By Angie Ledbetter

South Panola defensive lineman Issac Gross made the MaxPreps Sophomore High School Football All American team on Friday.

Gross, 6’3”, 270 pounds, was a big part of the South Panola Tiger defense this past season and expects to be the next two years.

Helping his Tiger defense become one of the best in 6A, Gross put up big numbers totaling 80 tackles, averaging 5.3 per game. Gross had 12 sacks, one fumble recovery and caused two fumbles.

A second team all state selection by the Clarion-Ledger, Gross is one of the reasons why the Tigers are the clear favorite to compete for a state title, as well as a mythical national title in 2010.

Tiger head coach Lance Pogue said as a ninth grader they felt like he had tremendous potential.

“He worked very hard from his ninth grade year through his tenth grade,” Pogue said. “He had a really good season for us. Sometimes it’s hard to go in there as a sophomore, coming in from ninth grade, while playing on this level. He worked hard at it. Like all young kids as he got through the season, he began to gain more and more experience and confidence along with that and he ended up having a tremendous year.”

Defensive line coach Eddie Maxon expects even bigger things out of Gross.

“This is a big honor for him but don’t want him to get the big head,” Maxon said. “He has the potential to be a great player but has a lot of hard work to do. Good people nominate you for those things but you still have to play the part. He needs to continue to work hard.

“He had a great year and did a heck of a job as a sophomore with 12 sacks,” Maxon continued. “I always tell them as a coach that they could’ve gotten better. He should’ve had 20 sacks instead. I’m never satisfied. We left a lot of sacks on the field that I know we could’ve gotten. I just want him to get better every day. He needs to keep working hard and keep his head on straight because he has a bright future if he does all that.”