It's hard to miss Winona senior Saveon Gross in the middle of the Tiger defensive line – a 440 -pound immovable object. It's a position he has occupied since his freshman year.
“I can't say enough good things about him,” said Coach Joey Tompkins. “He is always going to be where he is supposed to be.”
Gross has been credited with 14 solo tackles and three assists for the 5-1 Tigers. But he doesn't consider making tackles to be his main role. Rather, he wants to occupy as many blockers as possible to free his linebackers to make plays.
Gross loves playing football – “The environment and everything that comes with it.” He hopes to continue playing the sport at the next level, possibly at a junior college, although he has not yet received any offers.
After a victory over defending 3A state champion Water Valley, Gross is confident that the Tigers can continue winning. “The sky's the limit. If we continue to work hard, we can do anything we want to do.”
Coming off a bye week, Winona will begin Region 3-3A play Friday with a road game against Coahoma Early College in Clarksdale. The school formerly known as Coahoma AHS is 4-3 and 1-0 in 3-3A.
Coahoma began region play last Friday with a 24-0 victory over Humphreys County that featured 208 rushing yards by Markevious Brown.
Tompkins said Coahoma is “very, very athletic. They're going to present us with some problems.”
