NEEDHAM — In Thursday night’s D1 quarterfinal against Methuen, Needham did not throw a single pass in the second half.

The Rockets did not have to.

Behind a dominant running game that wore Methuen out, Needham rolled to a 42-24 win that sent the third-seeded Rockets to the Final Four.

Needham improves to 9-1. The No. 3 Rangers fall to 7-3.

Standout senior running back Tate Hoffmeister finished with 131 yards and three second-half touchdowns on 26 carries. Teammate Aidan Williams added 58 yard on six carries, and Brandt Bickford had an 80-yard touchdown on a jet sweep in the third quarter, his only carry of the night.

Quarterback Griffin Carr completed 3 of 5 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half, as the Rockets did a little bit of everything right.

But maybe the biggest stars of the night for Needham were the members of the Rockets’ offensive line: Teddy Fox, Sean Murphy, Travis O’Brien, David Curtis and Charlie Simeone.

“These guys are tough,” Needham coach Doug Kopcso of the line. “They fight together for all four quarters. They’re athletic. They have great character. I think they showed that tonight.”

He will get no argument from Methuen.

Needham led at halftime, 14-9, but pulled away from there. Bickford, on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, took a jet sweep near the Needham sideline, broke a few tackles, and was gone for the 80-yard score.

Methuen answered when quarterback Drew Eason (265 yards passing and three touchdowns) hit Adrian Blake for a 3-yard score.

But Needham went back to the ground with an 11-play drive that culminated in a 15-yard touchdown run by Hoffmeister as Needham pushed its lead to 28-16.

The Rockets forced a three and out, and went back to the ground. Four rushes later, Hoffmeister scored on a 2-yarder on the second play of the fourth quarter, and Needham was up, 35-16.

Joshua Kwakye had a nice, tackle-breaking 41-yard touchdown reception as Methuen got to within 35-24.

But the Rangers never got the stops they needed. On the ensuing Needham drive, the Rockets went eight plays, and punched it in on 1-yarder from Hoffmeister to help finish the scoring.

“When they wouldn’t stop chirping, we knew that they were on their heels and getting (ticked) off at us for just driving on their heads,” Hoffmeister said. “That’s when I knew (they couldn’t stop us) myself. I told the boys in the huddle, ‘Let’s just pound it down their throats, give it to them right now, score one more time and put the game away.’ ”

Methuen took an early lead when Omar Aboutoui kicked a 28-yard field goal in the opening quarter.

Needham took the lead for good though when Joe Kajunski blocked a Methuen punt, scooped it up and ran 20 yards for the touchdown.

The Rockets increased their lead to 14-3 when Carr hit Will McDonald for a 23-yard play-action pass.

Methuen cut into that lead just before the half when Eason hit Nolan Smith for a 15-yard touchdown over the middle.