EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville freshman Iose Epenesa received a national honor for his freshman year on the football field when he was named first-team defensive lineman on the MaxPreps All-Freshman team, which was announced on the popular high school sports website.

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Epenesa, a six-foot-three, 225-pound lineman, was named to the team on the website along with St. Louis University High linebacker Landon Pace, the son of former St. Louis Rams first-round pick and Pro Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace. They were the only St. Louis area players named to the team. Pace was named to the second team on defense.

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Epenesa enjoyed a successful freshman season for the Tigers, having 18 total tackles, 12 solos and three for losses while recording a sack on defense. Offensively, Epenesa also shined, catching 11 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown, coming in the regular season finale against CBC on Oct. 22.

In a brief scouting report, MaxPreps writer Stephen Spiewak said Epenesa, the younger brother of Buffalo Bills' defensive player and former Edwardsville standout A.J. Epenesa, "has a bright future ahead."

Quarterback Bryce Underwood of Belleville, Mich., was named the national high school freshman of the year by the site, leading his team to a 13-1 record and their first ever state championship.

MaxPreps was founded in 2002 by Andy Beal and has a goal of covering "every team, every game and every player in high school sports." The website is based in El Dorado Hills, Calif., and was acquired by Viacom/CBS Streaming in 2007. The website covers a total of 29 different sports. both boys and girls, from around the country.

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