Wellesley tops Needham in oldest public school rivalry in the country
The calendar may not read Thanksgiving Day, but the win for Wellesley meant just as much.
Sophomore Vincent Ferrara threw a pair of touchdowns while the Wellesley defense totaled seven sacks as the Raiders defeated host Needham, 34-0, to win the Frederick J. Gorman Centennial Trophy on Friday night at Needham High School.
The meeting was the 133rd between the two, marking it as the oldest public school rivalry in the United States.
“We faced some adversity tonight and came out slow,” Wellesley coach Jesse Davis said. “Vincent’s play as a sophomore has been very impressive. His teammates have rallied around him and the way he has played has been phenomenal so far.”
Wellesley’s defense was relentless the entire night, consistently getting pressure on Needham (1-1) quarterback Will McDonald and smothering the Rockets’ backs behind the line of scrimmage. In all, the Raiders (2–0) racked up seven sacks, four tackles for losses, snagged two interceptions, and had a fumble recovery.
Senior Carl Callahan had two of those sacks and the fumble recovery while Anthony Messore had 2.5 sacks of his own.
“This is not Thanksgiving but it is the oldest rivalry in the country for public schools and that means something,” said an overjoyed Callahan. “We have all grown up with older siblings, cousins and friends playing this game. For us seniors to get it is an amazing feeling.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Wellesley got on the board early in the second as off of good field position Ferrara connected with Wedner Cadet for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead. The Raiders defense immediately forced a three-and-out and on its ensuing drive the Wellesley offense went back to work. The Raiders went 48 yards over seven plays with Joshua Yen capping off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put Wellesley on top 13-0.
Wellesley poured it on in the second half, making sure to leave little doubt. The Raiders defense began the third quarter by forcing a three-and-out due in large part to a Messore sack. Then, with the Raiders offense facing a fourth-and-28 at the Rockets’ 33-yard line, Ferrara dropped a perfect pass into the arms of Perez for a 33-yard touchdown to give Wellesley a three-score edge.
Perez put the final nail in the coffin moments later as after a Callahan sack put the Rockets in a third-and-long situation, the senior stepped in front of a McDonald pass and returned it the other way for a 32-yard pick-six to give Wellesley a 27-0 lead late in the third.