Derek Pegues

He started at Cornerback for the South Panola Tigers his sophomore season which saw the team go 14-1 with their only loss coming against Wayne County High School in the MHSAA Class 5A State Championship game, by a score of 21-14.

As a junior, Pegues was moved to Quarterback to replace departed starter Rickey Wright, who had signed a letter of intent to play football at Mississippi State.

In his first season at the helm of the Tigers' offense as a junior (2003), Pegues guided the team to a 15-0 record, the Class 5A State Championship and a #9 national ranking from USA Today.

Pegues received First-Team All-State recognition from the Clarion-Ledger newspaper along with teammates Jamarca Sanford and Peria Jerry, who went on to standout college careers at the University of Mississippi and played in the NFL.

He was instrumental in the Tigers' 39-21 State Championship Game victory over Ocean Springs High School as he rushed for 244 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Pegues, a member of the West squad, was one of three Mississippians who played in the game, the most ever in the same year (the other two were Jerrell Powe, a former Ole Miss signee, and Josh McNeil, currently the starting Center for the Tennessee Volunteers).

Powe, McNeil and Pegues joined a star-studded West line-up, including names like Travis Beckum, Jamaal Charles, DeSean Jackson, Rey Maualuga, Ryan Perriloux, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Sanchez, Reggie Smith and Jonathan Stewart, helping the West claim the victory, 35-3.

[3] He was again joined by his fellow Mississippi teammates from the Army Game, Wayne County's Jerrell Powe and Collins High's Josh McNeil, as well as Brookhaven's Jimmy Johns, an Alabama signee who had beaten Pegues for the "Mr. Football" award annually bestowed upon the State's best player.

Returned 27 punts for an average of 9.9 yards, including a long of 75, which resulted in a touchdown that tied the 2007 Egg Bowl in the fourth quarter, allowing MSU to win the game on a last-second field goal.

He intercepted two passes on his way to an MVP performance in the 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl that helped his team win a defensive struggle over UCF by a score of 10-3.