NEEDHAM — The phrase “tradition” will get thrown round rather a lot in highschool soccer, and there may be loads of it to go round come Thanksgiving. Sometimes it doesn’t at all times apply.
But in Needham, there may be definitely a heaping serving to of it on the subject of star operating again Tate Hoffmeister.
That’s as a result of his grandfather, George, stood out at that place, too, again within the early Nineteen Sixties. Hoffmeister’s father, Greg, did the identical within the mid-to-late Eighties.
So forgive Needham soccer followers for having slightly deja vu when Tate is operating throughout defenses this season. It’s only a custom.
This yr, via the Div. 1 quarterfinal spherical, Hoffmeister has rushed for 1,610 yards and 20 touchdowns. A senior captain, Hoffmeister has helped lead the Rockets to the state semifinals towards Xaverian.
George, Needham class of 1963, performed in ’61 and ’62, and was additionally a captain. Greg, class of ’89, performed in ’86, ’87, and ’88, and was a captain and Bay State League All-Star, similar to his dad.
Greg is a operating backs coach on this yr’s crew, and gave a fast scouting report on the three.
“Actually, I think we have different running styles,” Greg stated. “I’m a little smaller than Tate is. I was a little shiftier, maybe a little quicker. Avoided more tackles than took them on. Tate’s a very physical runner. If you watch him, he’s gotten a lot of his yards after contact. It’s just the way he is. He has an aggressive running style. Certainly, when he hits the openings on the outside, he can turn on the speed, but really, a lot of his running is just tough, after-contact runs.”
Tate’s model really skipped a era.
“That’s exactly right. My son, Greg, had a wonderful ability to move, to elude the tackler, to get around the corners from people,” George stated. “Tate is much more like me: Get your head down and get the yardage that we need one way or another. It’s just wonderful. His legs never stop.”
Tate agrees.
“A year or two ago, my dad actually found some tapes, and he plugged them into my TV somehow and got it up,” Tate stated. “I watched a few of them. It was great to see. I did kind of see myself a couple times in there. Great to picture that, and great to see his type of style and how he played the game.”
Needham has been on a gradual upward trajectory, after going 2-9 in 2021 after which 5-6 a yr in the past. Now 9-1, Hoffmeister has been an enormous a part of the Rockets’ turnaround.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without Tate,” Needham coach Doug Kopcso stated. “He’s a phenomenal leader. He’s a phenomenal person. He has high character. He has great values. He works so dang hard to put us all in the position where we can be successful. He doesn’t mind if it goes to someone else. He doesn’t mind if he’s sharing the wealth. He’s a great teammate, a great person.”
And it has simply been great for all of the Hoffmeisters to share in that success. George beams at it.
“I can’t tell you how much I love watching it,” he stated. “The end of the game, (Tate will) come over to me, I’ll give him a big hug and just tell him how happy he’s made me to see him do what he’s done.”
As for the top of the season, George has direct recommendation.
“Beat Wellesley. You’ve got to beat Wellesley,” he stated. “I can’t tell you how important that is. I have missed one Wellesley game since I graduated 60 years ago. I’ve missed one. I was at Disney World with my family. That tells you how important it is to the Hoffmeister family.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com