CHS senior athletes bound for college

Eight student-athletes from Caroline High School were honored in May on  Senior Day. During the ceremony in the library, they announced their plans to continue in the classroom and on the playing field at a variety of colleges and universities.
A.J. Derricott, one of Caroline basketball’s dominant players this year, will be extending his athletic prowess at Eastern Mennonite University, where he will be playing at the NCAA level while majoring in computer science.  No stranger to hard work, he has excelled both on and off the court, winning a number of awards and recognitions.  This year has been a culmination of three years of playing basketball for Derricott, who earned second team all-conference and all-academic honors for Conference 20. CHS fans have shown their support by voting him “Athlete of the Year” for 2014, but  Derricott’s interest goes beyond basketball. As a student in the culinary arts program at Caroline High School, he placed third in baking at the FCCLA Culinary Arts competition.
Christian Gaylord, a hard-hitting linebacker for the Caroline varsity football team, will be taking his football skills to Fairmont State University in Fairmont, W.Va. this fall to play on the NCAA level. Gaylord plans to study criminal justice at Fairmont. His mother commented, “Fairmont really laid out the red carpet for us when we visited there.”
Ryan Hickman will be attending Randolph Macon College in Ashland beginning next fall. There he will continue his baseball career, playing catcher on the NCAA level. Last year for the Cavaliers, he was chosen on the second team all-conference for Conference 20 in baseball. Caroline has had the good fortune to have him playing baseball for the last four years, one year on JV and three years on the varsity team. Having played ball since the age of six, Hickman stated he made his commitment to Macon last December and is looking forward to the many opportunities he will have in Division III athletics. In addition to playing on the varsity golf team for two years, Hickman has carried a 3.4 GPA at Caroline and looks forward to the challenge of academics at Randolph Macon, majoring in biology.
Kyaer Lee will be attending Bridgewater College in the Shenandoah Valley this fall to continue his football and academic careers. Lee attributes his success in both sports and his studies to the encouragement of his mother and his grandmother, who pushed him to make the most of high school over the last four years. The influence of these loved ones in his life has given him vision to do more than just play football and earn a degree. Lee stated he feels a call to be someone who will make a difference in life, wherever it takes him.
Mark Perry Loving II is the son of Mark Loving of Central Point and LaWanda Bailey Loving of Woodford. Mark has excelled in both academics and sports while at Caroline High School. He has maintained a 3.75 GPA throughout school as well as playing basketball year-round.  “Dr. Dunk” has developed the reputation of being one who plays intelligently when on the court, keeping a good eye out for defensive positioning in addition to his offensive ball handling skills. Senior awards include Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Art, Excellence in Advanced Spanish, and the High Standard of Excellence for being a member of the Men of Valor. Loving is very active in his church, working with youth as a leader. Loving will be attending Eastern Mennonite University this fall to play basketball and study kinesiology. Eastern Mennonite has awarded him $52,000 in scholarship money over the next four years.
Jazmen Moore has committed to Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. She will be majoring in biology and studying to become a veterinarian. She is the recipient of a $60,000 scholarship and will also play basketball for Allegheny. Moore comes from a family of basketball players. Her parents, Carroll (Buzz) and Crystal Moore, and older brother, Jaron Moore, all played for Caroline High School. Moore attributes her skills as a point guard and three-point shooter to her mom, who also played as a point guard and held the CHS three-point record in the 1990s.
Dylan Roberts, a four-year varsity football offensive lineman, has been playing football since the eighth grade. Roberts was named to the All-Conference and All-District teams. He also achieved the coveted Army Athletic and Academic Achievement Award. Attending Christopher Newport University this fall, Roberts plans to continue his football career and major in computer engineering. His uncle, Eddie Young, commented, “Although signing day is a great accomplishment, I am more proud of the well-rounded young man that Dylan has become and today is a testament of that.”
Joel Tidman is headed to NCAA Division III Emory and Henry College in Emory, Va., where he plans to study athletic training as an undergraduate and play for the men’s soccer team. Tidman graduated from the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School in addition to CHS. He primarily played central defender and striker for the Cavalier soccer team. Not only did Tidman start on varsity all four years of his high school eligibility, but for the last two years he was captain of the team. Last year he was named an All Conference 20 player, second team all region, and honorable mention all area. Over the past several years Tidman also played travel soccer for FSCI-Phoenix and has also been an ODP regional player.
The Caroline Progress congratulates these outstanding student-athletes.