Rockets Review: Boys Tennis Takes South Titles

Girls lacrosse stays on top as Needham teams' regular seasons wind down.

By Micah Hauben, NHS Director of Athletics Needham singles players Aaron Revzin and Aaron Segel rolled through the Division I South Section as the No. 1 and 2 seeds respectively only to face each other in the title match on Sunday, May 20. While it is a great accomplishment for any school to fill both spots in the final match, it did mean one Needham High School athlete would not be moving on after Sunday's play. Revzin showed why he has been the Rockets' No. 1, taking down Segel 6-2 and 6-4. On the doubles side, the Needham duo of Mitchell Silverman and Ben Okonow lived up to their top seeding, also rolling to the South Section final, where they defeated Sharon's top group, 6-4 and 6-3. Revzin, Silverman and Okonow now advance to the …

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Rockets Honored by National Football Federation

Needham High School seniors Mark Riley and Dane Pierce were recognized on Monday, May 14.

Needham High School football seniors Mark Riley and Dan Pierce were both honored with Scholar-Athlete Awards at the National Football Foundation Eastern Mass Chapter's annual banquet on Monday, May 14. Thirty-two individuals received the award out of 600 nominees from acround the state. After graduation in June, Riley will go on to play football at Bates College, and Pierce will play football at Middlebury College.

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Rockets Review: Girls LAX Ranked No. 1

The Needham team's win over Westwood last week put them on the top of the Boston Globe's EMASS list—the second NHS team to do so in recent years.

By Micah Hauben, NHS Director of Athletics Needham High School girls lacrosse still has only lost one game on the season, to Cold Spring Harbor out of New York, and the girls came up with one of the biggest wins in recent program history on Thursday, May 10, as they defeated perennial state power Westwood 12-10. The win was the first over Westwood in 10 years and helped the Rockets jump four spots to the top of the Boston Globe's EMASS rankings. Following the No. 1 ranking of the NHS boys volleyball team this spring, the girls become only the second program in recent years to be move into the top spot. At 15-1, the team is also poised to earn a high seed in the upcoming state tournament. This week, the Rockets will take on Milton, Norwood …

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Photo Gallery: NHS Rugby Beats Arlington-Catholic

  Submitted by Kathy Chisholm Needham High School boys rugby racked up a pair of wins against Arlington-Catholic on Monday, May 7. The boys varsity team dominated their home territory, entering half-time with a lead of 22-7 and final score NHS 36-12. Scoring tries for Needham were Graham Finley, Antoine Cabon, Evan Turner and Ryan Wentworth and two from Cam Chisholm. Auggie Coll also scored three conversion kicks. The junior varsity team continued the success in handing Arlington-Catholic its second loss of the day; final score was NHS 39-0. Tries were scored by Spencer Faudree, John Cronin, Michael Comma, Joe Fachetti, Graham Finley and two from Kevin Barros. Ryan Rosen and John Cronin both scored conversion kicks.

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Rockets Review: NHS Teams Stay Hot

High School teams bring home key victories.

  By Micah Hauben, NHS Director of Athletics During a week that saw no losses for five of the Needham High School varsity spring teams, there were several key victories for the Rockets. Boys volleyball went 3-0, defeating Natick, Braintree and Framingham, to keep pace in the Bay State Conference Carey, and now stand at 11-2 (10-1 BSC). Girls tennis earned two BSC victories, while boys tennis took one, and their showdown with St. John's High School (Shrewsbury) was postponed to May 25 because of weather. Lacrosse Girls lacrosse moved to 10-1 on the season as they beat BSC opponents Natick and Braintree and non-league Medfield on Saturday, May 5. Boys lacrosse also beat Natick and Braintree and then used a great effort on Saturday night, …

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NHS Seniors To Be Honored by MA Chapter of the National Football Foundation

Dan Pierce and Mark Riley will be recognized as scholar athletes at an awards dinner on May 14.

Two Needham residents are among a list of area athletes being honored by the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation. Dan Pierce and Mark Riley, both members of the Needham High School Class of 2012, will be honored as scholar athletes on Monday, May 14 at the NFF chapter's annual awards dinner, to be held at Lombardo's in Randolph, the Boston Globe reports. Both Pierce and Riley were members of Needham High School's 2011 varsity football team, which was the first in school history to play in the MIAA Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. Pierce, who plans to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, is a two-year starter on the NHS football team and earned conference all-star honors this year. He …

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Photo Gallery: NHS Rugby Plays Marshfield, Xaverian

The varsity team brought home a win against Xaverian on April 30 but fell to Marshfield on April 26.

  Submitted by Kathy Chisholm The Needham High School varsity rugby team fought hard but came up short during their home game against Marshfield on Thursday, April 26. The match-up featured crushing tackles, straining scrums and relentless chases after zig-zagging ball carriers, but despite the game's intensity, Needham lost 0-36.   The junior varsity team's final score against Marshfield was NHS 22-5, with tries (5 points each) scored by Evan Turner, Aiden O'Connor, Kevin Barros and John Cronin along with a conversion kick by Cronin (2 points each). On Monday, April 30, the NHS varsity rugby team wasted little time setting the tone offensively against Xaverian, with Needham entering half time with a 12-5 lead. Throughout the game, Needham…

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Rockets Review: Boys Volleyball Ranked No. 1

Although only in the spot briefly, the local team was the first from Needham High School in recent years to earn the top position in the Boston Globe EMASS rankings.

  By Micah Hauben, NHS Director of Athletics Last week, the Rockets boys volleyball team became the first Needham High School team in years to move into the No. 1 spot in the Boston Globe EMASS rankings. Although short-lived, as the team dropped a league match to the Tigers of Newton North on Wednesday, April 25, it is a good indication of the talented of this spring's squad. Defeating Wellesley on Monday, April 23 and Norwood on Friday, April 27, the boys moved to 8-2 on the season and will face Natick, Braintree and Framingham this week. Boys Lacrosse While holding a Top 10 ranking in the region, the boys lacrosse team had one of their toughest stretches of the season this past week. Capping off the week, the team welcomed in state No. 1…

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Rockets Review: A Busy Break

Boys volleyball entered April Vacation with three consecutive wins and a runner-up finish at the Tournament of Champions.

  By Micah Hauben, NHS Director of Athletics The fifth-ranked Needham High School boys volleyball team capped off the week before April Vacation with three wins in a row, taking down league foes Brookline and Weymouth and EMASS No. 1-ranked Xaverian. On Saturday during the break, the team traveled to Holyoke to take part in the Tournament of Champions event at Holyoke Community College. Playing a lot of volleyball against some of the top teams in the state, the Rockets came away with a runner-up finish in the Bronze Division.   Coming up this week is a home match against Wellesley on Monday, April 23 followed by away matches at Newton North and Norwood.   Boys & Girls Track and Field On the first Saturday of break, athletes from both …

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Patch Asks: What Are Your Memories of Fenway Park?

Fenway turns 100 today—what do you remember about your first visit, last visit or other times you've spent there?

Fenway Park turns 100 today. The cherished Boston sports arena, named after the Fenway neighborhood in Boston where it was built, hosted its first official baseball game on April 20, 1912. According to fenwaypark100.com, a Major League Baseball website set up with images and stories from the park's 100-year history, Fenway Park hosted its first game on April 9—an exhibition between the Red Sox and Harvard College. On April 20, the Sox played their first official game at Fenway against the New York Highlanders. Tonight, the Red Sox will play the New York Yankees (formerly the Highlanders) in a special 100th anniversary game, set for 3:05 p.m. The Sox will play the Yanks again on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. Today, in honor of Fenway's centennial, …

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