WORCESTER — As Kellen LaChapelle rose fromhis seat at the Hanover Theatre Wednesday night, the Uxbridge High senior was one of three finalists nominated for the T&G Boys' Athlete of the Year award.
Along with North High’s Joe Okla and Tahanto Regional’s Jamie McNamara, LaChapelle stood there wondering if his name would be called during the Central Mass. High School Sports Awards show.
“There were a ton of good other nominations,” LaChapelle said.
Seconds later, the 18-year-old from Uxbridge was announced as therecipient of the most prestigious individual boys' accolade of the night.
Surprise.
“It’s a great honor,” LaChapelle said. “I’m proud of myself, I am. I couldn’t have done it without so many different people: my family, my teammates, my coaches. I’m just so happy, all the work I’ve put in has paid off.”
Introducing the T&G Hometeam Boys' Athlete of the Year: Kellen LaChapelle.
“It feels like a dream, but it’s not, it’s reality, because of the memories that were made along the way,” he said. “This whole year was filled with all sorts of memories which made it a success. This year was a success.”
It sure was for LaChapelle.
A dream come true
Growing up, Kellen LaChapelle modeled himself after his three older siblings — while serving as the ringleader of sorts for his younger brother and sister.
For LaChapelle and his family, sports were a constant source of entertainment. Basketball, football, Wiffle ball — you name it, they played it.
“He always had a ball in his hands,” said his father, Trevor.
And last fall, LaChapelle left his fingerprints all over the magical show that was the Uxbridge High football season.
A dual-threat quarterback, LaChapelle led a Spartans offense that averaged 41.5 points per game en route to a 13-0 campaign and Division 7 state championship. The 5-foot-7, 165-pound QB ranked fourth in Central Mass. in rushing yards (school-record 1,416) and second in rushing touchdowns (26).
A precise passer, LaChapelle was 82 of 120 (68.3%) for 1,172 yards and 17 touchdowns. The tied for second in CMass in scoring with 160 points and ended his three-year varsity career with 58 TDs and 362 points, both school records.
“He’s a playmaker,” Uxbridge football coach Matt Blood said.
“He has the ability that when a play needs to be made, it will be made,” said Northbridge football coach Ken LaChapelle, Kellen’s grandfather. “One way or another.”
In his final high school football game, Kellen LaChapelle rushed 14 times for 148 yards and five touchdowns in the Division 7 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. The Trinity College commit also passed for 25 yards and had 2 receiving yards (he caught a tipped ball off his own pass). His five rushing TDs tied a Super Bowl record.
Uxbridge’s 42-16 win over Amesbury clinched the first state titlefor the Spartans since 1992.
“It’s unexplainable. It’s amazing,” LaChapelle told the T&G on Dec. 1. “It’s what we’ve dreamt of our whole life, and now it’s finally a dream come true.”
Now, thesoft-spoken teenager from Uxbridge can add another accolade to his growing record book: T&G Hometeam Boys' Athlete of the Year.
“He’s going to go down as arguably one of the best athletes, ever, at Uxbridge, especially in football,” said Uxbridge basketball coach Ryan Hippert, who saw LaChapellehelp the Spartans go 13-9 on the hardwood this winter and earn a SWCL second-team All-Star honor. “It just shows how special of a kid and career he’s had to be honored with that award.”
Cementing a legacy at Uxbridge
While the various groups of T&G Hometeam All-Stars made their way out ofWorcester Wednesday night, Kellen LaChapelle and his family held court in one of the aisles at Hanover Theatre.
And grandpa was the one holding the proverbial gavel.
For the past two years, Ken LaChapelle watched his grandson (he now has 22 grandkids: 11 boys and 11 girls) lead Uxbridge to wins over Northbridge on Thanksgiving Day.
The original game plan, however, was for Kellen to play football for his granddad and the Rams. But, as Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
“That was the right call from Kellen’s standpoint,” Trevor LaChapelle said.
“I give him a lot of credit for sticking with Uxbridge and cementing a legacy,” Hippert said.
It is a legacy that won’t soon be forgotten around 300 Quaker Highway.
Kudos to Uxbridge’s Kellen LaChapelle: theT&G Hometeam Boys' Athlete of the Year.
“It’s something that’s truly well-deserved because he’s up there with as good of an athlete that I’ve coached and watched in high school,” his grandfather said. “It’s something as a family we can talk about for years to come.”
“I couldn’t be prouder,” his father said.
—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
