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Needham hosted Brockton for a full lineup of games on Saturday for week three. The Junior Rockets went 1-3 in the competitive divisions, with C squad picking up its first victory of the season. For week four, Needham will host rival Walpole at Memorial Park.
B Squad (7th Grade) – Brockton 18, Needham 6 – Although it was another tough loss for Needham (1-2), the team fought hard until the very end. On offense, Sean Murphy recovered a fumble at the goal line and scored a touchdown to get some points on the board for Needham. Offensive linemen Will Murray, Gabe Quezada and Teddy McKeigue got into a rhythm and moved the ball well as the game went on. On the Jr. Rockets scoring drive, first downs were converted on runs by Jase Hannigan and Tate Hoffmiester, and a reception by Lyle Corwin.
On defense, linebacker Spencer Chapman and safety Sam Hughes were able to help keep the Brockton offense back to turn over on downs a few times. PJ Hartley pumped up the defense with a big sack in the fourth quarter stalling another Brockton drive.
The 5th grade cheerleading squad performs a stunt during Saturday’s game.
C Squad (6th Grade) – Needham 12, Brockton 6 – C Squad (1-2) relied on tough defense and consistent offense to grind out a 12-6 victory over Brockton on Saturday. Strong blocking by offensive linemen Cole Costello, Max Andelman, and Nick Ward contributed to many long gains by wingbacks Aidan Williams, Nick Sewall, and Brandt Bickford. On defense, defensive end Dom Funke, middle linebacker Travis O’Brien, linebacker Ben Schreiber and nose tackle Will Connelly all had strong games to help limit Brockton’s potent offense to just one touchdown.
D Squad (5th Grade) – Brockton 28, Needham 6 – D Squad (0-3) faced a very tough and determined Brockton team. Noah Badawi, Aiden Mack, Tenoch Mendez, Shaun Villa and Tyler Langford did great on the line, holding the Raiders to just a few first downs.
Noah Badawi was able to recover a fumble for a touchdown, D Squad’s first of the year. Running backs Jack Heckman, Yadiel Lara, AJ Scholz and Kam Jones all worked to grind away yards on offense. Yariel Lara had an amazing catch on a pass play to gain a bunch of yards for the Rockets.
E1 Squad (3rd & 4th Grade) vs Brockton – The 3rd & 4th grade squad kept rolling Saturday against Brockton. The offense led by Colin Corbett’s monster blocking allowed Rory Funke to score. Needham scored on offense and on defense as Funke also had a pick-six. Matthew Mullaney and Will Young’s running set up another Needham touchdown.
The offensive line of Giovanni Virgilio, Rob Mahar, Sam Drayer, TK Faria, Oliver Irons and Emi Schranz worked well all day. The defense led by Dash Mendez, Bruno Haig, Nicholas Hebert, Jayden Montero, and Jacob Donis all had a great game. Grayden Loeb returned to make his first start of the season and kicked two extra points.
Note that scores are not kept for the E1 instructional level of AYF Football.
Photos by Doug Fox
