Football and Girls Volleyball Steam Roll into the Final Four
November 9, 2023
• Needham Football and Girls Volleyball both dominated in the MIAA Division one Elite 8, advancing to the Final Four.
It was a busy Thursday night, as the Rockets hosted a playoff double header. It started in the Needham High School A Gym, where Girls Volleyball was eager to defeat Attleboro after dropping a heartbreaking 5 set match in the Sweet 16 last year. The #13 seeded Bombardiers came into this matchup after upsetting the #4 seed, Shrewsbury. However, the #5 Rockets were not going to let history repeat itself.
The Rockets would handle the 1st set, taking it 25-18. Strong serving from Libero, Izzy Streeper and Setter, Elizabeth Tam kept Needham ahead, and Senior Outside Samantha Tam would close out the set, collecting one of her many kills of the night.
The 2nd set would pose problems, as the Rockets found themselves down 15-12 after committing a few unforced errors. But, after an ace from Lizzy Tam and kills from Samantha Tam and Katie Mercer, Needham found themselves ahead, 17-15. Alex Sykora would give Needham set point 24-22, and Sam-Tam would finish it off, giving Needham a 2 set lead.
The momentum would roll into the 3rd set, with the Rockets starting out up 9-2. Despite a great effort from Attleboro, this one was all Needham. With solid contribution all around, the 3rd set and the match would eventually end off a hit from Mercer, falling in the middle of the Bombardiers, securing the win.
With the sweep over Attleboro, Girls Volleyball moves on to the Final Four, their 3rd appearance in the last 4 seasons. They will play old rivals, Newton North. Time and Date TBA.
Watch some of the top plays of the night for the Girls! The rockets will face off against Newton North, Time and Date TBA
Girls Volleyball swept Attleboro to advance to the D1 Final 4! It's the 3rd appearance for the girls since 2019. Here are some of the top plays!
The rockets will face off against Newton North, Time and Date TBA @NHSRockets @NeedhamGirlsVB pic.twitter.com/TX6noLG9i9
— TNC Sports (@TNC_Sports) November 10, 2023
Later on in the night, #3 Football would look to advance to their first Final Four since 2015. They would have to go through #6 Methuen, who would come in off a stellar 47-7 win over Natick. It was suspected to be a battle of Methuen’s top offense vs. Needham’s strong defense, however that was not the case.
After trailing 3-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, the Rockets would begin to come alive. It began with Joe Kajunski blocking a punt and running it into the end zone early on in the 2nd. With 2:30 left in the half, Griffin Carr completes a 23 yard Touchdown pass too Will McDonald. The scoreboard would read 14-9 Needham heading to the 3rd.
Brandt Bickford would get the 2nd half rolling with an 80 yard touchdown run on the first offensive play. Tate Hoffmeister would join in on the fun with a 15 yard touchdown run to put the Rockets up 28 to 16 late in the 3rd.
The Needham offense would continue its dominance in the 4th. Hoffmeister would add in two more touchdowns of his own, and the Rockets would not look back, winning over Methuen 42 to 22.
Needham will await the winner over Xaverian and Springfield Central on Friday, November 10th. The Final Four will take place on Friday, the 17th. Exact time and place TBA.
Here are some of the top plays!
#3 Football rolls past #6 Methuen to advance to the D1 Final Four! This is the first appearance for the Rockets since 2015. Check out some of the top plays 🚀@NHSRockets @NeedhamFootball
They will face the winner of Xaverian vs Springfield Central, who play tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/ds6M0qlnoG
— TNC Sports (@TNC_Sports) November 10, 2023
