This previously ran in our February 2023 print issue.

For most athletes, finding success and recognition in the sport they play isn’t easy. For senior Dylan Darville, succeeding and excelling at his athletic endeavors is second nature.

Darville committed to Yale to play Division I football as a defensive back for the Bulldogs. Standing at 6’1 and weighing 180 pounds, his presence on the gridiron can certainly be seen and felt. 

Last season proved to be monumental for Darville as both a wide receiver and a defensive back. Racking in an impressive 58 receptions for 1,031 yards and 12 touchdowns within 12 games, Darville was a key offensive player for the Hornets in their impressive 10-2 record run. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Darville was just as influential, accumulating 27 tackles, five interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns. Darville played for the Hornets for three seasons, two years on varsity and one on junior varsity.

As a player, Darville is calm and collected. For his pre-game warmup, he makes it a priority to clear his mind and go home to see his family. His mother is especially important for his preparation before his games.

“I always go home first. And I see my mom and I talk to my mom for a little bit. And she usually makes me a little bit of food…like chicken and salad,” Darville said. “Sometimes if I’m really tired, I’ll take a 30-minute nap, but usually I’ll just get my stuff. Come to the high school. I meditate before games, so I’ll find a quiet space, usually here [the high school] or on the bus, and I meditate for 10 minutes. And that’s like my kind of my thing and it works for me.”

This season, Darville obtained recognition throughout the state. His athletic talents on the field landed him a spot on the Pennsylvania all-state team, a list of all the star football players from Pennsylvania for the season. Darville took the field as both a wide receiver and a defensive back. 

Although seemingly invincible, the strenuous recruitment process combined with the pressures of committing to a school has made the star athlete’s world a lot more stressful. Amidst juggling all of the games and classes going on in his life, Darville has had to devote a lot of time and energy to talking with scouts and putting himself out there.

“Yeah, It’s been stressful actually. All of it kind of came late for me. Most people get their offers like their junior year, sometimes sophomore or freshman. But mine all came after my last regular season game, which is pretty rare,” Darville said. “So it’s all kind of been happening in the past like, month or two. So every day it’s like three or four phone calls and texting people and zooms and visits and all that so it’s been stressful.”

His hard work paid off though with Darville, receiving a total of 11 offers with ten of them being D1 to play football at the collegiate level. The impressive amount of offers has led Darville all over the East Coast on visits to schools every weekend for the past few months. He’s visited and gotten offers from some of the country’s most prestigious universities like the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, and his future home: Yale.

While playing football at Yale, Darville plans on pursuing a degree in computer science to become a software engineer.

His athletic career doesn’t end with football. Along with his dominance on the field, he is also involved on the court as a point guard for the Emmaus boys basketball team.

Darville has more athletic experience in basketball, being a part of the team for all four years of his high school journey compared to only three years on the football team.  

Making the team as a freshman, Darville began his first season playing for the junior varsity team. Things took a turn for the worse during his sophomore year when he was sidelined for the entire season due to an injury. Luckily in the past two years, he’s made a full comeback, playing for the varsity team in both his junior and now senior year.

Sports have been a part of Darville’s life ever since he was a little kid. Growing up, he played many different sports and has always been super competitive.

“I played everything: soccer, baseball, football, basketball,” Darville said. “I hated losing. In football, I was kind of cutthroat.”

Darville’s ability to excel in athletics can also be contributed to the fact that he comes from a family full of athletes. Within his family, his older brother played baseball for Emmaus and went on to play at the collegiate level. His mother ran track and played softball in high school and his father ran track in college. He credits his father as his biggest source of inspiration.

“[My biggest role model is] my dad,” Darville said. “He grew up in the Bahamas and he got a full ride to Lehigh on an academic scholarship. [He was a] walk on for track there. Studied electrical engineering and he got a job at Lutron. He’s worked there ever since.”

Outside of football and basketball, Darville likes to go disc golfing at a local course.

“I like to disc golf. [I go disc golfing at] Camp Olympic. They have a nice disc golf course actually,” Darville said. “I’m okay. Above average. Not like professional or anything like that, but I think I’m pretty good.”

Along with his passion for disc golfing, Darville likes to watch movies. His favorite Disney princess movie is Tangled and his favorite snack is popcorn. Unfortunately for Darville, he is allergic to cats, dogs, dust, and some trees. Regardless of his allergies, Darville has a labradoodle named Zeus.

A star athlete, a great friend to many, and a hard-working student, it’s safe to say that Darville has a bright future ahead of him at Yale. As the 2022-23 school year come to an end, students will look back on many different things: the new changes at the school, the return of the deli bar, and many more, but when students think about sports, Darville’s amazing efforts on both the court and the field will certainly come to mind for many.