Athletics
The Nantucket High School athletic teams are known as the Whalers. There is the skeleton of a juvenile finback whale hanging in the commons area of Nantucket High School that serves as the team's mascot. The Nantucket Girl's athletic teams are known as the Lady Whalers.
Every year, the Nantucket Varsity Football Team plays against Martha's Vineyard for the Island Cup on the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Island Cup is played on Nantucket one year then on Martha's Vineyard the next year and continually switches back and forth. Currently, Martha's Vineyard has won the Island Cup the last 11 years. They have retained the Island Cup since 2002. The winner keeps the Island Cup trophy until the next year's following game.
The Nantucket Football team has won a total of 4 Massachusetts State Championships. They won championships in 1980, 1995, 1996, and 2011. Also, they were State Runner-Up's in 1982, 1983, 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1998. The Nantucket Football team has appeared in the State Championship game a total of 10 times since 1980.
Nantucket's football team was led by legendary coach, Vito Capizzo, for 45 years. Capizza was the head coach at Nantucket from 1964 to 2009. He is regarded as one of the most legendary, successful, and respected high school coaches in the country. Capizzo played football at the University of Alabama, under another legendary coach, Bear Bryant. He was a mentor to then freshman, Joe Namath, and was his roommate for his freshman year. Capizzo graduated from Alabama in 1962, and two years later landed on Nantucket and was hired as the head football coach. In his 45 years at the helm on Nantucket, he racked up 293 wins (3rd most in Massachusetts history), won 3 State Championships, appeared in 9 State Championship games, won 17 League Championships, and was named Coach of the Year numerous times by many publications. After Capizza retired in 2009, he passed the torch to a former player, Bill Manchester, to take over the head coaching duties. In 2011, two years after Vito Capizza retired, Nantucket won its first State Championship in 15 years with a 35–0 rout over Latin Academy (Dorchester, MA).
The NHS boy's lacrosse team has been in the state tournament consecutively since 1999.The Whalers Ice Hockey Team is also fairly new.
Read more about this topic: Nantucket High School