EDWARDSVILLE - Six-foot-5 senior A.J. Epenesa is going to go down as one of the greatest athletes to ever wear an Edwardsville High School football, basketball or track uniform.
EHS has had a long line of acclaimed athletes over the years, but it would be difficult to top what Epenesa has accomplished since he came in as a freshman in football, basketball and track. He is one of the nation’s most sought-after high school defensive ends and he has already signed a letter to attend the University of Iowa next season. Many believe one day if he stays healthy, Epenesa is a shoe-in to play in the NFL. In 2016, Epenesa was an All-State selection in three sports and he appears headed for the same this school year. He was a state champion in the discus last season and poised to do that again in 2017.
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The amazing thing is how quickly Epenesa can change jerseys and move to his next sport. Epenesa transitioned to the hardwoods in record time this year because Edwardsville advanced to the quarterfinals of the IHSA State Football Playoffs.
He didn’t begin practice until last week and was held out of the first two Battling Bulldogs Tourney games, but he came out and started on Friday and Saturday last week. In his first two basketball games, he grabbed 28 rebounds and scored 14 and 21 points respectively. He was a key in the Tigers capturing the title of the Highland Battling Bulldogs Thanksgiving Tourney. Defensively, Epenesa was a towering force in the first two games, blocking shots, grabbing the ball off the boards and clogging up the play inside the paint.
On the surface, the EHS athlete didn’t show any change in himself, but football and basketball require different types of conditioning. Anyone who has played both football and basketball knows the conditioning is very different and it takes time to adapt to moving repeatedly up and down the court.
“I was breathing a little hard,” he smiled about his basketball fitness level after Edwardsville defeated Belleville Althoff 79-76 for the Battling Bulldogs title.
He said he has already hit the ground running in the few basketball practices he has participated in since the football season ended.
“We have been working hard,” he said of his efforts and the team. “We just keep working on the same things and try to keep improving. It (basketball) is a fun game to play and the games like these are the best. I have known Jordan (Goodwin) and some of the Belleville Althoff guys for a long time and it is an excellent feeling to come out and win a game like this but we are going to be playing them a few more times this season.”
Epenesa has a great deal of respect for his opponents from Belleville Althoff.
“They are an awesome team,” he said of the Crusaders. “They came back against us and played some awesome basketball.”
Epenesa planned to be back hard at it this week as Edwardsville and Coach Mike Waldo had a full week of practice before playing with other Southwestern Conference opponents Saturday in a basketball showcase at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
“We are not going to get too excited after this win (against Belleville Althoff) and keep on moving forward,” he said.
When team photos were taken, Epenesa was in the middle celebrating and he was proud to be with his teammates, celebrating a great start to what looks to be an outstanding season.
