Published October 2, 2009
By Langston Wertz Jr.
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE LATIN'S JALEN ROSS
When Jalen Ross moved to Charlotte from Chicago in eighth grade, Charlotte Latin football coach Larry McNulty thought he might have something special.
Ross, he figured, just needed a little tweaking.
"His hands weren't really good catching option pitches and passes when he was younger," said McNulty, whose team hosts Charlotte Christian tonight in a rematch of the past two private school 3A state championship games. "But he worked on that."
Last season, Ross' sophomore year, McNulty figured he was ready. His team was struggling against Charlotte Catholic, the team's third game of the year, and McNulty made a tough decision to replace a senior with a sophomore.
Ross went on to average 10 yards per carry, get more than 1,000 yards, and help lead his team to a sixth straight state championship appearance. This season, Ross is off to another good start, averaging 8.4 yards per carry (567 yards, 67 carries, 12 TDs). Latin is 5-0.
"He's teeny-tiny," McNulty said, "about 5-7, 160 pounds, but he's got great vision and great balance. And he's a great kid. He's a big-time sax player. He's in a very advanced level in school. He's Stanford, MIT smart. He's just amazing, really. He never goes the wrong way or does the wrong thing on the football field."
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