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JERREY ROBERTS

Chris Ladd of Belchertown was tough to stop on the ground and in the air. The senior was also tremendous on defense as he led the Orioles to a 9-3 season. Ladd has been named the Daily Hampshire Gazette Player of the Year for football.

Simply referring to Belchertown's Chris Ladd as a quarterback doesn't begin to tell the whole story of his ability as a football player.

Indeed, the senior did it all on the gridiron for the Orioles, leading them into the postseason for the second straight season following a four-year drought.

For all his exploits, Ladd has been named the Daily Hampshire Gazette Football Player of the Year for the 2011 season.

"All the hard work every day in practice definitely paid off," Ladd said. "But I couldn't have done it without my teammates. They were my inspiration to go out every day and work hard."

The Orioles fell a game shy of the Division 3 Super Bowl for the second straight season, losing to Lee 14-6 in the semifinals. They finished the season with a 9-3 record.

"The season went really well and we're happy and proud about what we accomplished," said Ladd. "We just wish we could've gone to the Super Bowl."

The signal caller accounted for over 2,500 combined yards in 12 games. He rushed for 1,319 yards on 233 attempts, an average of 5.7 per carry.

He passed for 1,198 more, completing 88-of-170 pass attempts (52 percent). Ladd's the only quarterback in the area to have surpassed 1,000 yards in both categories.

"I've never thought I'd be so productive, but my success came from practicing hard and having determination on the field," Ladd said. "I never let any off-field things or any stats get in the way of winning games and being the best player I could be."

Ladd not only led drives, but many times finished them off. He had a part in 32 touchdowns on the season, nearly three per game. He ran for 20 scores, threw for 11 more, and returned an interception for a score.

And despite handling the ball on every offensive play, Ladd threw just five interceptions and turned it over only a handful of other occasions.

"You can make a very strong case that Chris was the most valuable player to his team in western Mass., when you also factor in his impact on defense and special teams," Belchertown coach John Mayo said. "And as quarterback, he did so much out there for us, including reading defenses and deciding which play to run."

Mayo said unequivocally that Ladd is the best player he's coached in 30 years.

"His football IQ is so high, and his memory is tremendous, which is huge at the high school level," said Mayo. "You put his physical ability with his mental ability, you have pretty much the ideal player."

Over his three-year career as a starter, Ladd accounted for 74 total touchdowns, and he went over 6,000 career yards in the playoff game against Lee. In his three seasons, Ladd tossed for 3,740 yards and rushed for 2,308 more.

His passing totals decreased a bit over the past two seasons, but Ladd's rushing exploits exploded in 2011 with about 500 more yards on the ground.

"I wouldn't say we ran more often, but we were better at it," he said. "It all starts with the offensive line, which played great for us. If they blocked well, we ran more. If not, we moved on to the passing game."

Out of the Orioles' shotgun spread formation, Ladd ran the zone option or the draw, and even under center he was a threat with the sneak. And no matter where the ball was spotted, the end zone was under attack, as Ladd proved to be a home-run hitter as well as a virtual sure thing on the goal line.

"We knew we just had to give him a little block, and he was gone," fellow captain and lineman Zach Lebeau said. "In my mind, he's the best player in western Mass."

Even when Ladd made the rare mistake, it didn't affect him from possession-to-possession or from game-to-game.

After throwing a pair of interceptions in an October loss at Commerce, the Orioles' first setback of the season, Ladd responded the next week with 267 total yards and four touchdowns in a key victory over Mahar.

"If I threw a pick here or there, I'd get upset, but I just moved on to the next play," Ladd said. "Same thing week-to-week, all you could do was move forward. I always tried to keep calm on the field, both to keep my teammates up and also not to give the other team motivation."

Ladd was also a significant contributor on defense and special teams. As a playmaking linebacker and defensive back, he made roughly 60 total tackles with three sacks and three interceptions in limited action on that side of the ball.

In the win over Mahar, he forced a red-zone fumble to thwart a Senators' scoring chance, then sealed the victory with a 76-yard interception return for a score.

"The number of big plays he made for us on defense is incredible," Mayo said. "He's such a good all-around athlete. Chris played all over - outside linebacker, safety, cornerback. He punted really well, too, which is very important as this level."

Ladd boomed a 53-yard punt in the playoff game, just one of a number of 50-plus yarders. Throughout the season, he pinned opponents deep with his punting.

Then there's his capacity as a leader and a captain. Ladd wasn't boisterous on the field, but his work ethic clearly rubbed off on the rest of the team.

"I led vocally when I had to," he said. "Sometimes I had to take charge in the huddle, but that's more of a senior mentality as much as a captain mentality. In my last year, I wanted everyone focused on winning."

Mayo said, "His teammates all respect him a great deal, because of his ability and that he worked his tail off."

Ladd doesn't plan on playing football in his freshman year of college, but hasn't ruled out trying to walk on to a team later in his collegiate career.

"It's been really fun to coach him and just watch him play over four years," Mayo said. "I wish we could keep him for four more, or at least one more."

Michael Wilkinson can be reached at mwilkinson@gazettenet.com.