Hope everyone is enjoying their Black Friday whether you decided to venture out shopping or not. Today is also a great day for another edition of Raider Friday Trivia. Today’s question is when was the last time before yesterday that Needham won both the Powderpuff game and Thanksgiving game in the same year? Answer tomorrow!

On this second to last day of our fall sports reviews we take a look back at the outstanding seasons of both girls swimming and boys golf who both achieved tremendous regular and postseason success in 2018. girls swimming finished the regular season a perfect 18-0, going on to capture the Bay State crown, the sectional crown, and then finishing second in the state meet. The girls should have no problem being right back up there in 2019, as they have established a real pattern of dominance in the pool.

Boys Golf finished their regular season 16-1 in 2018 and also captured the Bay State title. They then went on to finish third in the sectionals and 5th in the states. Boys Golf has also established a tradition of success and I see no reason why they won’t continue that success in 2019.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and hope you all had a great holiday wherever you went or whoever you spent it with. Today also marks the final Raider Recap of the 2018 fall season as it was the 131st installment today with Wellesley and Needham as the Raiders looked to extend their win streak in the series to 3 and finish above 500 yet again. Could they pull off the win on this cold turkey day morning, lets find out!

Result for 11-22-18

Football: Needham 14 Wellesley 13

Team finishes 5-6. Congratulations on another fun season and best of luck to the seniors in all their future endeavours!

 

With Thanksgiving just hours away, today was time to continue a pre-Turkey Day tradition with the annual Wellesley Needham Powderpuff game. This annual tilt pits the Wellesley senior women and the Needham senior women. The game was in Wellesley this year as the Wellesley girls tried to defend their crown. Would they be able to keep the trophy, lets find out!

Result for 11-21-18

Powderpuff: Needham 14 Wellesley 7

With now less than 12 hours to go till kickoff between Wellesley and Needham I wanted to continue a tradition of my own which is getting a Needham perspective of both the team and the rivalry. This year I caught up with Stephen Bascio, a Needham alum and current PA announcer and Needham Channel Broadcaster. Here’s a look at what he had to say!

Q: What are your overall impressions of the Needham High football team in the 2018 season leading up to Thanksgiving?

A: My overall impression of this team it’s a really good one. We started out the season 5-0, which we hadn’t done since the year we went to the Super Bowl, then we finished out losing two very tough games to Milton and Walpole.

We had a really good showing in the playoffs, as we had the number two seed in the division one S., we won our first game by seven against Newton North, and then we bowed out in the second round to a very talented division one S. Champion, Catholic Memorial. This team has no quit, even in the game against CM,  Needham was down very quickly 14-0 early in the first, but stormed quickly back to tie it. This team will have a lasting impression on this game

 

Q: Who are the impact players for Needham we should be watching for on Thursday?

A: There are 3 big impact players for Needham. First Charlie Ogeltree the QB, probably the MVP for most games. Jack Murmes 88 and of course Matt Smith, the Duke Blue Devil commit. Playing college football next year, number 80 Matt Smith. There were two catches that stood out in my mind that Matt Smith made. Hopkinton in week 2 and the next week against Newton North, with 12 seconds to go he made an unbelievable scoop off the ground catch in the end zone exactly like the one against Hopkinton to extend Needham’s lead heading into the half that play really depicted him as a player.

 

Q: Being a lifelong Needham fan and Needham alum what makes the Wellesley Needham rivalry so special?

A: Well I’d basically be echoing Wellesley and Needham alums when I say that Needham/Wellesley the rivalry always has a special meaning for a lot of people. For me it was my senior year 2015 when as you know we didn’t play in Wellesley or Needham but Fenway Park. That we won basically at the end of the first when my good friend Joe Gowetski ran it back 96 yards for a pick 6 which basically decided the final score 12-7, which was our last win. That’s how much it means to me.

 

Q: What does Needham have to do to win Thursday and snap the 2 year losing streak?

A: Needham has to get back to the way they were the first 5 weeks of the season. If they play the way they did they’ll be fine. If Needham gives the ball to Tyler Reid, and throw the ball the Matt Smith who makes incredible catches, and finds Jack Murmes then they’ll pick up a victory.

We are less than 24 hours from kickoff and it’s time to take a look at the Wellesley side of things coming into their 131st showdown with the Rockets. The Raiders are looking for their third win in a row against Needham, but are also looking to snap a 3 game losing streak this season and also to continue a streak of winning seasons under head coach Jesse Davis. Here’s a look at how Wellesley has fared to this point. By the way quick PSA if you are coming to the game tomorrow, dress warmly!

Wellesley:

5-5 (3-2)

Streak: Lost 3

Beat East Bridgewater 42-28

Lost to Walpole 42-35

Beat Durfee 42-0

Beat Newton North 27-7

Lost to Natick 34-28 (OT)

Beat Brookline 28-0

Beat Framingham 35-20

Lost to Barnstable 35-0 D2 South Quarterfinals

Lost to Newton North 27-14

Lost to Braintree 24-7

PPG: 25.8

PAPG: 21.7

On this third day of our fall season reviews we take a look at the boys and girls cross country teams who enjoyed tremendous success in 2018. The boys finished their regular season a perfect 9-0, going to capture the Bay State Conference title. The boys then closed out their season by finishing second at the sectional meet and state meet. The boys are always a force to be reckoned with and I would expect no less come next season.

The girls finished up their regular season with a 6-3 mark and joined their male counterparts in winning the league title. The girls then wracked up a 4th place finish at sectionals and a 5th place finish at states. Like the boys the girls are always up there in terms of the conference and state level, and I expect no less from them as well come next season.

Tomorrow we will recap both the girls swimming and boys golf seasons.

With less than 48 hours to go till kickoff, it’s time to take a look at this year’s installment of the Needham Rockets, who are looking to snap a two year losing streak against the Raiders come Thursday. Here’s a brief look at Needham up until this point!

Needham:

6-4 (2-2)

Streak: Lost 2

Beat Natick 20-16

Beat Hopkinton 28-7

Beat Newton North 38-7

Beat Weymouth 42-6

Beat Braintree: 28-8

Lost to Milton 22-14

Lost to Walpole 51-26

Beat Newton North 14-7 D1 South Quarterfinals

Lost to Catholic Memorial 35-32 D1 South Semifinals

Lost to BC High 25-7

PPG: 24.9

PAPG: 18.4

As we continue our week of fall season reviews we take a look back today at both field hockey and girls volleyball who like all their other Raider counterparts enjoyed a taste of postseason play in 2018. Field hockey battled their way to an 8-6-2 regular season record and the 15 seed in D1 South. The girls knocked off Taunton in the preliminary round before falling to eventual state champion Somerset Berkley in the first round. That being said this team is always a factor in D1 South and there is no reason to think they won’t be a contender once again come 2019.

Girls Volleyball also showed a lot of toughness and grit this season in each match, as they finished their regular season with a 10-8 record, good for the 10 seed in D1 Central-West. The girls run however was short lived as they fell to Concord Carlisle in the first round of the tournament. Much like field hockey volleyball is always a player in D1 and the Bay State Conference, and they will look to continue that come next season.

Tomorrow we will look back on both the boys and girls cross country seasons!

As we start off a week of season reviews with what was a very impressive fall season, there’s no better place to start than both soccer teams, who both enjoyed various levels of success in 2018. The girls battled all season to a 5-4-7 and regular season record. That earned them the 14 seed in D1 South where they traveled to Whitman Hanson and despite their best efforts fell 3-1. As I said though this team was gritty and relentless all season long and will definitely build on that heading into next year.

Now to the boys, who as many of you already know had an amazing 2018 season making history in the process. The team finished the regular season 10-3-2 good for the 5th seed in D1 South. The team then went on a run for the ages beating Weymouth, Needham, Silver Lake, and BC High to capture the D1 South title. The boys then defeated Lincoln Sudbury in the state semifinals, before unfortunately falling in overtime to Ludlow in the state championship game. That being said it was a run to remember, and this team has reason to be optimistic going into next season with a strong junior class returning among others.

Stay tuned tomorrow as we continue the season reviews with field hockey and girls volleyball!