By Angie Ledbetter

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Tour made a stop at South Panola High School on Friday to announce the selection of senior offensive lineman Deon Mix in a press conference held at the media center.

The 6’5”/315-pound senior was presented the Selection Tour Presentation jersey and cap before teammates, coaches, family and friends.

The game will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio Friday, January 5 and will be televised live on CBS at noon (CST).

Mix has played on the South Panola Tiger team since his freshman year and was chosen as a 2012 Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen player.

Mix gave God all the glory for being selected.         

“I thank God first of all for letting me be selected,” Mix said before a standing room only audience. “This is such a blessing to being selected. Ninety people only get invited and I was just fortunate to be one of those. I was very surprised and as a kid it was something I always wanted to do but never thought I’d get it so when I found out I was probably the happiest man on earth.”

Mix said it has taken praying, staying humble, working hard, keeping his head on straight, never letting himself get down, continuing to build and get better to get this far.  

“Mix is a talented athlete whose leadership and teamwork qualities have made him a standout at South Panola High School,” said John Meyers Director of Marketing, Army Marketing and Research Group.

“Only the strongest wear the Army colors and Mix possesses mental, emotional and physical strengths similar to the Army Strong Soldier that have afforded him that honor.”

As a result of Mix being selected, head coach Lance Pogue was invited to travel to San Antonio and attend the U. S. Army Coaches Academy.

“It’s a credit to our football program,” Pogue said. “The guys put in so much hard work because football means so much to them. All of the guys that have played in the games have gone on to play in Division 1 schools and I’m so proud of them.

“Deon has worked really hard. He got sick and had to lay out almost a month and he’s been playing phenomenal the last month. He was just determined to get back on the field. Deon has earned the right to be in the position he’s in and he’s a got a great future.”

Five U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Tours travel across the country starting in September to December to announce 90 players and 125 marching musicians. 

For the past 12 years, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars.

Andrew Luck, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh, and Marcus Lattimore all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans.

The 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew a crowd of nearly 39,011 to the Alamodome, and was the most-watched sporting event on television over the weekend, excluding the NFL playoffs.