Hope everyone out there had a great Thanksgiving, wherever and with whomever you celebrated with! Certainly for us Raider fans out there the turkey tasted a bit sweeter after Wellesley’s 34-14 win over the rival Rockets yesterday morning. Now that turkey day has come and gone it is now time for another edition of Raider Friday Trivia. Today’s question is… prior to yesterday, when was the last time that Wellesley beat Needham by double digit points? The answer will be posted tomorrow!

Well today was the day as for the 129th time Wellesley and Needham took to the field this time at Needham’s Memorial Field. A lot was on the line as Wellesley was looking for their first 10 win season in over a decade, and to snap Needham’s 2 game winning streak and also 4 game winning streak at home in the rivalry. Meanwhile the Rockets were looking to clinch a winning record on the season and also tie up the all time series with a victory. How would it all turn out, well this one was all Wellesley as behind a 200 yard and 3 touchdown performance from senior running back Grant Chryssicas the Raiders ran out to a 27-7 halftime lead and never looked back taking this one 34-14 to finish the season at 10-1 and improve to 61-59-9 all time in the rivalry. Needham meanwhile finishes the season 5-6. Congratulations to both teams on their respective seasons and also best of luck to the seniors on their future endeavors!

So even though the big game isn’t till about 12 hours from now, there still was an timeless tradition that took place today as the Wellesley and Needham senior women squared off in the annual Powderpuff game. Wellesley had had a tough time over the last few years in this game and was looking to right the ship on their home field. Unfortunately it was not meant to be as Needham took a 21-0 lead at halftime on their way to a 35-6 victory over Wellesley. Now moving ahead to tomorrow’s game, I went on both Facebook and Twitter this afternoon to take a poll of who people though would win the annual clash at Needham’s Memorial Field. Much like the rivalry the votes were split right down the middle as out of the 7 votes cast, 4 went for Wellesley and 3 went for Needham. We will see how it all plays out when the two teams square off at 10 am tomorrow!

It is just about 24 hours till the opening kickoff of the 129th installment of Wellesley vs. Needham and it is now time to take a look back at the 2016 campaign for your Wellesley Raiders. The Raiders enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in recent memory and their best season under head coach Jesse Davis, as they captured the Bay State Herget Divison crown for the first time since 1999. As they enter Thanksgiving the Raiders not only have a chance to extend their all time lead against the Rockets but also to snap a two year losing streak to the rival Rockets. Here’s a look at how Wellesley got here.

Record: 9-1 (1st place Herget Divison)
PPG (Points Per Game): 26.8
PAPG (Points Allowed Per Game) 9.9
Results:
Wellesley 33 New Mission 6
Wellesley 35 Framingham 0
Wellesley 21 Natick 0
Wellesley 36 Dedham 7
Wellesley 10 Walpole 7
Wellesley 27 Norwood 0
Wellesley 36 Milton 28
Wellesley 43 Hingham 22 D1A South Quarterfinals
Bridgewater Raynham 9 Wellesley 0 D1A South Semifinals
Wellesley 27 Brockton 20

As we move under 48 hours till opening kick off of the 129th installment of the Wellesley-Needham game, we take a look at the host Rocket’s 2016 campaign. The Rocket’s enter Thanksgiving looking to not only achieve a winning record this season with a victory but also with a win would tie the overall series. Here’s a look at how the Rockets got here.

Record: 5-5 (Second Carey Division)
PPG (Points Per Game) 18.7
PAPG (Points Allowed Per Game): 18.6
Results:
Milton 28 Needham 24
Walpole 21 Needham 7
Needham 31 Braintree 20
Newton North 7 Needham 6
Needham 21 Weymouth 7
Needham 34 Framingham 7
Needham 24 Brookline 15
Catholic Memorial 25 Needham 6 D1 South Quarterfinals
Needham 28 Franklin 21
Mansfield 35 Needham 6

Thanksgiving week is here and the build up begins to the 129th meeting of Wellesley and Needham which again takes place Thursday Morning at Needham’s Memorial Field at 10 am. Stay tuned tomorrow and Wednesday as we preview both teams heading into the big game. First however here’s what you need to know about the rivalry heading into Thursday’s showdown!

Overall Series: 60-59-9 Wellesley
Current Streak: Needham (2) (7 out of 10)
Last Needham Win: 2015 (12-7)
Last Wellesley Win: 2013 (22-6)
Last 10 Games
2015: Needham 12 Wellesley 7
2014: Needham 27 Wellesley 13
2013: Wellesley 22 Needham 6
2012: Needham 39 Wellesley 21
2011: Needham 42 Wellesley 18
2010: Needham 20 Wellesley 17 (OT)
2009: Wellesley 28 Needham 27
2008: Needham 26 Wellesley 7
2007: Needham 20 Wellesley 14 (OT)
2006: Wellesley 14 Needham 6

We’ve reached one of the best times of the year… Thanksgiving!!! A time to spend with family friends, eat good food, and watch Thanksgiving Football! That’s right the time has come for two annual traditions, and the Wellesley-Needham powderpuff game, and of course the 129th meeting of the oldest high school football rivalry in the country Thanksgiving morning! Leading up to the game this week we will have all you need to know about the rivalry plus info on how this year’s team’s stack up so be on the lookout! That being said here is the schedule of events down below!

Wednesday 11-23
Powderpuff vs. Needham 1 pm

Thursday 11-24
Football @ Needham 10 am

It was a big, big day for the Cross Country program as both the boys and girls competed in the all-state meet in Grafton this afternoon, and one of the teams came home with some big time hardware. Who would it be, we’ll find out in a moment but first here’s the answer to yesterday’s Raider Friday Trivia question! The last time Wellesley football beat Needham in back to back years was… 2005 and 2006, as the Raiders knocked off the Rockets 14-7 and 14-6 respectively. Now onto the recap!

Results for 11-19-16
Boys Cross Country: Finished 1st in D1 All State Meet
Girls Cross Country: Finished 14th in D1 All State Meet

In this last season review we appropriately enough take a look at the team who will finish their least last, as we look at the 2016 Raider football team, who enjoyed tremendous success this season. The Raiders finished the regular season with a perfect 7-0 mark, and won their first Herget division title since 1999. The Raiders then went on to christen their new turf field with a first round playoff victory in the D1A South bracket over Hingham, before falling the next week in the semifinals to Bridgewater Raynham. The team rebounded to beat Brockton in a consolation game and heads into Thanksgiving with a 9-1 record.

It is a beautiful Friday morning and a perfect time for another edition of Raider Friday Trivia! With Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving game being less than a week away today’s question is Thanksgiving themed. The question is… When was the last time Wellesley beat Needham in back to back years? The answer will be posted tomorrow!