AMHERST — The winningest football coach in state history stands between Amherst Regional and a Super Bowl appearance at Gillette Stadium.
The Hurricanes will face Central Massachusetts champion Northbridge in the Division 5 state semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday at Westfield State. Ken LaChapelle has guided the Rams to 368 victories since 1976, including the 2015 state championship.
The Hurricanes captured the Western Massachusetts championship for the first time under the current format by beating West Springfield on Nov. 17, their first regional championship since 1999.
“I think it’s fun that we haven’t been in this situation before,” Amherst coach Chris Ehorn Jr. said. “They’re seeing the rewards of the work they’re putting in.”
Despite Northbridge’s historical success – the team began play in 1896 – the Rams overcame immediate and season-long adversity to reach the final four. They started 1-3. Northbridge (6-4) was .500 after the regular season and the third seed in the Central Mass. tournament. After upsetting No. 2 South High in the sectional semifinals, the Rams trailed top-seeded Oakmont by 14 in the final before putting up 35 unanswered to win the sectional championship.
“It shows nothing gets them down. They’re mentally strong,” Ehorn said. “They have our full attention.”
Amherst (10-0), conversely, is on a roll. The Hurricanes completed their first undefeated regular season since 1959 and are outscoring opponents by 31.5 points per game. They scored the first five touchdowns in the Western Mass. final to put West Springfield away.
“We don’t want to let it get to our heads. This is a Central Mass. team we’ve never played before,” Amherst senior lineman Jack Nagy said. “We’ve just got to stay focused and maintain what we’ve been doing.”
Northbridge will bring an element Amherst hasn’t seen before: beef. The Rams’ offensive and defensive lines are huge and skilled.
“Their line is very good, probably the best we’ve seen all year,” Nagy said. “Games are always won in the trenches, but this one especially so.”
Many teams employ similar players on both lines, but Amherst has tried to avoid that this year to keep their players fresh. The Hurricanes will still rotate Nagy and other players in on key defensive downs, but on most plays a young group including Landen Worgess, Gabe Kabidi and Nolan Klaes will carry the load.
“Our D-line needs to be able to take the punishment that an O-line gives them,” Ehorn said. “We’ve got some big guys, but they need to be able to elevate their level of play against a line like this. We need to be disciplined in what we’re doing.”
Amherst’s primary defensive responsibility will be slowing down Northbridge quarterback Aidan Fair, who ran for a touchdown, threw a touchdown and returned an interception for a touchdown against Oakmont. Fair filled in for injured quarterback Ryan Boyce during the final after the starter went out with a concussion during the semifinal. He previously played quarterback as a sophomore but switched to wide receiver after shoulder injuries.
”The quarterback’s really good and they have a good quarterback keeper play the same as West Springfield had,” Ehorn said. “We’ve got to be disciplined in our coverage and what we’re doing because that quarterback’s going to be a challenge.”
Amherst will answer with its stable of rangy linebackers led by Josh Vecchio, Dan Block and JJ Block. The Hurricanes’ defense posted three shutouts during the regular season and only allowed double-digit points twice.
“We’ve got to be smart, and we’ve got to be aggressive, more aggressive than we’ve been all year,” JJ Block said. “We can’t get above our heads. We’ve only had one game where we got hit in the mouth (against East Longmeadow) and we weren’t ready for it. We have to prepare.”
Being mentally ready for the game is as important as physically prepared for the Hurricanes. This is a completely new stage for them with a championship berth on the line.
“We try not to make it bigger than it is because the goal is to win a state championship, not just win a Western Mass. championship or go to Gillette Stadium,” Nagy said. “It’s to go all the way.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.