Following a breakout junior campaign this fall on the gridiron, Waterloo High School running back Derez Sayles received all-state recognition last week.

Sayles was named as an honorable mention on the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 4A All-State Team.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound ball carrier led a Bulldogs offense that racked up plenty of rushing yards en route to a shared Mississippi Valley Conference title and first round playoff victory in 2024.

In fact, he was also selected to the All-MVC First Team for his efforts.

Sayles finished this season with 1,385 yards rushing on 159 carries, which comes out to 8.7 yards per attempt. 

He scored 23 touchdowns, which put him at 11th in the entire St. Louis area in total scoring with 138 points this fall. 

Sayles seemed to save his best performances for the end of the season. In a three-game stretch between Oct. 18 and Nov. 2, Sayles rushed for 193 yards and three TDs against Mascoutah, 239 yards and four TDs against Chester, and then 219 yards and three more TDs against Taylorville in a Class 4A first round playoff win.

Last season, Sayles rushed for 903 yards on 161 carries – two more than in 2024 – and scored nine TDs. That represents a 5.6 yards per carry average.