The juggernaut Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys’ hockey team easily defeated two powerful opponents this week to advance to the quarterfinals of the division 2 south state tournament, setting up an epic showdown tonight against old rival Coyle-Cassidy, the team that has knocked the Vineyarders out of the playoffs for two out of the last three years.

Tonight’s game against Coyle-Cassidy faces-off at 5:15 p.m. at the Gallo Arena in Bourne.

Matt Mincone, coach of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys’ hockey team, wasn’t disappointed by his team’s crushing 3-2 loss last Friday against Coyle Cassidy in the Division 2 South Sectional semifinals, a game decided by the largely unfamiliar format of a shoot-out.

Nor was the coach sad, or enraged by the shoot-out loss. Instead it left him, as it did many players and parents, feeling simply numb.

The weather may still be cold and grey, but spring was in full swing on the Vineyard’s athletic fields this week as the high school spring sports teams held practices and played in their first games of the season.

The boys’ tennis team split a pair of matches, while the softball team dropped their opener after a promising preseason. The boys’ lacrosse fell behind early in their opener but rallied late to make the game close, while the girls’ lacrosse team was dominant in its opener, winning easily by a 12-goal margin.

As the weather warms, so do high school athletics, and several teams surged out of the gate early this spring, including girls’ lacrosse, girls’ softball, baseball and the ever-steady track team.

Girls’ Lacrosse

Things are looking bright for many Vineyard high school athletic teams early in this spring sports season. There were fewer games and matches this week due to April vacation.

Girls’ Lacrosse

The team led by coach Betsy Dripps continued its dominance last Thursday with a 13-3 drubbing of Fairhaven on the road. With the win, the Vineyarders remained undefeated and moved to 6-0 on the season.

In what has fast became a rite of spring, regional high school track and field teams again dominated their annual Mayflower League meet on Tuesday at Sacred Heart in Kingston. The girls team broke three league records en route to their fourth conference title in a row and the boys staged a late rally to capture their ninth title in a row.

There aren’t many opportunities in life to achieve the elusive standard of perfection. And some people spend their whole lives trying. But as a wise man once said, “When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.”

By JIM HICKEY

The Island Cup, the storied inter-Island battle between the Vineyard and Nantucket high school football teams that comes around every November, will have a markedly different feel this year. Nantucket coach Vito Capizzo, who is as storied as the rivalry, announced this week he is retiring after 45 years.

The Vineyard boys’ tennis team this week earned a number three seed and a bye in the first round of the MIAA tournament, and will play at home on Monday; meanwhile the boys’ lacrosse team lost to Sandwich in the first round of the state tournament on Tuesday.

The boys’ tennis team finished the season with a 14-4 record, and unofficially won the Eastern Athletic Conference with a league record of 7-1 — unofficial because the Vineyard does not become a full member of the conference until next year.

The regional high school boys’ tennis team fought valiantly on Wednesday in the second round of the Division 3 state tournament against number three seed Dover-Sherborn, but in the end fell to the defending South Sectional champions 4-1.

Despite the loss the Vineyard boys had a remarkable season, going 15-5 overall and advancing to the semifinals of the state tournament for the first time. Dover-Sherborn improved to 16-1 with the win.