Freed Selected to Play in Cactus Bowl Senior All-Star Game

EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University All-American linebacker Matt Freed has been selected to participate in the 2011 Cactus Bowl, which will be held on Friday, January 7 at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Freed (Souderton/Souderton) is the ninth ESU player who has been selected to play in Division II’s senior all-star game since it was introduced in 1994 and will be one of 88 players from across Division II who will compete at Javelina Stadium.

Freed’s 399 career tackles, 45 tackles for a loss and 22.5 sacks helped him carve out a reputation as one of the top defensive players in Division II football over the past four seasons.

He was the only defensive player among the 24 players on the regional ballot for this year’s Harlon Hill Award, which is presented to the top player in Division II. He was also named the Daktronics Super Region One Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and is a two-time Daktronics Division II and AP Little All-America selection prior to the release of this year’s teams.

Freed had 120 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception as a senior. He reached the 100-tackle mark and led the PSAC in solo tackles for the third straight season, and his 399 career tackles as a three-year starter rank third in school history.

The outside linebacker is also a two-time first team member of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America squad and was one of 12 student-athletes in Division II selected as semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy from the National Football Foundation.

Freed follows eight Warriors who previously played in the Division II senior all-star game. Punter Nick Krut and cornerback Lionel Mitchell were selected following the 2008 season and were preceded by fullback Anthony Carfagno (2005), punter Adam Hostetter (2001), linebacker Kevin Nagle and offensive lineman Shepard Alston (2000), quarterback Damian Poalucci (1997) and linebacker Joe Menton (1995).

The game has been named the Cactus Bowl and played in Kingsville, Texas since January 2001. It was previously known as the Snow Bowl and played in Fargo, N.D. All net profits of the Cactus Bowl are donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children.