Baptiste carries the day for Needham

NEEDHAM - The great thing about Thanksgiving football is that every match feels like a postseason game. A 4-0 start had Needham thinking playoffs, but it lost five of the next six to drop out of playoff contention. Wellesley's last win came against Newton North Oct. 4.

But the teams were playing for pride yesterday, which is no small thing when it comes to the nation's oldest public school rivalry. In the 121st meeting, Needham defeated Wellesley, 26-7, to claim bragging rights for another year.

"It was a great win," said Needham coach Dave Duffy. "It's the players that make this such a good rivalry."

Senior tailback Jean Baptiste came into the game with 195 carries for 960 yards and 13 touchdowns, so it was no secret he would be the key to a Needham victory.

Baptiste, who gained 240 yards on 23 carries, set the tone early, breaking off a 25-yard run up the middle. But his fumble four plays later set the Raiders up at the Needham 15-yard line. The Needham defense responded, allowing just 2 yards on the next three plays, and Wellesley missed a chance to take an early lead when it missed a 30-yard field goal attempt.

On Needham's third possession, Baptiste burst up the middle, cut outside, and outran the defense for a 65-yard touchdown.

Two possessions later, Wellesley engineered a 70-yard scoring drive, capped by junior fullback Manny Lubin's 1-yard run.

But Baptiste was not done. On the ensuing drive, he caught one pass for 21 yards and ran the ball six times for 36 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown. Needham missed the extra point, taking a 13-7 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, a nice punt put the Rockets at their 17. After a holding penalty pushed them back to the 7, Needham called Baptiste's number. This time, he uncorked a 52-yard run.

Five plays later, quarterback Eric Bertino found tight end Brady Dow for a 14-yard touchdown, but they failed on the conversion, making the lead 19-7.

The Rockets defense again made its presence felt in the fourth quarter when senior linebacker Luke Cushman returned a Wellesley fumble 40 yards for their final score. For good measure, Heinz Brinkhaus recovered a fumble on the kickoff return to seal the game.

"I can't even describe what I'm feeling right now," said Baptiste. "It kicked in those last seconds. For a lot of us, it's the last time we're wearing the blue and gold together. I'm gonna remember this for the rest of my life."