WELLESLEY – With Needham football running so deep in third-generation running back Tate Hoffmeister’s bloodline, failing to win a game between the nation’s oldest public school rivals would’ve been a tough pill to swallow.

But he’ll never have to.

Hoffmeister rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns in his final high school game Thursday morning, helping the Rockets (10-2) win the 136th edition of their Thanksgiving Day matchup against Wellesley, 21-7.

The defense played a critical part with a pair of red zone stops, bringing the Frederick J. Gorman Centennial Trophy back to Needham for the first time since 2018.

Wellesley still owns the 66-61-9 all-time record.

“It means a lot,” said Rockets head coach Doug Kopsco. “We haven’t even had our team meeting yet because everyone is still clustered around the trophy. You see all the alumni coming back here, being a part of that. I wish we could’ve given that to them, but for them to share in that experience this year, it means everything.”

“I’ve been on the team for a couple years, been tough to lose these games at the end of the season,” Hoffmeister added. “But I think with the success that we had this season, the team of guys that we had, the camaraderie and the family that we built, we were able to get it done.”

The Raiders had much of the momentum out of the gate, forcing Needham to a pair of three-and-outs as the running game stalled. Wellesley marched downfield in-between off a great opening drive from quarterback Bobby Shanahan, but couldn’t convert a short field goal.

Hoffmeister and Aidan Williams (73 rushing yards) took advantage of some big holes on the Rockets’ third drive, though, with Hoffmeister barreling through two gains of 20-plus yards before scoring a 2-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.

Every touchdown drive had at least one big rush from Hoffmeister. A 40-yard gain in the third quarter led to a 13-0 lead on his 8-yard touchdown, then a 55-yard rush while holding a 13-7 lead in the fourth set up his hat trick.

“I definitely knew I had a pretty good game, but I didn’t know 230,” Hoffmeister said. “So proud of that, so proud of my O-line for giving me that opportunity, the rest of the team.”

Wellesley threatened in response to each score, but could only get the one touchdown – a 23-yard connection from Max Poirier (57 rushing yards) to Robby Broggi (seven catches, 76 yards) for a 13-7 deficit in the third quarter.

A 15-play drive in the second quarter down 7-0 ended in a turnover-on-downs at the Needham 1-yard-line. Wellesley took over at its own 20 down 13-7 in the fourth quarter, but a sack led to a three-and-out.

“We talk about lay it down, they just understand that it doesn’t matter whether they’re defending 99 yards or one,” Kopsco said. “They’re going to do it as hard as they possibly can.”