| Northbridge | 61 |
|---|---|
| Clinton | 21 |
NORTHBRIDGE — History was in the air on Friday night at Lasell Field as Northbridge, the defending Division 5 Central champs, raced past Clinton, 61-21, in the first round of the playoffs.
Rams coach Ken LaChapelle notched his 324th victory to become the winningest coach in state history, passing Armond Colombo who coached at Archbishop Williams and Brockton from 1968-2003.
The ecstatic home crowd formed a walkway from the field to the gymnasium after the game, chanting “324” as they awaited LaChapelle.
Family, players, and friends gathered in the gym to honor the legendary coach and his team. But not before the entire Clinton squad posed for a picture with LaChapelle.
The coach seemed relieved to put the record behind him.
“I am just glad its over,” LaChapelle said. “It is amazing that in this country we give all the credit to the coaches when in reality all we do is sit on the sideline, yell, and make faces.”
LaChapelle has coached at Northbridge his entire career, making him the only coach in state history to win 300 games at one school.
Nantucket’s Vito Capizzo (1964-2008) and Lincoln-Sudbury’s Tom Lopez (1978-present) are the only other coaches in the top ten in wins to coach at one school throughout their career.
LaChapelle, who was the Rams’ starting quarterback from 1963-65, took over as coach in 1976 and has orchestrated one of the most incredible runs in state history. In his 39 years at the helm, the Rams have only suffered three losing seasons. During the stretch, Northbridge has won nine Super Bowls and appeared in 16, including a 28-0 loss to Bishop Fenwick in the inaugural Division 5 state championship at Gillette Stadium last season.
Northbridge principal Michael Gauthier, who started at quarterback for the Rams in 1982 and 1983, says LaChapelle’s intensity hasn’t changed a bit. The coach prefers to score as fast as possible rather than grind out long, time consuming drives, which makes his spread offense a perfect match for his impatient personality.
The Rams (8-0) scored early and often Friday night. LaChapelle’s grandson, Koby Schofer, was 13 for 16 with 261 yards and two touchdowns through the air and racked up 101 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Schofer also took a kickoff 77 yards for a score to open the second half and extend the lead to 47-14.
Top-seeded Northbridge hosts fifth-seeded Tyngsboro (7-1) next week in the Division 5 Central semifinals. Tyngsboro beat fourth-seeded Lunenburg, 28-7, on Friday to advance.
Follow Ryan Leger on Twitter @ryanrleger.