Three Person High School senior student/athletes signed letters of intent on National Signing Day to further both their academic and athletic careers Wednesday at the high school.

Jeremy Peed will attend the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Va. to play baseball. Willie Pettiford will play football at North Carolina A & T in Greensboro and Craig Reid will join the fledgling Campbell University football program in Buies Creek next fall.

They each had one common reason for choosing the schools they did — a realistic chance to play right away and not have to spend significant time on the bench before getting an opportunity.

Peed, an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference outfielder and pitcher for the Rockets, said he was approached by VMI officials last summer while playing showcase ball.

“They said I’d have a shot at starting as a freshman, so that was a big reason for my decision,” he said.

The Division I VMI Keydet team under coach Marlin Ikenberry has gone 114-106 over the past four years and has set school records for wins over the past three campaigns. The Keydets play in the Big South Conference and finished 34-21 overall and 10-11 in the league last year, good for fourth place.

Wins over national powerhouses such as third-ranked Virginia and 10th ranked Auburn last season added to the program’s optimism for the future, an optimism that has rubbed off on Peed, who was also named to the All-PAC-6 football team as a tight end in 2007.

“I was very impressed with the facilities when I visited the campus,” he said. “The program’s really coming along well.”

Rocket head baseball coach Steve Evans said Peed has always had an impeccable work ethic.

“He’s consistently been one of the hardest working players I’ve ever coached,” he observed. “He’s worked extremely hard in the weight room. He’s the kind of player anyone would want to coach. He has such a love for the game, and a dedication to the game. I’m glad to see that it’s paid off for him.”

Being signed and set to go at VMI will also serve as a positive for Peed entering his final season as a Rocket player this spring.

“Once you’ve signed it’s a big relief,” he said. “You don’t have to worry so much about who you have to impress, and you can just concentrate on playing and getting ready for college.”

Being accepted to North Carolina A&T has always been a goal of Pettiford’s since his middle school days.

He was named the Offensive Lineman of the Year in the PAC-6 last fall, and was excited about the prospects of playing for the Aggies under coach Lee Fobbs Jr., who played his college ball for legendary coach Eddie Robinson at Grambling.

“I’ve been wanting to go to A&T since I was in middle school,” said Pettiford. “I’ve been in touch with them since my junior year, and when I was called to the office and told that the scholarship had come through, it was like a dream come true for me.”

The Aggies, members of the Mideastern Athletic Conference, are in the midst of a rebuilding period (0-11 finish in 2007), which means Pettiford’s prospects for immediate playing time are good.

“I’ve got a good chance to be playing in my first year if I can get down to a certain weight,” he said. Pettiford was listed at 340 on the Person roster this past season.

The sense of achievement was huge for the Rocket lineman as well.

“All the hard work, the studying and hard practices, it all paid off. I feel like I’ve really accomplished something to get to this point,” he said.

Rocket all-conference safety Craig Reid will be a new fish in a new pond at Campbell. The Fighting Camels will be in their inaugural season as a Division IAA, Pioneer League entry in 2008 after going 56 years with no football.

Campbell competed in junior college football before the original program disbanded in the early 1950s.

Reid welcomes the challenge of playing for a team in its first season of existence at the four-year level under coach Dale Steele.

“It’s exciting and I’m ready to go,” he said. “They’ve got so many new things going on there. They’ve built a new stadium, a new field house — you name it, it’s all brand new.”

Like Peed and Pettiford, an important factor in Reid’s decision to attend Campbell was the idea of seeing a lot of playing time right away. The chance to travel to other parts of the country was an attraction as well.

“We play teams from all over the country, San Diego, Iowa, Wisconsin, so I’ll get to travel. That’s going to be a great experience,” he said.

Having had the opportunity to coach all three seniors in his first season as Person’s head football coach, Gary Merrill, who guided the Rockets to a 6-5 overall finish in 2007, said the team will miss their leadership.

“I’m proud of them for being able to go on and continue their education and extend their playing careers past high school,” he said. “It’s a testament to what they’ve done through their [high school] playing careers. They were three of the leaders on our team, and we’re sorry to see them go.”