The Islanders began on the right foot. Nick Gross took the kickoff from the 20 to the 30-yard line. Quarterback Mike McCarthy mixed runs with passes, marching 70 yards in 14 plays to garner the game's first touchdown on a plunge from the two-yard line. Brooks Billingham kicked the extra point and the Vineyard led, 7-0.

Brandon Holbrook ran back Fin Kaeka's kick from the 25 to the 40-yard line. The Crusaders ground game moved the ball to the Vineyard 41 before it bogged down and Carver punted to the Martha's Vineyard 21.

McCarthy took to the air, completing passes to Randall Jette and Nick Gross, and collecting three first downs. But Carver intercepted on its own goal line to halt the Vineyard drive as the first quarter ended.

The Crusaders could only move the ball five yards in three plays and punted to their 40.

McCarthy's first down pass was intercepted, but Carver fumbled the ball at midfield to be covered by Eric Dolliver.

Martha's Vineyard turned the ball over again, this time fumbling on the Carver 40. Ten plays later the Crusaders posted a touchdown and added a point after. The score was tied at seven.

The Vineyard immediately regained its advantage as McCarthy connected first with Nick Gross, then with Matt Costello and finally with Doug Asselin in the end zone. Billingham's big toe made the score 14-7. That was the score at the half.

Carver began the second half on their own 45-yard line and went three and out. But the out was blocked by Pat Hart and Martha's Vineyard took over on the Crusader 30. Four plays failed to gain 10 yards and Carver took over on the 30.

The Crusaders moved the line of scrimmage to the Martha's Vineyard seven where Costello intercepted a pass for the Vineyard on the one-yard line. Aided by a pass interference call, Martha's Vineyard advanced the ball 25 yards, then had to punt.

Beginning on their own 45, Carver wasted little time. It took just four plays to score their second TD on a 44-yard scamper by Holbrook

This time Carver went for a two-point conversion and made it to take the lead, 15-14.

The Vineyard's next possession was cut short when Holbrook intercepted a McCarthy pass. Unable to advance the ball, Carver punted to the Martha's Vineyard 25. A roughing the kicker penalty extended the Vineyard's possession, long enough for McCarthy to break a 36-yard run to the Carver 6 and find Gross in the end zone, retaking the lead. Billingham was perfect on the day (and thus far for the year) and the score was 21-15.

It took Carver nine plays and a minute and ten seconds to tie the count, then add another two-point conversion. Carver 23, Martha's Vineyard 21. There were 32 seconds remaining on the clock - not enough, as it turned out, for Martha's Vineyard to mount a scoring drive.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Defensive player - Matt Costello
Special Teams - Will deBettencourt
Prides - Ben Ferry, Matt Costello

Game 3: Vineyard 43, Bishop Connolly 0
SEPTEMBER 26, OAK BLUFFS, MA – In its first Mayflower League Large contest of the year, Cody Brewer took the opening kickoff 73 yards for an easy TD and all the Vineyarders (2-1, 1-0) needed. The Cougars (0-3, 0-2) were grossly overmatched and gave up TDs to Mike McCarthy, Matt Costello (on 75 yd. pass from McCarthy), Nick Gross, Randall Jette (24 yd. recep.), and finishing with a 47-yard punt return by Lamar Moreis - all in the first half. McCarthy added a PAT two, and Brooks Billingham kicked 5 PATs.

In the second half, any available purple jersey saw action against a BC team that is rebuilding and perhaps should be in the Mayflower Small division. If there was any flaw to the MV game, it may have been a couple muffs with punts on a wet night. Next week MV travels to a much better Holbrook/Avon opponent, a team with a strong-armed, pass minded attack. H/A defeated MLL Bristol-Plymouth in the first game of the season 12-2. The Vineyard defense will need to be sharp in the defensive backfield against them. As always, protecting the ball on offense will be key.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Offensive - Matt Costello
Defensive - Erik Dolliver
Coaches - DJ Kaeka
Special Teams - Cody Brewer
Prides - Bill Fielder, Paul Bagnall, DJ Kaeka, DK Kaeka

WEBMASTERS OPINION!
Shocker of last week: Cape Tech losing to Diman Voke - Diman couldn't run a play against South Shore, so they have a ways to go on both sides of the ball. South Shore is very disciplined, and will give the Vineyarders a battle. But what happened to CCT?

Trouble in paradise? Nantucket is getting pummelled in every game. Fans of the Whalers are quietly wishing for a coach retirement to get some fresh energy in there. Vito's a legend and quite the guy, but have the new setups passed him by? Unfortunately, it may not be his fault: a few losing seasons kills recruiting of kids who may opt for other sports. The Whalers haven't had a winning season since 2003, and are winless this season.

Eye-opener: Matt Costello had a breakout game last week, showing good hands, good tackling, speediness, and excellent agility. He is quite a weapon when he's on his game. Erik Dolliver displayed some of the skills he's been promising - he was in the Connolly backfield all night.

Game 5: MV 28, Holbrook/Avon 14
OCT 3, HOLBROOK — Quarterback Mike McCarthy led the Vineyarders past Holbrook/Avon in a nonleague clash.

McCarthy sandwiched scoring runs of 20 and 2 yards around a score by the home side as the first quarter ended 14-6 in favor of MV (3-1).

McCarthy had a second-quarter score from the 6. He finished with 17 rushes for 152 yards, 135 in the first half.

The sun came out, but the third quarter was scoreless before the Bulldogs (2-1) pulled within a score with a 2-point conversion of its second touchdown of the day.

The Vineyard put it away by scoring on an option play. McCarthy went the first 15 yards down the sideline before pitching to Nick Gross, who finished the 49-yard scoring play. Brooks Billingham then kicked his fourth extra point.

The defense had a plethora of heroes (Cape Cod Times words - not webfoot's!) with Cody Brewer recording a sack and an interception to cap a great defensive day. He also assisted on nine tackles.

Erik Dolliver made seven unassisted tackles and assisted on six more. Matt Costello had four unassisted and three assisted tackles while breaking up four pass plays.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Offense - Michael McCarthy
Defense - Fin Kaeka
Coaches - Cody Brewer
Special Teams - DK Kaeka

Game 6: MV 43, Bristol-Plymouth 14
OCT 10, OAK BLUFFS — Mike McCarthy threw for four touchdowns and ran for one, and Martha's Vineyard topped Bristol-Plymouth 43-14 in a Mayflower League rout.

Nick Gross caught four passes, including three scoring strikes from McCarthy. Cody Brewer caught the senior’s other touchdown pass and ran back a kickoff 75 yards to paydirt. MV (4-1, 2-0 ML) led 36-7 at halftime after McCarthy hit Gross for a 45-yard score, ran it in from 1, threw to Gross for 23, threw to Brewer for 60 and threw to Gross for 52.

Brooks Billingham went 5-for-5 in extra-point attempts, and McCarthy (4-for-7, 180 yards, no interceptions) ran for a 2-point conversion of his own. Defensive tackle Zach Maciel had nine tackles and tipped a pass leading to a Blair Rancich interception.

Game 7: MV whips Southeastern 37-0
SOUTH EASTON – Mike McCarthy was 4-for-8 with two touchdowns and Martha’s Vineyard held the Hawks to just 38 yards of offense to remain unbeaten in Mayflower Large play.
MV improves to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Mayflower with the whitewashing. Southeastern falls to 1-5, 0-2.
McCarthy had 189 all purpose yards: 87 yards passing and 12 carries for 102 yards. Cody Brewer finished with 73 yards on three carries and a touchdown. Vineyard kicker Brooks Billingham also had a busy day with a 30-yard field goal and four successful point-after attempts.

Players of the game:
Offense - Randall Jette
Defense - Ben Ferry
Coaches - Nick Billingham
Special Teams - Andres Silva

Last week's MV opponent results:
Cape Tech shocked South Shore Voke, 15-14 - CCT displays rapid improvement after weird loss to Diman Voke in week 2 - hard not to look past 1-5 non-league Charlestown to the now key MLL game of CCT @ MV
Latin Academy 18, Charlestown 14 - Charlestown lost star player early in year after he went into stands after a fan
Blue Hills 22, East Boston 14 - Warriors remain unbeaten
Holbrook/Avon 44, Nantucket 28 - Whalers put some points up, but still get whomped

This week's upcoming opponent schedule:
Blue Hills @ CCT/H, Fri. - CCT is tough at home, good contest here
South Shore @ B-P, Fri. - SS hurt their league title chances last week with last minute loss to CCT
Southeastern @ Nantucket, Sat. - Whalers need a 'W' badly

Game 8: MV cruises past Charlestown 42-8, next up: Cape Tech
OAK BLUFFS, OCT. 25

It’s going to be a very happy Halloween for the high school football team from either Cape Tech/Harwich or Martha’s Vineyard Regional.

CT/H beat defending Mayflower Large champion Blue Hills 34-24 on Friday, and the Vineyarders blasted nonleague foe Charlestown 42-8 yesterday, keeping both teams on a roll going into their Friday, Oct. 31, showdown on the island.

The 5:30 p.m. game will have major Division 3A Eastern Massachusetts playoff implications. Either CT/H or MV will exit with the only unbeaten divisional record – and a firm grasp on the Mayflower Large driver’s seat. But there's more to the game: after visiting MV, Cape Tech has easy league games with winless MLL basement teams Connolly (0-6, 0-4) and Southeastern (2-5, 0-2).

So, if the Crusaders can win on the road Friday, they title will be theirs. The Vineyarders still have Blue Hills and South Shore after Friday.

Against Charlestown, senior quarterback Mike McCarthy led the Vineyarders with touchdown runs of 1, 3 and 3 yards. Senior Matt Costello opened the scoring for MV with a 19-yard scoring run in the first quarter, and McCarthy made it 8-0 with a 2-point conversion run. McCarthy’s first TD run made it 14-0, and – despite a quick Charlestown TD – the rout was on.

McCarthy scored from 3 yards out before halftime, and Cody Brewer (10 carries, 136 yards) scampered 71 yards for a third-quarter score. McCarthy and Nick Billingham (8-yard rush) finished the MV touchdown blitz. Junior Brooks Billingham made two extra points.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Offense - Christian Flanders
Defense - Erik Dolliver
Coaches - Cody Brewer

Game 9: Surprising Dominance: Vineyarders crush Crusaders easily, showing speed in the backfield, power and strength on lines
Oct. 29 McCarthy Field, Oak Bluffs

Senior Mike McCarthy threw for two touchdowns and ran in another last night, and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School inched closer to a Division 3A Eastern Massachusetts football playoff berth with a 35-8 victory over Cape Tech/Harwich. “We’ve taken sole possession of first place (in the Mayflower Large),” MV coach Donald Herman said. “Now it’s a matter of holding on to it over the next two weeks.”

The Vineyarders improve to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Mayflower Large with Blue Hills and South Shore Voke – each with a league loss – still on the schedule. The Crusaders fall to 5-3, 3-1. Blue Hills hosts South Shore this afternoon in a game that will knock the loser out of the division race.

McCarthy went 6-for-11 passing and had 145 yards rushing on 16 carries for MV, which ran to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and kept CT/H out of the end zone until the fourth. The Vineyard quarterback opened with a 1-yard TD scamper, and Erik Dolliver scored on runs of 18 and 5 yards. Brooks Billingham went 3-for-3 on extra-point attempts in the opening quarter and was a perfect 5-for-5 on the night. McCarthy connected with Matt Costello in the third quarter for a 16-yard scoring pass and the two hooked up again in the fourth on a 4-yard pass.

CT/H quarterback Mike Hamilton was bottled and busted all evening by the harassing and relentless MV defense. The kid couldn't sneeze without seven purple jerseys getting wet. He finally got loose with 4 minutes left in the fourth, ran in a 21-yard touchdown and tacked on a 2-point conversion on the Crusaders’ only scoring drive. Ironically, it was the Crusaders straight ahead running game which cost them: the Vineyard scored so quickly that all they needed was clock killing - which Tech gave them in spades. Give creit to the defense, which consistently made the Crusaders go to 3rd and 4th down conversion, most of which they didn't get. Coach Steve McCarthy was visibly excited after the game about his squad's performance. "Yes! Yes" he exclaimed as he pumped his fist.

MV’s Dolliver showed impressive running: he racked up 121 yards on 15 carries and had nine tackles on defense. Fin Kaeka led with 11 tackles.

Key moments: 1) McCarthy's deft handiwork on fakes fooled everyone (including the officials) on the first play from scrimmage - he went 50 yards to set the tone and set up his 1-yard TD 2) Nick Billingham's diving interception of Hamilton's first quarter pass led to a score to make it 14-0. 3) A perfect 'pooch' onside kick landed right in CCT's Ali Pierce's hands at full speed going down the home sideline when the score was 28-8 - but he may have looked upfield a tick early as he dropped it and MV took the ball back for good. 4) WMVY's co-player of the game Gus Hayes won MVRHS' Halloween costume contest - he was dressed as non other than Donald Herman, with the charcoal 'stache, purple jacket and headphones. When the game was in hand with 30 ticks left, Hayes snuck onto the sideline to act out his role as the coach. That's when Ben Ferry and Zack Maciel got the water barrel and totally doused him to complete the act. Beautiful!

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Offense - Mike McCarthy
Defense - Fin Kaeka
Coaches - Erik Dolliver
Special teams - Brooks Billingham

Game 10: VINEYARDERS defeat Blue Hills 28-12, earn league share, head to D3A playoffs, Read Cape Cod Times report here.
And another CC Times report here (wow - two on one day!)
And MV reached the front page of Boston.com High School Sports

Game 11: VINEYARDERS defeat South Shore 42-22 and claim MLL title outright with gusto
OCT 14 2008, OAK BLUFFS – The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football team’s Mayflower Large finale was sealed in a three minute fury. The Vineyarders drubbed South Shore Voke 42-22 last night, clinching the division title outright and adding luster to a season that will include at least one Division 3A Eastern Massachusetts playoff game.

Meanwhile, quarterback Mike McCarthy carried 13 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first Vineyarder to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a season since Ben Higgins in 1997. He has 1,022 total. McCarthy also threw for 48 yards and two scores last night. At 9-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the ML, MV has won eight straight going into the Nov. 22 Island Cup game against Nantucket.

The Vineyarders and South Shore (6-4, 2-3) traded scores in the surprisingly tight first half. MV scored within 30 seconds on it's second play of the game with Cody Brewer striking first for MV, running for a 63-yard touchdown. But the Vikings ground it out toughly, as MV had trouble tackling the slashing Paul Sullivan and Mike Mugavero. After a South Shore TD, McCarthy punched it in from a yard out. After another grind it out offensive drive, the Vikings scored again easily to make 14-14 with only 1:15 in front of a large and surprised Vineyard crowd (the hot dogs and cheeseburgers - the best in the league, no question - were sold out before halftime).

In the next three minutes, Martha's Vineyard showed why they are wowing opposing coaches. Brewer (6 carries for 128 yards - powerball!) took the kickoff 56 yards and three plays later with 45 ticks left, Nick Gross caught a 15-yard scoring pass from McCarthy to make it 22-14 MV in only 30 seconds, leaving the Vikes stunned at the break. Budda-bing! just like that.

The Vineyarders then caused a fumble on SS's first 2nd half play followed by a 55-yard score by Brewer, highlighted with a brilliant block from Randall Jette (who was amazing with down field blocking technique all night); an interception on SS's very next play by Matt Costello, who returned it 30 yards, then caught a 20-yard TD pass from McCarthy; and shortly thereafter the purple and white put it away for good, completing a 20-point third quarter with a 4th and 1 pounder by McCarthy.

A masterful performance by a strong offensive line led by center Christian Flanders, while Zach Maciel had a field day on defense, and the versatile Brewer made seven tackles on defense.

Congrats to Coach Herman, Bill Belcher, Steve and Mike McCarthy, and staff in the last Mayflower League game, a league they have dominated in the last decade (7 of the last 11). Every MLL title goes through the Rock. Besides the MLL, MV has the best playoff game record on the Cape and SE Mass (3 titles, 7 appearances - NOTE: not overlooking great earlier 91 and 92 back-to-back champion teams, just looking at last decade), as well. SO, Norm - "Just WIN, Baby!" Two more!

Watching the wire, the question most asked is: can we host a playoff game? It's a neutral site to be announced, and we also overheard the D3 Super Bowls are at Stonehill College this year, not Foxboro. MV will now play the winner of the Boston North Conference. South Boston's record is almost a mirror of 9-1 MV (and with common opponents B-P 20-14 and Charlestown last night 34-0 wins), winning last eight, but if East Boston beats them on Turkey Day, it's up to past history on tie-breakers. In the other semi are: Cape Ann - Newburyport (won last five for 5-0 league record, lost first five to have weird 5-5 overall) got by Georgetown 27-26 to seal that league (8-1, only loss to 'Porters); Boston North - ; in the Commonwealth Large, Haverhill's Whittier (7-2, 3-0) has locked that up there. So there ya go, toss the coin and get ready.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Offense - Mike McCarthy
Defense - Erik Dolliver
Coaches - Nick Gross
Special Teams - Will deBettencourt