The Carencro Golden Bears tight end Chad Dupuis Jr. compares himself to Goku when he takes the field on Friday nights.
“He’s that dude who always wants to get better,” Dupuis Jr. said. “When he goes against a good opponent, he gets even more excited no matter how strong they are. He likes to have fun and compete.”
Dupuis Jr. grew up watching anime and cartoons instead of college football and the NFL. It wasn’t until his neighborhood friend introduced him to football that Dupuis Jr. found out he loved playing the game.
“I decided I wanted to play football because it seemed fun and I love hitting people,” Dupuis Jr. said. “That’s how I really got started playing football.”
It took Dupuis Jr. a couple of seasons to be the Golden Bears tight end. Starting off as a linebacker and on special teams, Dupuis Jr. said his best fit on the field is when he can make plays.
“When I’m trying to make a play, that’s when I’m at my angriest,” Dupuis Jr. said. “There are times where I become so angry that I forget about everything around me. I think that’s where my best is at.”
Now he has a lot of opportunities to make plays as the tight end for a high-powered Golden Bears offense that made the 2019 high school football postseason with an 8-2 overall record.
Dupuis Jr. said that this Carencro team is different from years past.
“We’re more of a family. We have each others’ backs and we’re here for the brothers next to us,” Dupuis Jr. said.
It was also about breaking previous bad habits like lack of effort and everyone doing their own thing, according to the senior tight end.
But he isn’t focused on the negative aspects surrounding his high school, as Dupuis Jr. always believed it would get better at Carencro.
“I heard friends and family tell me Carencro is not a good school and to go to Acadiana,” Dupuis Jr. said. “But I was like ‘Let’s try this out.’ I like the challenge. I think no matter the situation things can always get better.”
Dupuis Jr. finds himself in a better situation, even joining mock trial to replace his love of wrestling. Despite growing up watching cartoons or being a self-proclaimed “super nerd,” Dupuis Jr. is in a three-way tie for what he wants to do with his future: an engineer, a lawyer and a football coach.
“I started doing mock trial when I found out I couldn’t wrestle anymore,” Dupuis Jr. said. “I’m also really good at math. I always thought I would be an engineer. And I wanted to be a football coach to inspire other young athletes to do the right thing.”
Don’t worry. Dupuis Jr. still watches cartoons and he dreams of creating his own show one day.
“I think that would be a fun thing to do,” Dupuis Jr. “Make characters and make random superpowers, I think that would be fun. I’d actually do that.”
The cartoons are on hold for the moment as the Carencro Golden Bears take on Salem in their first postseason game and Dupuis Jr.’s positive attitude has certainly motivated the team to make it to this point.