Needham 21, Norwood 14

Needham had a tough time igniting its offense yesterday, but the Rockets came through in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns to clinch a 21-14 victory over Norwood. ‘‘That was a game that could've gone either way,'' Needham coach David Duffy said. ‘‘ ‘‘Norwood kind of controlled the trenches…We didn't play the best we've played all year, but we managed to come out with a victory so that's something to grab onto.'' Norwood (2-3) was up, 14-7, going into the fourth quarter. Needham's Kerry Hecker caught what was just under a 60-yard pass from Kevin Brennan to advance the Rockets to just outside the Norwood end zone in the first drive of the fourth. Brennan scored on a quarterback keep in the next play and Kevin Cray added an extra point to tie the game, 14-14. Norwood couldn't capitalize on its last potential touchdown drive and turned the ball back over to Needham with two minutes left. The Rockets marched down the field and clinched the win off of a Greg Angel 18-yard rush and another Cray kick with 40 seconds remaining. The Mustangs went up in the first quarter when Needham fumbled the ball on a punt snap at their own 1-yard line and Shawn Morrison returned it for a touchdown. Brennan answered with a 12-yard touchdown run to put the Rockets on top 7-6 after a quarter. Sean Keady's 7-yard touchdown reception from Kevin O'Sullivan gave Norwood the edge going into the fourth quarter. Vinny Serino's 2-point rush put the Mustangs up, 14-7. Brennan threw for 140 yards and was 10-for-20 in the air. The Rockets quarterback also rushed 11 times for 91 yards. Hecker caught two receptions for 80 yards. Cray, the Needham kicker, also had to work against the wind as he added three PAT's. Duffy noted his solid performance. Needham has to face EMass heavyweights like Walpole and Brookline before the end of the season, but Duffy is optimistic with a 5-0 start this season after finishing 6-5 last year. ‘‘We've got our work cut out for us but we're relatively healthy so in terms of health we're in good shape,'' Duffy said. ‘‘We're one of the smallest teams in the league size wise. We're hoping quickness can take us through.''