By Angie Ledbetter

 South Panola head football coach Lance Pogue has been chosen as the head coach of the East in the 11th annual U.S. Army All American Bowl, he announced this morning.

The game will be played January 8 in San Antonio, Texas. The Classic East-vs-West matchup features the nation’s top 84 high school football players and will be televised live from the Alamodome on NBC starting at noon.

The fourth year head coach will be making his second trip as a coach at the bowl game. In 2008 he was chosen as an assistant coach.

  Pogue said this honor is not about him.

“It’s about the success that we’ve had here at South Panola with our program, the players and coaching staff,” he said. “I’ll be the first to say that I’m probably not deserving of it. There are so many great coaches out there. I guess I was in a situation where I was fortumate to be around a bunch of good players and a great coaching staff.

“When I got the word, the first thing I thought about was that it would be great recognition for South Panola football team, the program, the high school and this area,” Pogue continued. “I think it’s a great opportunity to have something good to say about our school and our state. It’s an opportunity to be positive about the state of Mississippi.”

The U.S. Army Bowl selection process kicks off each year across the country during various combines, camps and clinics. From millions of high school football players, the selection committee evaluates thousands of the Nation’s top prospects on an annual basis.

Following the evaluation period, the selection committee officially nominates the Nation’s top 400 seniors to be considered for selection to the U.S. Army All American Bowl. From the nominees, players are selected and invited to play in the bowl throughout the spring and summer. The final roster is announced in late fall.

South Panola has two seniors nominated for the 2011 bowl. Nicholas Brassell has been nominated as a wide receiver and Kendrick Market as a defensive back.