Needham football eyes bounce-back season after 3-8 finish

Head coach Doug Kopcso and members of the Needham Rockets' leadership council are looking to flip the script after a 3-8 season in 2025, laying out their vision for 2026 at the second annual Recruiting Board Massachusetts High School Football Media Day on Aug. 14.

Kopcso and the players emphasized lessons learned from last fall and set expectations for the coming campaign, according to The Needham Channel's season preview. Specific details from the conversation were shared via video; the Needham Channel invited fans with questions for the football or cheer teams to email [email protected] ahead of the Touchdown Club's own media day Thursday, Aug. 27.

What went wrong in 2025

The Rockets went winless in Bay State Conference Herget Division play last fall, finishing 0-4 against Walpole, Milton, Braintree and Weymouth. Needham was shut out 27-0 by Natick on Sept. 12 and fell 34-14 to Walpole on Oct. 3. The season ended with a Thanksgiving loss to rival Wellesley.

That 3-8 mark was a steep drop from 2023, when Needham posted a 10-2 record and reached the MIAA Division 1 state semifinals, falling 20-17 to Xaverian — not finished fifth in the state, as this article originally stated.

Signs of program character

Despite the losing record, the program earned recognition off the field. The Needham School Committee announced in December 2025 that the football team and coaches received the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Sportsmanship Award for fall 2025 — not fall 2024, as this article originally stated.

2026 schedule and what's ahead

Needham opens the season at home against Newton South on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m., then travels to Wayland on Friday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. The Bay State Conference opener comes Thursday, Sept. 10 at Natick at 6 p.m.

That Natick rematch looms large. TNC Sports posted video Aug. 24 of a Needham junior previewing the matchup and reflecting on his favorite moments from last season.

The full BSC slate includes road games at Walpole (Oct. 2), Braintree (Oct. 16) and Framingham (Oct. 30), plus home dates against Milton (Oct. 9) and Weymouth (Oct. 23). The season closes with the Thanksgiving rivalry game against Wellesley on Thursday, Nov. 26 at 10 a.m.