With his four grandkids playing, Northbridge football coach faces new wrinkle to Turkey Day rivalry

UXBRIDGE — Family, food and football.

It’s the perfect Thanksgiving Day recipe.

And for the LaChapelle family, that holiday tradition will feature a new twist this Thursday when Northbridge High football coach Ken LaChapelle shares the field with four of his grandsons — two on his sideline and two on the other — in the 29th Turkey Day tussle between Northbridge and Uxbridge.

“It’s a new chapter,” said LaChapelle, whose two grandkids, Jake and Joel LaChapelle, play for Northbridge while his two other grandsons, Camden and Kellen LaChapelle, play for Uxbridge. “I’m so proud to be able to be on that field and have four grandsons play in that game. I don’t know many people anywhere that have experienced something like this.”

Adding to the family lore

Ken LaChapelle played quarterback at Northbridge High in the mid-1960s — back when the Rams faced Millbury on Thanksgiving. Despite the games and results “blending together” over his 50-plus years as a player and coach, LaChapelle recalls his final start as a senior on Nov. 25, 1965.

“We were favored, and we ended up losing, and I ended up throwing four interceptions,” said LaChapelle, now the state's all-time winningest coach. “That’s probably my most memorable memory.”

One of LaChapelle’s three sons, Trevor, fared a little better down memory lane in 1989 when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in Northbridge’s 7-0 win over Uxbridge. Now, 34 years later, LaChapelle gets to watch four of his grandkids (he has 21 in total) create their own lore in a Northbridge/Uxbridge rivalry that dates back to 1896.

“You sure don’t start off coaching saying you’re going to coach your kids or coach your grandkids,” said LaChapelle, whose son, Jess, is an assistant coach with the Rams. “But I’m just so fortunate to hang on this long.”

“My whole family has talked about it forever. You can just see the rivalry,” said Kellen LaChapelle, an Uxbridge High senior captain and quarterback. “My dad (Trevor) would tell us stories about how deep the rivalry would go, and it’s crazy to see how far it’s come.”

A budding rivalry

Camden and Kellen LaChapelle, and their cousins, Jake and Joel LaChapelle, grew up going to every Northbridge High football game.

The pair of brothers (and cousins) patrolled the sidelines with their grandfather while serving as water boys for the Rams.

“It’s been a tradition going to these games in our family since I can remember,” said Jake, an 18-year-old senior wide receiver and cornerback for Northbridge.

“We were always bonding,” Kellen, 17, said.

Three years ago, Kellen had an interesting personal decision to make: either play football for his grandfather at Northbridge (via school choice) or stay at Uxbridge High and play for the Spartans.

Kellen picked the latter. No hard feelings.

Since then, a family rivalry has budded on the gridiron between Northbridge and Uxbridge.

“Every once in a while, my grandfather will come up to me and Camden and say, ‘Nice win, but we’ll kick your (behind) on Thanksgiving,’” Kellen said with a laugh. “He loves to joke around about that stuff.”

Two years ago, Ken beat Kellen, 28-14, in a Thanksgiving Day matchup before the younger LaChapelle returned the favor to his grandfather with a 49-13 beatdown last fall.

This year, a new wave of LaChapelles are ready to join the Turkey Day fray.

“Now, I get the shot to play in the game and start,” said Joel, a 16-year-old sophomore quarterback for Northbridge.

“Now, it’s two sides to the rivalry, and it’s more friendly,” said Camden, a 16-year-old sophomore running back for Uxbridge.

A fun football experience for the family

Following a 35-15 win over Clinton in the MIAA playoffs on Saturday, top-seeded Uxbridge (11-0) will face No. 6 Amesbury in the Division 7 state championship at Gillette Stadium next weekend.

With a chance to claim their first Super Bowl title since 1992, the Spartans must decide whether to rest their starters — like Camden and Kellen LaChapelle — or play them against Northbridge (5-5) on Thursday. Either way, Ken LaChapelle is benching his two Uxbridge High grandkids for their annual family flag football game on Friday.

“I told them if you guys are heading to Gillette (Stadium), you’ll be coaching and drafting teams,” Ken said.

But before any flag football forays or frisks to Foxborough, the LaChapelles must tackle Thursday’s football wrinkle: a line of scrimmage that has just as many familiar faces as the line to get second helpings at Thanksgiving dinner.

This holiday will be a full-on family affair on the football field for the LaChapelles.

“Everybody is rooting for everybody now, which is cool,” Kellen said.

Said Jake: “It’ll be a memorable day. … Thanksgiving’s the best.”

“It’s been a nice family experience,” Ken LaChapelle added. “The whole football thing.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. 

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Northbridge football coach Ken LaChapelle faces new wrinkle in rivalry