MORE FAMILY FUN
LaChapelle brothers, Blood coach/captain duo boost Uxbridge over South
UXBRIDGE — Camden and Kellen LaChapelle have dreamed about this moment for as long as they can remember.
Two brothers, sharing the gridiron and leading their hometown team to victories on Friday nights.
This fall, the LaChapelles finally received that opportunity. And they’re not letting that chance go to waste.
In the Hometeam Game of the Week on Friday, Camden rushed for three touchdowns, while older brother Kellen added two rushing TDs to power Uxbridge past South, 34-18. Through four games, the siblings separated by two years in school have done nothing but win — and score touchdowns.
“We always played together during our childhood and with flag football, but we never got to play tackle football together,” Camden, 16, said. “Now we are, and it’s fun.”
“It’s unreal,” Kellen, 17, said. “We’ve dreamt of this moment for forever.”
Uxbridge improved to 4-0, while South droppd to 3-1. The Spartans are averaging more than 47 points per game, thanks in large part to the LaChappelle show.
“They have a connection, they’re brothers obviously, but they’re just great athletes,” Uxbridge coach Matt Blood said. “It’s tough to focus on two rather than just one.”
Trading TDs, punts
Kellen LaChapelle, a senior QB, didn’t waste much time putting the Spartans on the board Friday when his 5-yard TD run less than three minutes into the contest gave Uxbridge a 7-0 lead.
South quarterback Ransford Adri responded, however, three minutes later when he connected with teammate Anderson Amparo for a 37-yard TD pass on fourth down to cut the Spartans’ lead to one point with 6:01 to play in the first half.
Both teams then traded punts before a 1-yard TD run from Camden LaChapelle, a sophomore running back, netted Uxbridge a 14-6 advantage heading into halftime.
Following a lengthy intermission, the Spartans again forced a punt from South — but this time Uxbridge senior Ben Roerden blocked the attempt and set up the Spartans at the Colonels’ 12yard line. A few plays later, Kellen scampered in from 7 yards, and Uxbridge led, 20-6.
“Kellen’s just so athletic, and I think
his strength lies in his competitiveness and his grit and especially his legs,” Blood said. “He's elusive, he extends plays and drives, and that's super valuable. Especially in tight games and broken plays. Anytime you can have that, it's a bonus.”
Uxbridge proceeded to force another South punt before another scoring drive — this time ending with a 1-yard TD run from Camden — made it a 22-point lead for the hosts. Despite scoring plays of 39 and 66 yards from South in the final 13 minutes, Uxbridge held on for the win as a 17-yard TD scamper from Camden LaChapelle put the game on ice with 30 seconds left.
“He's a beast. They can't take him down,” Kellen said of his younger brother, who now has 11 touchdowns on the season. “He's fast, he's faster than me, and every time he gets the ball, he makes something happen.”
“It's just awesome playing with him and watching him,” Camden said of big bro, who boasts 12 total TDs.
More family ties for Spartans
The LaChapelles aren't the only bloodlines that run deep with Uxbridge football this season.
Aidan Blood, a senior captain, is the son of coach Matt Blood. For the fatherson combo, this season holds extra meaning.
“It's definitely a special year, it's definitely a special bond,” the Uxbridge coach said. “When they're younger, you have so many more years to go, and now that he's a senior, it's kind of like the realization that this is it. This is the last time I'm going to be coaching the team with him on it.”
“It means everything,” the Uxbridge captain said. “My dad, I look up to him a lot, and it's great to play for him.”
And getting off to a perfect 4-0 start — with resounding wins over Maynard, Blackstone Valley Tech, Oxford and now South — has added to that sentiment.
It's a family affair with Uxbridge football this fall.
“We're all just one big family,” Kellen LaChapelle said, “and I think that helps our chemistry.”
“Everyone knows everyone, and we're all so close,” senior captain Liam
Rigney said. “Even the people that aren't' related are like family.”
Colonels look ahead
After playing three of its first four games on the road, South returns home next Friday to host Tantasqua.
“We've had a long four weeks,” Colonels coach Bob LaRose said. “This was the culmination of some really physical games, that's a very good team, and we got caught.
“We just got caught looking ahead, simple as that,” he added. “Kudos to them, they did a good job, and we'll get back at it next week.”
Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.