Chiavelli savoring every moment of being a part of Nashua South football

Derek Chiavelli has been on a mission ever since he started playing football.

That mission helped him become a two-year starter on offense and defense for the Nashua High School South football team, and this year, as a senior, it landed him a spot on the Division I All-West Conference defensive first team.

And Wednesday night against Nashua North, Chiavelli will have one more chance to repeat that mission while wearing his South uniform.

"My first year of football was eighth grade and the first thing I ever tried was defensive end," Chiavelli said. "I loved going after the guy with the ball. It’s the first thing I ever learned in football and I carried that on into high school."

Chiavelli and the Panthers (7-3) will finish up the 2017 season against the Titans (5-4) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Stellos Stadium in the annual Turkey Bowl.

This will be the second year in a row the game is played the night before Thanksgiving. For Chiavelli, the most exciting part is getting to take the field one more time with his fellow seniors.

"We had so much fun together this year, and when I look back on this year, I’m going to think that was just a great group of guys," he said. "Those are guys I’m going to want at my wedding someday, I’m just so close to them. Being together and figuring it out, that might be the most exiting thing I remember most."

South thought it had things figured out going into the season, but an 0-2 start nearly derailed a year that began with high expectations. Chiavelli credited the unity this year's team built in the offseason with the Panthers' success at turning the season around, as South won seven games in a row and reached the quarterfinals.

"We tried in the offseason to do a bunch of stuff as a team," he said. "I thought we had a really good offseason. When we started off 0-2, it was really tough. It really all started in practice. We didn’t practice well the first two weeks, so we didn’t play well in the game. We played better in practice and then it just started clicking. Once we got on a roll, we just kept going."

After seeing Chiavelli help lead the team through the offseason, coach Scott Knight hoped the senior would end up being elected a captain for this year, and his wish came true.

"I thought he should be based on what he’s done and what he’d done in the offseason," Knight said. "He’s always where he’s supposed to be. He never misses a practice. The kid is a rock.

"He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s playing really well for us. He’s first team all-conference on defense. He leads the team in sacks and quarterback pressures, and also plays on offense and does a good job over there. He’s just a great kid."

As a sophomore, Chiavelli put himself on the coach's radar during what turned into a rough season for South. Chiavelli got a lot of playing time on defense, and by the end of the year, had cemented his position the defensive line.

"He came on late in the year (as a sophomore)," Knight said. "He really just worked his tail off and played both ways last year. He played really well, had a good season on defense last year, and this year, he has been a star."

Chiavelli hopes that success will carry over throughout the rest of the year, as he also participates in track and plays lacrosse in the spring. With a handful of football teammates also on the South lacrosse team, Chiavelli looks forward to having those bonds that were created during the summer and the fall remain during the spring season.

"A lot of these guys play lacrosse, too," he said. "If you’re not going to be a professional athlete, you might as well be the best all-around athlete that you can. That’s how I always felt. I’m not going to the NFL, so I want to have fun in high school, so I’m going to play as many sports as I can. It’s more time I get to spend with those guys."