Theo DeRosa has joined The Dispatch staff as high school sports reporter.
In his role, he will primarily cover high school sports in the Golden Triangle, but he also will assist with youth sports and enterprise stories. His first day was Aug. 27.
DeRosa, 21, is a Sacramento, California native. He graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in sports journalism and statistics from the University of Missouri. While in school, he covered high school sports, the Missouri Tigers baseball team and was assistant sports editor for the Columbia Missourian.
This summer, DeRosa completed a sports multi-platform editing internship with the Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald through the Dow Jones News Fund program.
“Covering high school sports is about more than just the action on the field or the court,” DeRosa said. “At the end of the day, it’s about people — building connections in the community and telling the stories of those who deserve to have their stories told. I intend to be the go-to person for news in high school athletics around Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, and I hope to be the one to tell in creative and entertaining ways the unique stories of the athletes, coaches and family members who create the high school sports community here in the Golden Triangle.”
Managing Editor Zack Plair said DeRosa has been a great fit for The Dispatch’s sports staff.
“Theo is so talented, and it’s very clear he cares about the quality of his work,” Plair said. “He’s someone I know will build relationships on his beat quickly, and bringing him on board rounds out a sports staff that I believe will regularly produce top-tier coverage for our readers.”
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