'It's our last chance': Uxbridge hopes to wrap up historic season with a state championship
Fresh off a win over South High in Week 4, Uxbridge High quarterback Kellen LaChapelle didn’t mince words when discussing his team’s goals for the rest of the season.
“We’re on the come-up, and it feels pretty good, but we have just one goal in mind, and that’s the state championship, and we’ll do whatever we can to get there,” LaChapelle said on Sept. 29. “We’ve played together (for) as long as I can remember, and we’ve always just dreamt of getting to that state championship and winning it all, and it’s our last chance.”
LaChapelle and the Spartans will get that chance when top-seeded Uxbridge (12-0) meets sixth-seeded Amesbury (9-2) in the Division 7 state championship at Gillette Stadium on Friday. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.
“We just want to complete that goal that we’ve been talking about the whole season,” LaChapelle said Monday. “It makes me smile (knowing that we’re playing in a state championship), for sure. But we just need to get that win in order for it to truly set in.”
Historic season so far for Spartans
On Nov. 11, LaChapelle and fellow football captain Aidan Blood attended the Uxbridge High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Arrowhead Acres in Uxbridge.
During the event, the pair of Uxbridge High seniors ran into a few former Spartans who played on the last team that suited up for a Super Bowl in 1992.
“They said they were very proud of what we’ve been doing,” LaChapelle said.
So, what exactly have the Spartans been doing this fall?
Winning.
Across 12 games, Uxbridge has outscored opponents, 497-124. And thanks to playoff victories over Oxford (48-13), Tyngsborough (33-7) and Clinton (35-15), the Spartans set a program record for wins (12) in a season while securing a spot in a Super Bowl for the first time in 31 years.
“It’s a season that the seniors and juniors will remember for a while,” said Blood, who has six TD receptions as a tight end and 111 tackles as a linebacker. “This is the furthest we’ve gone since 1992, it’s definitely a memorable season.”
“It’s been a very memorable season,” added LaChapelle, who has 43 total touchdowns from his QB position. “We’ve all gotten closer as the season goes on.”
From the Spartans’ first game under their new lights on Sept. 15, to the victory over South, to a Turkey Day win over Northbridge, this fall has provided plenty of memorable moments.
Uxbridge hopes to add one more Friday when they face an Amesbury team that’s making its first Super Bowl appearance since 2008.
“It’s super special. This doesn’t happen often,” said Uxbridge coach Matt Blood, who is the father of Aidan. “This is what we want — to create these memories and experiences.”
Family affair on gridiron for Uxbridge football
A day after helping his team beat Auburn on Oct. 27, Aidan Blood found himself playing guitar and singing songs on a microphone at the Polish American Social & Civic Corporation in Uxbridge.
The football captain likes to perform — anything from Led Zepplin to Jimmy Buffett — at fundraisers and weddings, and even in the cafeteria at Uxbridge High.
As I finish up a story on the Uxbridge High football team playing in a Super Bowl on Friday, I want to highlight Spartans senior captain Aidan Blood —who has other talents beyond the football field. Here is Blood talking about them following a win over Auburn on Oct. 27 🎸🎤. pic.twitter.com/B9FeTNeZeZ
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) November 28, 2023
“I’m an oldie,” Aidan, 17, said. “I’ve always loved music.”
“He dabbles in everything,” his father said. “Music did not come from me or my wife. That’s something he did on his own.”
What the father-son combo do share, however, is a love for football. It’s been a memorable four-year journey on the gridiron — as a player and coach — that will reach its final stop in Foxborough on Friday.
“It’s kind of what we all do this for,” Matt Blood said.
Like the Bloods, LaChapelle and his younger brother, Camden, will share the football field for one last time this week. The family tree runs deep with Uxbridge football players and coaches, and even chain gang members.
As Uxbridge prepares to play in a D7 Super Bowl on Friday, the game will mark the last time brothers Kellen (left) and Camden will share the football field as Spartans. It’s a bittersweet moment for the siblings. “It’s kind of sad,” @kellenlach said on Monday. Story coming soon. pic.twitter.com/9Cutulfy5k
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) November 28, 2023
Another reason why this season has been so special.
“It means so much,” said Kellen LaChapelle, whose sibling has 24 touchdowns from his running back position. “This will probably be my last game ever playing with my brother, so I’m really just trying to go out there and give it my all.”
Since Week 4, all LaChapelle and Co. have wanted is the chance to play for a state championship.
And on Friday, the Uxbridge High football team will finally get that opportunity.
“This is it now,” Matt Blood said. “It’s now time for the ultimate goal.”
— Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Uxbridge football prepares for Div. 7 state championship with Amesbury
