to put the game well out of reach. They also played a clean, penalty-free game.

Freshman center Cam Geary scored his first varsity goal, and notched a hat trick to go with two assists. Linemate and fellow frosh Jake Scott also netted his first varsity goal, and finished with two goals and two assists. Throw in two assists from sophomore Pete Gillis, and one line of young players racked up 11 points for the game. Freshmen defensemen John Coogan and Charlie Lakis also played well for the Vineyarders.

“It’s a bonus for us, that these younger guys are paying attention in practice and taking what they’re learning and putting it into the games,” Vineyard Coach Matt Mincone said after the win. “Those are valuable minutes, getting pucks on net, making good tape-to-tape passes, breaking the puck out. It’s important that we saw what we saw. Granted, it’s the second game of the season, but it’s good to see the development of them from day one to when they got to youth hockey, then into high school; they stuck to the fundamentals.”

Hunter Ponte scored first at the 1:05 mark of the first period, and tallied last late in the third with a slapper from center ice that Coach Mincone termed a “dump-in that went rogue.” Logan Araujo and Hunter Meader also lit the lamp for the Vineyarders, while Ian Trance (2), Colby Zarba, and Colin Henke all picked up assists.

While satisfied with his team’s winning effort, Coach Mincone knows the Vineyarders have a home date with the powerful Bourne Canalmen coming up on Dec. 22 at 5 pm.

“Those guys [Cape Tech] worked hard on the other side, we worked hard, everyone shook hands at the end of the game and walked away with it,” he said. “It was the best we could do to work it as a 45-minute game, and we played good as a team. We should have, we were a better skating team than they were. It’s a step in the right direction, but the competition a week from Saturday is a whole different animal with Bourne.”

In the Hockey Night in Boston (HNIB) EMass Division 3 preseason poll, the Canalmen (14-4-2 last season) are ranked No. 8. “If we want to make some noise and see where we’re at, that’ll be the game,” Coach Mincone said.

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Island Gymnastics sent seven gymnasts to compete in the the Frozen Flip Fest hosted by Dream Big Gymnastics in Cranston, R.I., on Sunday, Dec. 16. Gymnasts were coached by Elizabeth Goodell. The results from the meet are as follows.

Xcel Gold team
Amy Maeda: vault second, 8.35; bars first, 9.05; beam first, 9.4; floor first, 8.5; All-Around first, 35.3.

Sara Goodale: vault first, 9.3; bars third, 8.35; beam third, 8.85; floor second, 8.45; All-Around second, 34.95.

Emily Boyd: vault third, 8.35; bars second, 8.4; All-Around fourth, 32.85.

Xcel Silver team
Grace Voshell: vault second, 8.95; bars second, 9.1; floor second, 8.9; All-Around second, 35.85.

Nikita Kleeman: vault fourth, 8.9; bars first, 9.35; beam second, 9.3; All-Around third, 35.35.

Xcel Bronze team
Abigail Henry joins the “37 club,” along with gymnasts Molly Crawford (Platinum), Arianna Edelman (Platinum), Grace Voshell (Silver), and Nikita Kleeman (Silver).

Abigail Henry: vault fifth, 8.75; bars first, 9.6; beam first, 9.4; floor second 9.3; All-Around first, 37.05.

Madelyn Crowell: vault fourth, 8.95; bars second, 9.5; beam fifth, 8.7; floor third, 9.2; All-Around fourth, 36.35.

The four other Xcel Bronze team members, Casey Webster, Josee Winston-Feder, Stela Thulin, and Autumn Wiggin, along with the Xcel Platinum team Molly Crawford and Arianna Edelman, will compete in January at the Beauty and the Beast Invitational in Providence, R.I.

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MVRHS sports stars Abby Marchand and Addy Hayman signed letters of intent Tuesday to take their athleticism to the next level.

Abby will play field hockey for Connecticut College, and Addy will take her lacrosse skills to Middlebury College in Vermont. Both players are multisport athletes, and both say they will miss their time out on the high school field.

“I am really going to miss the Island community. All my teachers and coaches over the years have been so good to me,” Abby said. “I am so happy to be able to keep playing.”

Addy said she is also going to miss her teammates, her friends, and her coaches — including her father, who coaches the high school lacrosse team: “All my coaches have been so great and encouraging. I am going to miss my dad out on the sidelines every day. It’s going to be really hard to move on, but I can’t wait.”

For the two girls, college is the next big step in their sports careers. “I am excited to get the opportunity to compete at that level,” Addy said. “I can’t believe it’s finally here.”

Recently retired field hockey Coach Lisa Knight said a few tearful words honoring the girls and their dedication to that sport.

“These are two very special young ladies,” Knight said. “Both are four-year players and captains of the field hockey team — they are my big girls.”

Knight addressed each athlete directly, highlighting their strengths, both on and off the field: “She [Abby] has intensity that you cannot teach, and she is going to excel.” Knight said, “The coaches at Connecticut College are getting a gem. You have left a void out on that field that will never be filled.”

Head lacrosse Coach Kurstin Moore praised Addy for her athleticism and her passion. “You are an exceptional player, and I am so proud of you,” she said. “Middlebury is going to enjoy having you on the field, and it’s not super far away, so I can come and watch you play.”

Lee Hayman said she is excited to watch her sister play at Middlebury.

“She’s my sister, she is my teammate, she is my best friend. She made me such a better player, and she broke all my records, which I love and hate,” she joked.

Lacrosse coach and proud father Bob Hayman said it has always been Addy’s dream to make it to the college level, and now that dream has become a reality.

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The MVRHS boys basketball team followed up a win in the home opener on Dec. 13 with a disappointing 59-50 Cape and Islands League loss to Cape Cod Academy on Tuesday.

Save for an opening trey from MV’s Jeremy Regan, the visiting Seahawks from Osterville led nearly wire to wire. Freshman guard Jaeden Greenleaf lead all scorers with 21 points, and junior Alex Marchant added 15 more as CCA improved to 4-0. MV dropped to 1-2 overall and in league play.

The smaller Seahawks won the battles in the paint on offense and defense. They rang up nine three-pointers with timely outside shooting, and added an equal dose of easy layups and hard-fought put-backs underneath.

The Vineyarders were sloppy with the ball, shot poorly from the field, and continued to struggle at the free throw line. Jared Regan was 6 for 6 from the stripe, and Aidan Araujo 2 for 2, but the rest of team went 3 for 14, making the total return 11 for 22.

Dylan Dyke had a strong two-way game and scored 13 points for MV. Jared Regan also scored 13 points, and Jeremy Regan added nine more on three treys.

“It was poor execution, carelessness, a lack of focus and a lack of effort by a lot of people,” Vineyard Coach Mike Joyce said. “It’s just disappointing. The things we worked on were what we should have exploited in that game. We shoot free throws competitively in practice, we run hard on man offense, execution, and team rebounding. We didn’t do any of those against a smaller team. We should have held a huge edge in the paint and on the boards, and we definitely didn’t. We have to get better, we have to execute, play harder, and take care of the ball. It’s not tricky stuff. It’s the simplest part of basketball: Take care of the ball, execute on offense, play hard defense. That’s all it is, and we did very little of any of those.”

On the bright side, the Vineyard JV boys beat the Seahawks, 65-17, to remain unbeaten at 3-0. Leo Neville and Nate Porterfield each shot in double figures for MV, with 13 and 10 points respectively.

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The MVRHS swim team swept a dual meet against visiting Durfee on Tuesday at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard in Oak Bluffs. The girls improved to 2-0 with an 87-74 victory, while the boys evened their record at 1-1 by defeating the Hilltoppers, 83-56.

The girls came out on top despite having just two first-place finishes in the eight individual events. Gabby Carr won the 200 freestyle (2:09.71), and Yayla DeChiara won the 100 backstroke (1:08.58). Both also had an individual second place (Gabby in the 500 free, where she qualified for the sectionals, and Yayla in the 200 individual medley), and were on the two winning freestyle relays. Olympia Hall, Annabelle Brothers, and Jasselle Wildanger each had a second and a third (Olympia, second in the 200 free and third in the 500 free; Annabelle, second in the 100 back and third in the 200 individual medley; and Jasselle, second in the 100 free and third in the 50 free). Captain Abigail Hammarlund placed second in the 100 breast and Delilah Hammarlund followed in third. The 200 medley relay team of Lola Northrop (back), Abigail Hammarlund (breast), Annabelle Brothers (fly), and Eleanor Hyland (free) started the meet off with a second.

After the 100 fly, the Vineyard girls trailed by 15 points. In the best individual race of the meet, Durfee senior Jaelin Jang lowered her own pool record in the 500 free with a time of 5:38.97, but the Vineyard won the event, 9-7, with a 2-3-4 finish (Gabby Carr, Olympia Hall, and Margaret Sykes). The Vineyard made up more ground with a 1-3 finish in the 200 free relay. The foursome of DeChiara, Wildanger, Hyland, and Carr won the event by 0.05 seconds, in 1:56.66. Delilah Hammarlund, Abigail Hammarlund, Kathryn Cuthbert, and Olympia Hall finished third. The 1-2 finish in the 100 back (DeChiara and Brothers) finally pushed the Vineyard ahead by three points going into the last relay. The 400 free relay team went 1-2 to finish the meet. Carr, Wildanger, Brothers, and DeChiara finished first in 4:20.90, followed by Hall, Sykes, Northrop, and Abigail Hammarlund.

In the boys meet, freshman Oliver Dorr and Ruairi Mullin each won two events, with captain Ryan Laslovich earning the other individual win. After the 200 medley relay team of Andrue Carr (back), Jack Crawford (breast), Ryan Laslovich (fly), and Simon Hammarlund (free) swam to second place, Ruairi won the 200 free (2:12.53), with Nathan Cuthbert finishing third. With those points, the Vineyard took a lead that they would never relinquish. Oliver Dorr won the 200 individual medley with his best time of 2:23.27. Ruairi also won the 100 free in 1:00.03. Oliver added another win in the 100 fly (1:06.20), and Ryan Laslovich won the 500 free in 7:18.02. Christian Flanders took two second places (50 free and 100 free), Andrue Carr (100 back) and Jack Crawford (100 breast) each had a second place, and Enrique Contreras had a third (100 back). The 200 free relay team of Oliver Dorr, Simon Hammarlund, Christian Flanders, and Ruairi Mullin won in 1:54.75. Dorr, Laslovich, Flanders, and Mullin added a win in the 400 free relay (4:23.51), with Carr, Contreras, Cuthbert, and Crawford taking third.

The Vineyard’s next meet is after the holiday break, on Thursday, Jan. 3, at home against Sacred Heart.

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Vineyard sophomore Kylie Estrella got the hot hand at the perfect time, scoring six of her seven points in overtime, as the Vineyarders held off host Cape Cod Academy 38-32 on Tuesday afternoon in Osterville.

Freshman Braedyn Clark led all scorers with 16 points as the Vineyarders improved to 2-1 overall and in Cape and Islands League play.

The Seahawks rallied from six points down in the fourth quarter to force the extra period, but with only eight players on the roster, couldn’t overcome three starters fouling out.

“Our game plan going into the game was to play pressure defense and get them in foul trouble,” Vineyard Coach Sterling Bishop said. “It was back and forth throughout, but we were successful because we were able to get three of their eight players to foul out of the game. Kylie did an exceptional job in overtime, and Braedyn played hard from start to finish.”

The Vineyarders also added much-needed depth to their lineup with the additions of senior Mataya Trusty and junior Tianna Rambonga.

MV hosts Sturgis West Charter School on Friday at 5:30 pm.

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The MVRHS indoor track teams each improved to 3-0 with a sweep of the Bishop Stang Spartans in a Mayflower–Eastern Athletic Conference meet, Tuesday at Wheaton College in Norton. The Vineyard girls won, 57-37, and the boys beat the Spartans 69-31.

Mackenzie Condon won four events in the girls’ meet, placing first in the 55-meter dash (7.92), 55-meter high hurdles (9.13), long jump (15 feet, 8 inches) and high jump (4 feet, 10 inches). Amber Cuthbert added wins in the 1 mile (5:43) and 600 meters (1:57).

In the boys’ meet, Dash Christy was a three-time winner, taking the long jump (18 feet, 11 inches), high jump (5 feet, 4 inches) and the 300-meter dash (39.95). Owen Atkins won two events, the 2 mile (11.19) and the 600 meters (1:41). JoJo Bonneau won the 55 high hurdles (8.55), and finished runner-up to Christy in the 300 dash (40.36) and long jump (18 feet). In the shot put, Nate Packer broke his own indoor record with a throw of 45 feet, 0.75 inches.

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The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School varsity swim teams, though short on experience, have solid numbers. Saturday, the Vineyarders dove into the deep end of the pool to begin their 2018–19 season, and emerged with a solid middle-of-the-pack finish in the Bay Colony Conference (BCC) Relay Carnival in Sandwich.

After two years in the Eastern Athletic Conference, the Vineyard has returned to the Bay Colony Conference (BCC). The Vineyard placed sixth out of nine teams in the BCC event on Saturday. Nantucket won the overall team score, with 211 points in the 12-event relay competition. Most of the relays were mixed-gender events (two girls and two boys on each relay). The top eight relays scored points. In the first event, the girls 200 medley relay, the Vineyard (Yayla DeChiara, backstroke; captain Abigail Hammarlund, breaststroke; Gabby Carr, butterfly; and Eleanor Hyland, freestyle) took fifth with a time of 2:12.99. The girls 200 freestyle relay team of Jasselle Wildanger, Olympia Hall (seventh grade), Delilah Hammarlund, and Eleanor Hyland took seventh with a time of 2:03.97. The next relay to score was the mixed 400 medley relay. Oliver Dorr (back), Abigail Hammarlund (breast), Gabby Carr (fly), and Greg Clark (free) finished fifth with a time of 4:45.87. In the mixed 500 freestyle relay, Greg Clark (50 yd), Jasselle Wildanger (100 yd), Simon Hammarlund (seventh grade, 150 yd) and Gabby Carr (200 yd), finished sixth with a time of 6:01.07. The Vineyard saved their best, a fourth-place finish, for the last event, the 400 freestyle relay. Oliver Dorr, Yayla DeChiara, Greg Clark, and Gabby Carr finished in 4:03.08. Vineyard opens its dual meet season on Thursday, Dec. 13, hosting Sandwich at the YMCA on the Vineyard.

“It was a great first meet for the team. For many swimmers, it was their first-ever competitive meet,” Head Coach Jon Chatinover said. Assessing the team last week before the meet, Chatinover said a .500 season was the goal. The girls squad is coming off a 4-9 season, and the boys were 5-8 in 2017–18.

Chatinover has some returning trump cards for his confidence. Sophomore Yayla DeChiara made sectional competition, Gabby Carr was the first Vineyarder to score at the state level as a freshman, and seventh graders Eleanor Hyland and Annabelle Brothers competed at the state level.

And with a roster of three dozen swimmers, he has a larger boys’ contingent than usual. “Typically, girls’ teams have bigger numbers than boys in the sport, but we’ve had a bubble come through the Makos this year,” he said. The Makos are a swim team organized and coached by Rainy Goodale at the Island Y pool.

Also, the 2018–19 schedule is less exhausting, particularly in January: “We had 13 dual meets last year, compared with 10 (six home, four away) this year. January is packed with meets, but it’s more manageable,” he said.

Girls swim team roster

Middle school seventh graders Olympia Hall and Grace Robinson and eighth grader Annabelle Brothers join freshman Delilah Hammarlund and sophomores Yayla DeChiara, Gabriella Carr, Eleanor Hyland, Margaret Sykes, and Madeline Youmans. Upperclass swimmers are juniors Abigail Hammarlund (captain), Kathryn Cuthbert, Maria Strogonova, and Indigo Giambattista, and seniors Charlotte Rooney, Jillian Pyden, Raven McCormack, Gabby Wilbur, Jennyfer Balbino, and Jaselle Wildanger.

Boys swim team roster

It includes six middle schoolers, three freshmen, one sophomore, one junior, and two seniors. Seventh graders are Andrue Carr, Everett Dorr, and Simon Hammarlund, and eighth graders Jack Crawford, Nathan Cuthbert, and Christian join freshmen Oliver Dorr, Ruairi Mullin, and Noah Lawry and sophomore Nicholas Lytle, junior Greg Clark, and seniors Ryan Laslovich (captain) and Enrique Contreras.

Leslie Craven, Tara Nitardy, Jen Passafiume, and Rainy Goodale are the assistant coaches.

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With one senior lost to graduation, Vineyard Coach Mike Joyce has a host of familiar faces back in the lineup with a year of experience under their belts.

“You could see it early on in practice; kids already knew drills I wanted to run, knew some of our philosophy already, and hopefully could take that next step, which a lot of them have,” Coach Joyce said. “You could tell their confidence, of the sophomores and juniors, especially, who were freshman and sophomores last year, really carrying themselves differently and playing with a little more aggressiveness, a little more physicality, which is what we lacked last year, when we were playing a lot of bigger teams and they just outmuscled us. That will be different this year. I’m expecting to be back in the tournament and be competing for the Cape and the Islands [League], which we’ll be moving into this year.”

The Vineyarders have moved from the Eastern Athletic Conference, where they won seven titles (four outright and three shared) in nine seasons. This season, the Vineyarders will play league rivals Cape Cod Academy, Cape Tech, Monomoy, Nantucket, Sturgis East, Sturgis West, and St. John Paul II.

Kane Araujo, who coached the Vineyard freshman for the past two seasons, will now lead the JV team. James Jennings is the new freshman coach.

The Vineyarders have a good mix of senior leadership and younger scoring talent. Seniors Sam Wallace and Matt Morris are the team captains. Dylan Dyke, Owen Porterfield, and Talon Russillo complete the senior quintet on the roster. Returning juniors Jared and Jeremy Regan, Aidan Araujo, and Solon Oliver, are joined by newcomer Justin Chin. Rammon Dos Santos, Aiden Rogers, and Mike Trusty are the varsity sophomores.

“The Regan brothers, Rammon Dos Santos, Mike Trusty, and the younger kids are going to have to take on a bigger role,” Coach Joyce said. “The seniors, especially Matt and Sam, have shown great leadership so far. The sophomores and juniors will probably bear the weight of the scoring, with contributions from the seniors, but the seniors will have to be the ones out there leading physically and emotionally, and they’ve been doing a great job.”

The Vineyarders also don’t lack for depth. “We can probably go nine or 10 deep, without much falloff,” Coach Joyce said.

Heading into the season opener, Coach Joyce was encouraged by his team’s play and attitude during practice. “The energy and the chemistry have been great,” he said. “These guys now have been together for a whole year. You can just see it, they enjoy playing with each other, they have fun, and they play hard. When people come out to see us, they’re going to see a group of kids playing their butts off, with a lot of intensity. We’re going to be pressing a lot.”

Slow start dooms Vineyarders in boys tip-off

Somehow, the energy and intensity that Coach Joyce observed in practice failed to materialize in the opening quarter of the Vineyarders’ opening game against the Monomoy Sharks, Tuesday in Harwich.

The Sharks feasted on their guests’ slow start and ran up a 25-6 lead after the first quarter. The Vineyarders gamely fought back and played well the rest of the way to force overtime with the score tied at 68-68, but Monomoy pulled away in the extra period to win, 79-69.

“We were lethargic and not playing with the intensity we needed in the first quarter,” Coach Joyce said. The Vineyarders also had three players foul out, which hurt down the stretch.

Jared Regan led MV with 17 points, Mike Trusty scored 13, Dylan Dyke and Rammon Dos Santos had 11 each, and Aidan Araujo added nine more.

The Vineyarders look to even their record in the home opener against Sturgis East Charter School on Dec. 13. The opening tip is 5:30 pm.

Vineyard JVs win

The JV team supplied the silver lining in the Vineyard trip to Monomoy on Tuesday, beating the Sharks 58-36. Ty Matthews was the high scorer with 17 points.

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The MVRHS girls basketball team started off the new season with a defensive gem in a 32-21 Cape and Islands League win over the Monomoy Sharks, Tuesday afternoon at the Sancy Pachico Gym in Oak Bluffs.

“We focused on defense during practice, and it paid off,” Vineyard Coach Sterling Bishop said after the win.

The Vineyarders scored the first seven points, and used a suffocating defense to hold the Sharks to just one basket through the first eight minutes. Taylor Hughes scored the first Vineyard bucket of the season, freshman starter Braedyn Clark drained a three-pointer, and Sasha Lakis scored on a put-back.

In the second quarter, Monomoy turned the tables on the hosts. The Sharks did a better job of penetrating the paint, and put in a clutch of second-chance baskets, outscoring MV 9-2 to lead 11-9 at halftime.

After the break, the Vineyarders cranked up their defensive intensity to a new level and took control of the game with a 14-0 run to start the third quarter. Kylie Estrella and Braedyn Clark both hit treys, and Sasha Lakis added four points from the low post. The Sharks lost their bite inside, and started throwing up prayers from the perimeter. Following a timeout, the Sharks cooled off the Vineyard spurt with a full-court press, and sank a pair of baskets to trail 23-15 after three quarters.

The final period was a stalemate, with the Vineyarders muscling out a 9-6 advantage to seal up the win.

Braedyn Clark led all scorers with 11 points and added seven steals. Sasha Lakis scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked four shots. Kylie Estrella finished with nine points, a pair of steals and a block. Taylor Hughes and Evanna Quinn chipped in two points apiece.

“As I expected, the girls gave a great effort,” Coach Bishop said. “They never quit, played hard, and played a great game overall. I’m really proud of our freshman Braedyn Clark. She played every minute of the game and gave 100 percent effort.”

Prior to the varsity contest, the Vineyard JVs lost to the Sharks, 32-18. Leah Hairston scored five points for MV, Michaela Benefit and Ella Oskan each had four, and Bella Thorpe chipped in three.

MVRHS girls hoops preview

With only three players returning to the varsity lineup for the Vineyarders — juniors Taylor Hughes and Sasha Lakis, along with sophomore Kylie Estrella — the 2018–19 season is a brand-new thing for Coach Bishop: “We have a lot of rebuilding, a lot of relearning. Some of the JV girls who joined varsity this season bring some experience on a smaller level, and we’re hoping to get them caught up to speed quickly.”

Summer Cardoza, back after a one-year absence, is the lone senior on the squad, and will captain the Vineyarders along with junior Katherine O’ Brien.

Rounding out the Vineyard roster are juniors Riley Yuhas, Kya Maloney, Evanna Quinn, and Jovanna Lowell-Bettencourt, and freshman Braedyn Clark, who was a star for the Tisbury Tigers in middle school hoops. “She’s going to bring a much-needed spark to the team this year,” Coach Bishop said. “She’s projected to be a starter as a freshman because of her talent level.”

“This entire program is basically being run by juniors,” Coach Bishop said with a grin. “They’ve been in this program a long time, and hopefully they can bring that valuable experience to help everyone come along. Even with Summer [Cardoza] being a senior, she left the school and transferred after her sophomore year, so she missed an entire year of Vineyard basketball. Technically she’s a senior, but she has junior experience in terms of basketball.”

After the first two weeks of practice, Coach Bishop is pleased with his team’s chemistry and work ethic: “I’m really, really pleased with the personality of the team. They’re very supportive of one another. They’re close-knit. They seem more like a family than a team of individuals. What we bring, besides support, is going to be hustle, and defense. Offensively, we may struggle at first until we start trying to feel each other out and are able to work together. They’re going to have an attitude where none of them are quitters, so I feel like they’re going into the season with a very positive mindframe, and I think that’s going to grow and progress as the season gets on.”

After nine seasons in the Eastern Athletic Conference, the Vineyarders, who posted a 9-11 overall mark last year, have moved to the Cape and Islands League for 2018–19 to compete against Cape Cod Academy, Cape Tech, Falmouth Academy, Monomoy, Nantucket, St. John Paul II, Sturgis East, and Sturgis West.

In the coaching staff, Kendall Robinson has moved up from the JV team to be varsity assistant coach this season. Jillian Sedlier is the new JV head coach while Alyssa Lemoi, at the JV helm for the past three seasons, is now the assistant coach.

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Caroline Driscoll scored two breakaway goals and added another in the third period to claim a hat trick as Brookline defeated the MVRHS girls hockey team, 3-0, in the season opener Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena in Boston.

Vineyard goalie Amelia Simmons had a solid game in net, and senior co-captain Meghan Sonia paced the offense as the visitors finished with a strong third period. Ava BenDavid was another Vineyard standout. “In the third period, we just turned the puck over at the beginning of the period and we’re down 3-0, but shots were even in the third period, and we finally generated a little offense,” Vineyard Coach John Fiorito said.

The girls skate against Sandwich in the home opener on Saturday at 5 pm.

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The MVRHS boys hockey team dropped the puck on a new season on Saturday against the Attleboro Bombardiers at the New England Sports Village in Attleboro, and lost a tight battle, 2-1. Hunter Meader scored on the power play off a nifty feed from freshman Jake Scott less than two minutes into the game, but Attleboro responded with a power-play goal of their own later in the first period, and notched the eventual game winner early in the second, shortly after a Vineyard penalty had expired.

The Vineyarders tilted the ice in their favor from the midpoint on. In the final 80 seconds, with goalie Michael Metcalf pulled for the extra attacker, MV had four quality chances to tie the game, but could not convert. Metcalf finished with 20 saves in a solid game between the pipes.

The Vineyard offense took a blow late in the game when sophomore forward Aiden Marek suffered a broken collarbone. He could possibly return to the lineup in six to eight weeks.

“We worked really hard for a good portion of the game,” Vineyard Coach Matt Mincone said. “We got better as the game went on. We hit two posts. It’s just little stuff, it’s focus. I thought we did a good job with our defensive unit. We were short a couple of guys, so we really played four, with a fifth filling in on defense, and then rotated the three forward lines. Everyone did a pretty good job for the most part. We’ll get better than that if we keep this team together. Losing Aiden hurts. He started to get his skates under him in the second period. It [the injury] happened in the last couple of minutes of the game. He just got squished against the boards.”

MV plays Cape Tech in the home opener at the Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena on Dec. 13 at 4:30 pm.

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