By Krystal Torres ’25
The Raider Press recently had the chance to sit down with seven Derby High School fall athletes and discuss their season. Cheerleading, football, and boy’s soccer athletes are highlighted below.
*Statistics are as of 9/30/23
Anastasia “Stash” Stanis ‘24 is one of the three cheerleading captains. Stanis has been cheering for 14 years. She started off as a “tiny mite” for Derby’s Pop Warner team. During her time on Pop Warner, she won an award for academics and leadership. She also won the Superior Sportsmanship Award in 2022 and was recently appointed to the Athletic Sportsmanship Council for the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference). Stanis’s favorite thing to do is stunting and she says her favorite memory was when her team won Regionals in 2022 because she won a ring. Stanis’s teammates would describe her as supportive and welcoming. She values everyone’s opinion and tries to make sure nobody ever feels left out. Stanis says she loves to meet the new freshmen because she’s able to build connections with them. She says this cheer season has to be one of the best years they’ve ever had for games. Derby High School’s athletic director Jennifer “Moff” Moffat says that Stanis has many leadership qualities and she is very hardworking. She says Stanis tries her best in everything she does and strives for perfection.
Lynnette Martinez ‘25 is also a cheerleader. Martinez started cheering when she was five years old and it has become a passion of hers since then. She started off as a tiny mite for Derby’s Pop Warner team and worked her way up. Martinez’s favorite skill is a twist basket or any tumbling pass. Her favorite memory is pyramid from when she did Pop Warner cheer as a Mighty Mite. Moffat says Martinez is athletically gifted. She says Martinez is “good at everything she does and she’s driven and determined.” She says Martinez is always working hard and tries her best to help others. Martinez also had a big role in developing the new DHS volleyball team. Even though she’s not on the team, this shows her commitment to Derby athletics. Moffat believes Martinez has a bright future ahead of her.
Jaylen Titus ‘25 is a varsity starter on the DHS football team. He is number nine and his positions are wide receiver and defensive back. He started playing when he was around nine years old, so he’s been playing for about six years. Titus is ranked 32nd in CT Division S and eighth in the Naugatuck Valley League Brass. He has a total of 41 receiving yards, six total points (one touchdown), and 13 tackles. Moffat says Titus is one of the highlights of the team. She says his height and length make him a playmaker. Moffat says that Titus’s long strides make him fast and “allows him to get passes players with ease.”
CJ Rouse ‘25, is a varsity football player and he is number 54. Rouse started playing when he was just seven years old because of his dad. However, he grew up in Maryland so he began his football journey there. He then moved to Connecticut when he was in sixth grade and stayed until ninth grade. For his sophomore year, he moved back to Maryland and did a lot of training there for football and played for a different team. Finally, for his junior year, he transferred back to DHS. Moffat says Rouse’s return made a huge impact on the team despite him being just a junior. She says he is very smart game-wise and a leader to both sides. He is ranked first in the state for tackles, second in NVL, fifth in class S, and 30th in the state. He has 32 total tackles, 17 solo and 15 assisted.
Nicholas “Nick” Sheridan ‘25 is one of the soccer captains, number zero and goalie. Sheridan has been playing since he was ten years old and says his biggest inspiration is Thibaut Courtois. Sheridan says he is very close with his teammates and thinks they’ve improved greatly from previous years. Sheridan says his least favorite thing is “When I tell people what to do and they don’t listen.” Moffat says Sheridan was the force behind growing the boy’s soccer team. She says he is hard working, determined, and he is a born leader with strong qualities.
These athletes are a huge part of DHS fall sports and are excited to see how their season plays out. So are the students and faculty at DHS!
The Raider Press 