Linbert Cousley is a senior running back/outside linebacker with the Derby Red Raiders.
He took a few minutes to answer questions before tonight’s home game against Seymour.
ValleyIndy: What year are you?
Cousley: “Senior.”
ValleyIndy: What number are you?
Cousley: “My home jersey is #19. My away jersey is #10.”
ValleyIndy: Why are they different?
Cousley: “Because the seniors last year took their jerseys.”
ValleyIndy: What positions do you play?
Cousley: “I start alongside D’Ron Conyers at running back and outside linebacker on defense.”
ValleyIndy: What’s the new coaching staff like?
Cousley: “Our coaching staff is great. They stick by us and work hard to improve our season. They’re all behind us in everything we do so far.”
ValleyIndy: Does that include schoolwork?
Cousley: “Yeah, especially schoolwork.”
ValleyIndy: Is football and schoolwork hard to manage?
Cousley:
“Not really. The seniors have a lot of study periods due to our light schedules and we all have enough time to do our work. Our practices this year start at 4, so everyone has time to do their homework before practice.”
ValleyIndy: Take us through a typical week as a Derby scholar-athlete.
Cousley: “Well, in school, if it’s not on game day, I just focus on schoolwork. On game day, most of the teachers are lenient towards you. In practice, you always have to come out and practice intense. You have to come ready to practice every single day and every single week. Every game is a fight. We prepare for every game to be a fight.”
ValleyIndy: Do you feel it was a good move for Derby to be back in the NVL?
Cousley: “I feel it was a good move to be able to play old rivals and stuff but in my opinion, I feel like it never really made a difference. If we would have worked as hard last year as we worked this year, last year’s outcome would have been different. I think since we’re in the NVL, we have a chip on our shoulders because the newspapers and everybody says we’re not in this and we’re going to lose every game. We’ve been playing with a chip on our shoulder to prove everyone in the league and everyone in the state wrong.”
ValleyIndy: Would you rather play valley teams or SCC teams?
Cousley: “I would rather play Valley teams just cause you know who you’re playing. When you know you’re playing, you just give extra effort. When you know guys on the other team, it brings out the best in you because you know those people and you want to prove to them that you’re better than them. It’s about bragging rights.”
ValleyIndy: What’s it like being able to play Ansonia, Seymour, and Shelton all in the same year?
Cousley: “We know a lot of guys from Ansonia, Seymour, and Shelton. My senior year would be great to say I beat these three teams. It’s bragging rights, especially because we know everybody. When I’m 50 years old, I can walk around the Valley with my chest pumped-out.”
ValleyIndy: How would you compare the SCC vs. the NVL?
Cousley: “Well, I felt the SCC was a hard league because most schools are bigger and have more kids to choose athletes from. So far, the SCC is more competitive than the NVL, but anything can change. I’m not saying it just cause I’m from Derby, but if we were in SCC this year, we’d have the same outcome. This summer, we worked so much harder than we ever worked since I’ve been there. It’s just different this year. We’re looking to turn this program around.”
ValleyIndy: What game are you most looking forward to this season and why?
Cousley: “Ansonia. Just cause I know the kids on Ansonia. I’ve been talking about playing Ansonia since pop-warner. Things like, “What if I could ever play you again?”. Now we as a team have chance to prove something.”
ValleyIndy: What were your expectations coming into this season?
Cousley: “We just looked to prove everybody wrong. The St. Paul game hurt real bad. Losing by two points hurt real bad. We don’t want that same feeling of losing.”
ValleyIndy: What was the coach’s message coming into this season?
Cousley: “Our message as a team, including Coach Carm’s, was to turn this program around. We deserved to be in this league and it wasn’t just a move just to say we were no good in the SCC.”
ValleyIndy: After that opening-night loss to St. Paul, were you thinking, “Here we go again!”?
Cousley: “No. After we lost to St. Paul and how they pumped-up their D1 receiver, I felt in my mind that we weren’t going to lose again. Even though we lost, I felt we played so good. I felt like if we played that way every game, we wouldn’t lose again.”
ValleyIndy: How big was the Naugatuck win for your team?
Cousley: “That Naugatuck game was a step forward, a big step forward. Just listening to what everyone was saying and the newspaper, it was something that really helped our program out and showed the league that we’re here.”
ValleyIndy: What’s the atmosphere like around school right now?
Cousley: “Last year, we really didn’t have Derby pride but our last game in Naugatuck, people at school actually had Derby pride. Our dance team doesn’t go to the away games but the team found a way to get themselves to the game to show support. Our classmates care a lot and so does our teaching staff. Even new teachers this year go to our games. Basically, our last game, our whole teaching staff was there. It feels good to have the whole school behind us.”
ValleyIndy: What’s the rivalry like with Ansonia – pop-warner and HS?
Cousley: “Well, pop-warner was just … I never thought of it as a rivalry. I didn’t know what a rivalry was in pop-warner. I just knew I was playing against my friends and I wanted to win. But in high school, it’s more like a war. You can get punched in the mouth and run away or get punched in the mouth and fight back.”
ValleyIndy: Did you play against Montrell Dobbs in pop-warner?
Cousley: “Yeah.”
ValleyIndy: What was that like?
Cousley: “It was [laughs], just playing a game. Just someone we know. He was pretty much the team in pop-warner. I always played against him. I think he broke some records.”
ValleyIndy: What is the strength of this Derby team?
Cousley: “Defense. I just think we come to play on defense because we need to. And they say defense wins games.”
ValleyIndy: What’s it like playing next to the other go-to guys on that team this season?
Cousley: “I don’t really think we have go-to guys on this team. We’re more like a team. I don’t want anyone looking at our team like we only have one player. In my eyes, as a team, we have six running backs. Conyers, Tomczak, CJ, McCormick, Hendricks, and me.”
ValleyIndy: Do you think Roseland’s Pizza is the best around?
Cousley: “It’s a tie between Roseland’s and Vas’ Shelton.”
ValleyIndy: I’ve never been to Roseland’s, but I like Roma’s Brick Oven in Ansonia.
Cousley: “Well just try Roseland’s. It’s the best.”
