Fall Playoff Preview

November 3, 2026
• This story will be updated throughout the week as more information becomes available. 

This fall, four of the five Needham High School sports teams we covered qualified for the postseason. Football missed the playoffs for the second straight year, with a 1-7 regular season record.

Girls cross country capped off their undefeated regular season with a Bay State Conference Championship win on Oct. 31, their first conference title since 2015. The divisional championship meet will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, followed by the state championship meet on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Needham field hockey struggled down the stretch of the regular season, finishing 3-11-1, with their last win coming on Sept. 30 against Braintree. As the 26 seed in the tournament, they will go on the road to face seventh-seeded Attleboro, on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 4:30 p.m. Attleboro finished their regular season 11-6-1 and is averaging almost four goals a game. The winner of that game will go on to play the winner of No. 10 Bishop Feehan vs. No. 23 Newton North. Last year, the Rockets were the 24 seed and traveled to Acton-Boxboro for the first round, where they lost 1-0, ending their season.

Girls volleyball earned the nine seed in their tournament, and will host No. 24 Plymouth North on Friday, Nov. 6 at 4:30 p.m. The Needham Channel will be there to record a broadcast of that game.

Football will host Brookline for a non-playoff game on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m, as they get ready to host Wellesley for the 139th annual Thanksgiving rivalry game on Nov. 26.

Boys and girls soccer brackets will be released by the MIAA on Thursday, Nov. 5.