Five-star defensive end and Iowa commit senior Iose Epenesa was honored to have the opportunity to compete with some of the best high school football players in the country at the Polynesian Bowl in Honolulu Jan. 17.
Although open to players of non-Polynesian ancestry, the game features primarily the best Polynesian high school football players. Multiple future top 15 NFL draft picks have played in the Polynesian Bowl, such as Tua Tagovailoa, Penei Sewell and Jameson Williams.
Epenesa, of Samoan heritage, is connected to the Polynesian Bowl by way of his brother, A.J., who was named Defensive MVP in the first ever edition of the game. Filling his shoes and making it to the same spot his brother once was in was a goal for Iose.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Epenesa said to Rob DeMello in an interview with KHON-TV in Honolulu. “Whenever he came here, I set a goal for myself to try to make the Polynesian Bowl someday, and just being here, it’s just awesome.”
The Polynesian Bowl provides a unique platform for athletes like Epenesa to not only demonstrate their football skills but to connect with their cultural identity. It’s a full week of practices and camaraderie extending beyond the football field leading up to a game on Friday.
“I got to hang out with a bunch of the guys on the team and just make friends and bonds,” he said. “We learned about the culture; we went to all these centers; we went to Pearl Harbor.”
As one of the most prestigious high school All-Star games in the country, it gave Epenesa the opportunity to compete against fellow high level football players.
“It was pretty cool to be a part of it because it was just the best players in the whole country, and playing against them makes you feel better for the next level,” he said. “I learned about their decision-making process … and the ways they trained.”
Certain players that Epenesa competed against stood out to him, such as a tackle, David Sanders, that he frequently was up against as a defensive lineman. Playing against multiple Division I commits was an experience that wouldn’t have been possible in a typical high school game.
“High school is just different,” he said. “Kids aren’t as big and athletic, but going there, it’s the most athletic kids in the country … and they’re all like 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-10.”
It’s not even the first All-Star game Epenesa has played in this year, as he was in San Antonio for the Navy All-American Bowl Jan. 11. There, he became only the third Tiger to play in the All-American Bowl, joining A.J. in 2016 and Rodney Coe in 2011 and was named the MVP during Day 2 of practices.
Because both bowl games were in the middle of the basketball season, Epenesa felt more prepared for them because he had been consistently playing, unlike some of the other bowl players.
“It probably helped me since I was more in shape because of basketball, and so that helped me in the long run,” he said.
Playing in both the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl were unique experiences for Epenesa, who got to compete with future NFL players and honor his culture.
“I’m a Polynesian kid from Illinois, so it’s a little different that most of the kids out there,” he said. “They’re all from different islands and so representing myself and my family was just big for me.”