WPIAL & City League Football Player Preview: Antonio Epps is a superstar at South Allegheny

South Allegheny's Antonio Epps runs on a football field in 2019.

SOURCE: (TWITTER, @aepps05)

One in a series on motivated high school football players in the WPIAL and City League.

When you're thinking about a superstar athlete that attends South Allegheny High School, Antonio Epps is an athlete that comes in mind.

The rising senior plays football and basketball for the school that is located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Calling him a "superstar" is no understatement.

As a basketball player, this past season in 2019-20, Antonio averaged 16.6 points per game (which was 2nd on the team) in the 21 regular season games that he played. His younger brother Bryce, who is a rising sophomore, led the Gladiators in points per game in the regular season last season with 17 points per game. The brothers were able to lead the Gladiators to a section title in 3A and won three postseason games in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs.

As a football player, this past season in 2019, Antonio rushed for 1,307 yards and recorded 17 receptions for 376 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns. With Antonio leading the Gladiators in receptions, receiving yards, rushes, rushing yards, and touchdowns, it's really hard to not call him a superstar. His primary positions are running back and a defensive back, but the fact that he was able to be the team's leading receiver as well, shows how talented he is. Epps, who happens to have seven other siblings, averaged 22.1 yards per reception in 2019, which shows how big of a playmaker he is.

"I’ve been playing with Antonio all my life. There’s never been a moment when Antonio wasn’t balling out," said Eric Anderson, who is Antonio's teammate in football at South Allegheny. "Watching Antonio play is astonishing, the way he moves, the plays he makes are just magical. Antonio Epps is the real deal. He’s a great person overall and just a great teammate in general. I love him like a brother. I can’t wait to see what him and my guys do this year."

Antonio's South Allegheny football team finished with a 4-6 record in 2019 as three of their losses came by 10 points or less. His graduating class, South Allegheny Class of 2021, has never experienced playing football in the postseason and would love to see that change in 2020. Antonio is excited for his senior season as he knows this high school season is the most important.

"I'm very excited for my senior season. This is my final year, I got to make it special," said Antonio. "Closing out games for sure is what we need to fix. There were times we were up but let the other team back in by not playing all four quarters."

This season, South Allegheny has a new head football coach as Mike Crown stepped down from the position back in the middle of June to become the school's athletic director. Frank Cortazzo is the new head football coach for the school. Antonio enjoyed playing under coach Crown and will not forget the lessons he taught him. So far, Antonio has liked playing with Cortazzo as he has made practices fun and interesting during this COVID-19 pandemic.

"I loved playing under coach Crown, and I love playing under coach Cortazzo. From my experiences, both coaches just want to win but have fun doing it," said Antonio. "It’s actually been real fun [practicing under COVID-19 pandemic regulations]. Everything we do is creative and competitive. I love it."

Antonio, who is an All-State Defensive Back, enjoys being a standout two-sport athlete as it has helped him build friendships with other students at the school.

"I really enjoy being a two-sport athlete," Antonio said. "Most people I know in football play basketball too, so it helps build relationships. I think people acknowledge me from my athletic ability because of when they watch me play."

One of the reasons why Antonio is so successful on the football field and on the basketball court is because of his work ethic and his brother Bryce knows what Antonio does to get better as he works out with him very often.

"Well, it’s always fun working out with him [Antonio], he pushes me to be the best I can be during every workout and every time we’re together. It’s always a competition at every single workout, every single practice it doesn’t matter, he just pushes me to be a better person in general. Having him as an older brother is fun, he gets annoying a lot," Bryce laughed. "We're usually always together hanging out or just doing something together at home. Like I said, it’s always a competition, we’re always trying to beat each other at something he usually tough on me most of the time but at the end of the day it’s all fun and he’s just trying to get me better at whatever I’m doing and likewise for him."

The relationship that Antonio has with his brother Bryce is very special. The bond that they have is so strong that they would be the best to describe how strong their bond is. With Bryce being a star basketball player at South Allegheny, expect him to become a superstar soon since he played so well as a freshman this past season.

Going back to Antonio, he has received football offers from Duquesne, Richmond, Sacred Heart, Notre Dame College, Washington & Jefferson, Mount Union, and Lake Erie College. He could not be happier with the offers that he has received.

"The offers mean everything to me. I thank God for it all every day to be able to play at a Division I school," Antonio said.

For Antonio, he has thought about what he wants to major in, and Journalism is one of the majors he is thinking about. And, the three Division I football schools that have offered Antonio in Duquesne, Richmond, and Sacred Heart all have Journalism major programs at their schools.

Antonio could definitely receive more offers as he plays out his senior season of football. Some people might wonder when Epps would decide, and he has an idea of when he would want to commit and make a decision.

"I definitely want to commit after the football season. I want to weigh all my options carefully and make the best decision for me and my family," Epps said.

Now, Epps will continue to work as hard as he can to have a memorable senior season of football. Also, before the season starts, expect to see him make Chick Fil-A and Sheetz runs as both places serve great food that help him gain energy to work harder as an athlete.

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13