WELLESLEY – Just a handful of years ago, the Needham football program was an afterthought for most.

Now, with a 21-7 win over rival Wellesley in the 136th installment of the country’s oldest public school rivalry – the first since 2018 – the Rockets are back.

Tate Hoffmeister led the way with three touchdowns and 235 yards on the ground, while the defense stifled the Raiders’ offense all morning. Needham came up one game shy of playing for a Super Bowl at Gillette, but this was quite the consolation prize. The Rockets finish a remarkable season at 10-2 while the Raiders wrap up at 5-6.

“It means the world to me,” said Needham head coach Doug Kopcso. “I grew up here, I’ve lived here, this is all I do. I teach here. To see these guys, the senior class especially, and the group that graduated last year…there are just so many guys that have contributed to this culture. They took it seriously and wanted to make sure we changed things for the better. This is the result.”

Wellesley forced a three-and-out to open the game, but after driving down to the Rockets’ 10, Will McDonald blocked a field goal for Needham. Both teams traded punts until Hoffmeister capped Needham’s next drive with a one yard TD run in the final minute of the quarter. Dante Verano added the PAT. The Raiders began their next drive with 34 seconds left in the first quarter and chewed up clock all the way until just 4:53 remained in the half. Facing 4th-&-goal from the two, the Raiders failed to get in, turning it over on downs.

Needham’s only possession of the second quarter was a 10-play drive that ended with a Max Poirier interception on a Hail Mary, sending the teams into halftime in the 7-0 dogfight.

The Raiders went three-and-out to open the third and 10 plays later, Needham pushed its lead to 13-0 on a 13 yard touchdown run with the Rockets’ facing 4th-&-1. A fake PAT two point attempt was unsuccessful. In desperate need of a drive, Wellesley got it – with the aid of a pass interference call on a 3rd-&-6 – and eventually cut it to 13-7 when Poirier took a direct snap, rolled to his right and hit Robby Broggi for a 25 yard TD pass. Bronson Maccini added the PAT.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Needham missed a field goal after Jase Hannigan had a huge kick off return down to the Wellesley 16, allowing the Raiders to take over at their own 20. Wellesley immediately went three-and-out and the Rockets soon put the game away four plays later. Hoffmeister broke off a huge run from the Rockets’ 33 to Wellesley’s 14 on the first snap, ultimately setting up an eight yard TD run. Ben Schreiber caught a two-point pass to push the lead to 14.

“It means a lot, it means a lot to us, the senior grade for sure because I think we really stepped up as leaders,” Hoffmesiter said when asked what it means to him to be part of the turnaround for the once proud program. “On top of the great coaching we’ve had, to build this team up from where we were in past years. Working in the offseason, getting together, building that family…I think all of those things just built this team up from where we were and brought success to the program.”

Wellesley turned it over on its next possession and the Rockets were able to kill most of the clock. Wellesley got the ball back with 39 seconds left, but a handful of plays later, Needham stormed off the sideline to celebrate the victory.

From a team that other teams circled on their calendar to one nobody wanted to play this season, the turnaround may not have ended in a Super Bowl appearance, but the win over Wellesley was a statement in its own right.

It’s been a long time since Kopcsco could enjoy his Thanksgiving as much as he’s wanted, but this one will certainly be a memorable one for the head coach of the resurgent Rockets.

“Be around family, my wife puts up with an awful lot,” Kopcso added when asked how he’d be celebrating on Thursday. “My parents still come to the game and try to support us. It’ll be good to celebrate with them after this.”