(Photo by Shelley Hanson) Valley High School standout athlete Gavin Derby on Feb. 5 signs to run track at West Liberty University. Shown with him are his family members, mother Adrienne Ware, sister Elynn and father Jeff Derby. His school held a pep rally to celebrate the occasion.

PINE GROVE – Valley High School student-athlete Gavin Derby signed a commitment to run track at West Liberty University during a ceremony held Feb. 5 at the school.

Derby, 17, is a senior at Valley High School. In addition to track, he is also a standout athlete for the football and basketball teams at Valley.

He is the son of Adrienne Ware and Jeff Derby. He is also brother to Elynn, 15, and Maverik, 6.

“They have a great coach (Jason Falvo) up there who kept reaching out to me,” Derby said of his decision to attend WLU.

“I went up there and visited and it was really nice. I’m not just there for the sports, but I really like the school, the academics part as well,” he said.

Derby said he plans to study nursing at West Liberty and eventually study to become a physician assistant.

Regarding his track goals at WLU, Derby said he hopes to one day break records in the 200 meter races.

“I never knew that I was going to get a scholarship, but I knew I was going to work my butt off,” he said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Derby said his scholarship money will be based on his times for certain races. For example, if he runs races under certain amounts of times he will receive differing amounts of scholarship money. The faster he runs, the more money he will be awarded, he said.

In addition to playing sports, Derby is also certified to officiate middle school basketball games this year.

“I really enjoy that a lot,” he added.

Derby’s grandmother, aka Mimi, Debbie Robinson, was on hand for the event as well.

“I couldn’t be prouder. It’s pretty awesome,” she said. “He’s been a runner since he’s been able to walk, and was shooting basketball as soon as he could hold a ball. He’s a natural.”

Robinson said she hopes to attend as many of Derby’s meets as possible.

Jeff Derby, who is also a teacher at Valley High School, said he is proud of his son’s achievement.

“He’s worked hard his whole life in sports and academics both,” Jeff Derby said. “I’ve been coaching him in football and basketball since he was 5 years old. He’s had to put up with me in both aspects – dad and coach and teacher. … We’re all excited for him.”

Ware, who is also Derby’s track coach, said she is proud of her son.

“I’m super excited for him,” Ware said. “This is something he’s always wanted. He loves football. He loves basketball, but he’s been running since he was 10 months old. It doesn’t surprise me that this is the direction he’s chosen to go in. He chased everything. He raced everything. I had to time him on everything since he’s been walking. I knew this was a choice that was easy to make.”

Ware said though she might not officially be his coach when goes off to college, she will still be cheering for him on the sidelines.

“Oh, I’ll still be coaching him. It might just be from the bleachers. I’m sure he can still hear me in there,” she said of his mind. “I’m excited and proud of him. I’m excited to see what this next chapter looks like for him.”

Derby has enjoyed having his mom be his track coach.

“At meets and practices she’s a coach – she does not act like a mom. When practice and meets are over, she’s a mom again,” he said.

Derby will begin attending WLU this coming fall.

On Feb. 6, Jason Falvo, head coach for WLU Cross Country/Track and Field, said he was looking forward to coaching Derby.

“I could not be more excited to have Gavin with us here at West Liberty,” Falvo said. “He is a high character individual that has a passion to succeed on the track and in the classroom.

“Gavin is exactly what we are looking for on the Hilltop. I am excited to work with him over the next four years.”

Derby is class president and a member of the National Honor Society. Regarding football, he was first all state and holds the all-time record for rushing yards, passing yards and total touchdowns. In basketball, last he got honorable mention all-state and he is the all-time leading scorer. Regarding track, he holds the record for the 200 meter dash.