This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/16/2016 11:00 PMGoing back as far as he can remember, Jay Dering has always desired to get out on the gridiron. Jay knew how much his dad had loved playing football and he wanted to live that same experience himself. When he entered the 4th grade, it was finally Jay’s time to play tackle football in Branford.
“I was so happy I could go put on pads and play football. We never had a really great season during youth, but I still couldn’t wait until football season started,” Jay says. “To me, there’s nothing else in the world like football, nothing else that can replicate the emotions you get from playing. My dad played and loved it and I wanted to carry on in his footsteps.”
Jay, who is now a senior, played for Branford Youth Football throughout his childhood and was excited to compete for the Hornets when he got to high school. Jay started practicing with the varsity team as a sophomore and he’s been a starter ever since. Although his main position is strong safety, Jay also plays wingback, fullback, and handles the kicking duties.
“I like strong safety because you can make plays all over the field,” says Jay. “Our kicker tore his ACL before the season, so I’m the kicker now, too.”
The Hornets started the 2016 season with two wins, but they’ve recently taken a few defeats. Heading into the final game of the campaign—the annual Thanksgiving Day contest against rival East Haven—Jay and his teammates are looking to finish with a win to end the season even at 5-5.
“We want our seniors go out with a win,” says Jay. “With the Thanksgiving Day game against East Haven, it’s a completely different game. All of the records, all of the stats go out the window and it’s about who has more heart and who wants it more. We’ve got a lot of potential.”
This year, the Hornets are traveling to East Haven on Thanksgiving. Last fall, Branford won the game 10-7 to prevent the Yellowjackets from making the State Playoffs. The victory marked one of Jay’s favorite moments wearing a Hornets’ uniform.
“When we beat East Haven, everyone stormed the field,” says Jay. “It felt so great that everyone was so happy because we’d achieved something as a team and people were celebrating.”
Another one of Jay’s best memories came this year when Branford hosted Amity on Oct. 21. Late in the game, Amity scored a touchdown to pull within one at 28-27. The Spartans went for a 2-point conversion and the win, but Jay came up with a big tackle, and the Hornets’ held on for the victory.
Jay credits Head Coach John Limone for supporting him throughout his high school career, noting that Limone “has always been there” and encourages his players. This season, Jay has played a big leadership role for Limone’s squad as one of the Hornets’ senior captains.
“Coach Limone is a good leader and has helped me along the way through tough times and good times,” says Jay. “As captain, I like being a bigger role model to the other guys and leading them to make them better players.”
Limone appreciates the versatility that Jay displays while lining up at several spots on the field and how he does so while always putting his team first.
“Over his career, he has played almost every offensive and defensive skill position and has never complained. Jay has quietly become one of our very best players. He’s done it so quietly in fact that not a lot of people really notice how good he is until he’s not in the game,” says Limone. “He has become a tremendous leader and has been able to balance great humility with great passion. He is one of those guys that will be sorely missed. He is not a guy who has compiled mind-blowing numbers. He is just simply a football player—a really good one.”
It’s hard for Jay to believe that this is his final season playing football with his Hornets’ teammates, saying that “it goes by fast.” Although Jay isn’t planning on continuing at the collegiate level, he hopes to one day come back to Branford as a coach.
Even though his Hornets’ football career is coming to an end, Jay still has one more season left competing at the high school with the boys’ lacrosse team this spring. Jay has been playing lacrosse since the 4th grade and saw a bit of varsity time in his first two years before becoming a varsity regular in the midfield as a junior.
“One of our goals is always to make the State Tournament and see how far we can make a run,” says Jay. “I like midfield because you can play offense and defense and I can go and stop someone and then try to score a goal. [Head Coach Jim May] has been a big influence and is always pushing me and the guys to do better.”
In addition to thanking his coaches and teammates for their guidance, Jay notes how his family also gives him a strong support system.
“My dad and I have a really close bond and he’s a role model that I look up to,” says Jay, who is an honors student and CAPT Scholar. “My sister and mom have always been big supporters of the sports I play and always encourage me to do my best.”
Jay’s dad, who is a superintendent for a construction company, has additionally influenced Jay’s career path as he plans to study construction management. Jay is looking at the University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, and Keene State College.
For now, though, Jay is concentrating on his senior year at Branford High School and wants to make sure that he and his senior teammates finish their time on the gridiron with a bang.
“It’s weird that this is it and these are the last times I’ll play football with these guys,” says Jay. “I’ll miss football and seeing my friends every day at school.”