Derrick Jones played varsity basketball and baseball for three years at Bennett. In football, he was a starting receiver for two years. As good as he was in football he was even better in baseball; starring as a leadoff hitter and center fielder. He had the perfect blend of speed, batting and fielding skills. In 1981 Derrick reached the pinnacle of his baseball achievements by making All High and All Western New York in baseball. Derrick was a huge reason for the Bennett Tigers winning the Cornell Cup with a perfect record of 14 wins and 0 losses. In the Section VI Baseball Championships Bennett won its first game over Williamsville South. Unfortunately, they suffered their first loss of the year in the semifinals in the Sectional Championships to Tonawanda High School.
Derrick’s career individual highlight was achieving the highest batting average in WNY in 1981 with an amazing .737 average for the season. His incredible season gave him the distinction of being the first Bennett High School player to ever be named ALL WNY in baseball.