Sad fact: No game on the islands.

The high school football landscape has changed a lot in the past 20 years or so, as many schools have lost traditional football rivals for one reason or another -- league affiliation, shifting enrollment figures, lack of interest, and so on.

Locally, we're fortunate that our football rivalries are stable and long-standing, save for Bishop Feehan's short-tenured holiday series with Sandwich. Elsewhere on the Cape, however, one of the better rivalries in the state ended -- most believe only temporarily -- when Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket failed to resume their "Island Cup" series.

The series between the two island schools dates back to 1953, with Nantucket leading 35-24-3. There were some oddities, however; the schools didn't play from 1954-59, and then played two games a season from 1961-71.

Nantucket dominated the series in the 1970s and '80s under legendary coach Vito Capizzo, but the Vineyarders have come on strong lately, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. One reason for MV's resurgence is a growing disparity in enrollment; according to the MIAA's latest enrollment figures, there are 388 boys in grades 9-12 at the school in Oak Bluffs, while Nantucket has 206. The Vineyard has also outgrown its neighbors on the Cape in terms of day-to-day competition, having joined the Eastern Athletic Conference as a full-fledged member this year.

Still, the "Island Cup" was something special -- special enough to be written up in national publications and showcased in television features on ESPN and elsewhere. Fans from the Islands made it a several-day celebration (The Boston Herald's Ron Borges is an alumnus of the game, by the way), and there seems to be a genuine sense of loss that it's not being played this year.

Martha's Vineyard is playing host to Brighton today, while Nantucket rescheduled a game with Cape Tech/Harwich for this weekend. But it's not the same, as the Cape Cod Times' Russ Charpentier writes in this article.

Some have blamed the expense of air travel between the islands; others miscommunication between new administrators at the schools. The sentiment seems to be overwhelmingly in favor of a resumption of the series next year. But it's a shame that this year's seniors will miss out on a true tradition because the adults couldn't get on the same page.