By Angie Ledbetter
Justin Lee graduated from South Panola High School in 2003 and recently returned home to teach Physical Education at Batesville Junior High.

The 28-year-old played wide receiver on the football team and his senior year they lost to Wayne County. His teammates include Rickey Wright, Javar Pollard, Mario Chapman and Derek Pegues was a sophomore that year.

Lee attended Jackson State University his freshman year but then went to Northwest Community College where he had to sit out for a year. Lee returned to Jackson State and graduated in 2010. During his remaining college years he did not play football.

The past three years Lee has worked at Quitman County Middle School in Marks. He was defensive coordinator for the junior high football team, worked with all skilled positions, boys and girls basketball and powerlifting.  He also coached receivers and special teams on varsity.  
“It grew on me and I learned to love it there,” he said. “I got a lot of experience there because I was new to coaching so it was a start.”

The last couple of years Lee has tried to get back to South Panola but with the administration going in different ways it was hard.

“At the end of the school year I had a lot of people helping me to get back here and at the end of June it was official.”

Lee returned to the football field where he once played, taking the place of coach Artee Smith who took the head coaching job at Pope School.

“It’s every coach’s dream to go back home so it’s been really exciting for me,” Lee said. “I’m glad to be here because it’s different, because it’s more laid back.”

Coming back home has its drawbacks in that people know you and all your nicknames. Lee had to get it straight with the players that he is “Coach Lee.”

“I have to tell them we’re not at home or church,” he said.

With the junior high, Lee coaches the quarterbacks and running backs on offense and on defense he coaches the defensive backs.

When comparing his days of playing at South Panola and now, Lee said it is a lot different and there are more opportunities.

“The equipment and stuff are different,” he said. “Of course we didn’t have turf and had to practice on the two fields.”

What he likes so far is how well the coaches have taken him in.

“Rumors are that coaches now don’t take to any of the players that actually went to school here but that’s not true,” Lee said. “They’ve actually shown me a lot of love. I was scared they’d just bring me over and let me sit around but they’ve put me to work at the junior high and varsity levels and I’m loving it.”

Lee is excited to come into a winning program.

“You have to be on your game,” he said. “A lot of people may think it’s easy but it’s not and I found out that it’s actually a lot harder to prepare and a lot of work.”              
                                                                                                                        
The greatest and maazing things to Lee about coming back home is he actually took the place of two people who played a big part of why he is in the profession now in coaches Robert Lightsey and Pete Robertson.

Married to Yolanda Lee, they have stepdaughter Alycia, 4, two sons Justin Jr., 2 and Jamieson, 1.