The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School homecoming weekend got off to a rocky start Friday night in front of a capacity crowd at Dan McCarthy Field in Oak Bluffs. The Bishop Stang Spartans, hungry for their first win of the season, used a punishing ground game to pound out a 21-0 Eastern Athletic Conference (EAC) gridiron win. The Vineyarders, blanked for the second consecutive week, fell to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the EAC.
The Spartans utilized a triple option attack aided by a bruising, physical offensive line to rack up more than 200 yards rushing on the night. Bishop Stang fullback Nick Landry carried the ball 14 times for 132 yards, while quarterback Will Landry added 70 more.
“They run the triple option and they run it well,” Martha’s Vineyard coach Steve McCarthy said after the game. “Their offensive line came off the ball and hit us. We have to learn to come off the ball and hit them back.”
The Vineyarders showed promise on their opening drive. Matteus Scheffer picked up a pair of first downs with two solid runs. The drive then stalled at midfield. The Vineyard offense would struggle thereafter.
The Spartans started brightly, marching down the field on a 62-yard scoring drive. Along the way, M.V. aided Stang’s cause with a 15-yard face mask penalty. Nick Landry put Bishop Stang on the board with a two-yard run up the gut.
The Vineyarders had a golden opportunity to even the score in the second quarter. From the M.V. 46, quarterback Zach Moreis rolled right and fired a 44-yard pass to Cooper Bennett, setting up a first and goal from the 10-yard line. From there, the Vineyarders gained seven yards on three carries. On fourth and goal from the three, Zach Moreis’ pass to Ennis Foster fell incomplete and the Spartans were off the hook.
At halftime, Bishop Stang led 7-0.
The visitors extended their lead to 13-0 in the third quarter. Nick Landry sprinted into the Vineyard backfield with a pair of 20-yard runs and Will Landry picked up the TD by diving over the Vineyard line from the three. The extra point try bounced off the right upright.
Bishop Stang threatened to blow the game open with another long drive but the Vineyarders got the break they so dearly needed. Will Landry rolled left, pressured by Vineyard defenders on both sides, and forced a pass into the arms of James Sashin, who snared the ball and returned the interception to the 30-yard line. The Spartans were flagged for a late hit on the play, putting the ball on the 45.
The Vineyarders had seized some precious momentum heading into the fourth quarter but the Spartans took it right back four plays later on a blocked punt.
Nick Landry quickly put the game out of reach with a 33-yard scamper down the left sideline.
Martha’s Vineyard made a change at quarterback for the final nine minutes, bringing in sophomore Ivan Shepard, who completed 3 of 5 passes for 35 yards.
On the Vineyard stat sheet, Matteus Scheffer rushed 15 times for 56 yards and added seven tackles on defense. Zach Moreis was 2 for 4 for 55 yards. John Morris caught two passes for 18 yards and made eight tackles. Elijah Matthews and Hunter Cleary each had six tackles. Lucas DeBettencourt had five.
Next up for the Vineyarders is a road game October 14 at 5:30 pm against the Brighton High Bengals.
The post Spartans spoil Vineyard homecoming, 21-0 appeared first on Martha's Vineyard Times.
