The Vineyard yet again has several youth soccer teams excelling in the post-season, as the under-12 team heads to league finals, the under 14-team heads to semifinals and the under-16 team has already qualified for the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC).

The weekend before Thanksgiving will be noticeably less festive on the Vineyard this year as school officials this week confirmed that the storied Island Cup football game with inter-Island rival Nantucket has been cancelled for the first time in almost 50 years.

Sandy Mincone, the new athletic director for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, told the Gazette this week that Nantucket pulled out of the long-standing tradition due to financial reasons.

Change is a constant in high school athletics, as players graduate at the end of each year and are replaced the next by a new crop of underclassmen. But as the fall sports season begins this week at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, there is so much change you might need a guide to sort it all out.

Sports of every kind were front and center across the Vineyard this week — from bars and living rooms where people watched the New England Patriots win the season opener and the Boston Red Sox inch closer to a postseason berth, to the high school athletic fields where several teams started their seasons with big wins.

It was a jam-packed week in Vineyard sports, with high school teams playing a full slate of games, two charitable golf tournaments and the annual bike ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. And recreational and youth teams — including youth lacrosse and little league — have entered the stretch run of their seasons.

Girls’ Lacrosse

T he regional high school varsity girls’ lacrosse team remains undefeated halfway through the season at 11-0-0.

Although persistent drizzle made the playing field slippery on Wednesday, the undefeated Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls’ lacrosse team had no problems finding their footing, easily defeating lower-seeded Oliver Ames in the Division II sectionals of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament to advance to the next round.

Capping off a stellar season, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School senior Mark Reppert captured the 800-metre run at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 3 Track and Field Outdoor Championships held on Sunday at Ipswich High School.

The Vineyard girls’ track team finished 17th overall, while the boys’ team finished 20th.

The dream season for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls’ lacrosse team came to an end on Friday in a 12-8 loss to Hingham in the Division 2 South quarterfinals of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.

After defeating Oliver Ames on Wednesday, the Vineyard girls had advanced to the second round of the state tournament.

The dream season for girls' lacrosse came to an end Friday on a muddy, rain-soaked field at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School against a powerful team from Hingham. The Hingham girls prevailed 11-8 in the second round of the state tournament. The Vineyard girls, who have been undefeated all season and had advanced to the second round with a solid win on Wednesday, could not get the job done before a cheering crowd on a soggy day.

“I couldn't be prouder of the kids. They've been terrific all season long.

The undefeated Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls lacrosse team defeated Oliver Ames at home on Wednesday by a final score of 8-3 in the first round of the Division II state tournament.

The game was especially physical and played in the rain on a wet and sometimes slippery field.

With the win, the number-one seeded Vineyarders advanced to the second round of the tournament, which will be played at home either Friday or Saturday.

Hayley Pierce led Vineyarders with three goals; while Sophie Lew and Laura Jernegan each had two goals.