2019 Emporia State Hornets football team

The 2019 Emporia State Hornets football team represents Emporia State University in the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets play their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937.[1] 2019 is the 122nd season in school history.[2] The Hornets are led by head coach Garin Higgins, who is in his 18th season overall, and 13th season at Emporia State as head coach.[3] Emporia State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.[4]

2019 Emporia State Hornets football
Conference	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
2019 record	2–5 (2–5 The MIAA)
Head coach	Garin Higgins (13th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Mike LoPorto (10th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Bryan Nardo (8th season)
Home stadium	Francis G. Welch Stadium (capacity: 7,000)

2019 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 NW Missouri State +^		10	–	1					12	–	2
No. 13 Central Missouri +^		10	–	1					11	–	2
Missouri Western		8	–	3					9	–	3
Fort Hays State		8	–	3					8	–	3
Nebraska–Kearney		6	–	5					7	–	5
Pittsburg State		6	–	5					6	–	5
Washburn		6	–	5					6	–	5
Central Oklahoma		5	–	6					5	–	6
Emporia State		4	–	7					4	–	7
Missouri Southern		2	–	9					2	–	9
Lincoln (MO)		1	–	10					1	–	10
Northeastern State		0	–	11					0	–	11
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll

Preseason

The Hornets enter the 2018 season after finishing with an 8–4 overall, 7–4 in conference play last season under Higgins.[5] The 2019 MIAA Media Day will be held on July 31, where conference preseason rankings will be released.[6]

New changes occurred this year in conference play. With Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist's departures in July 2019, Lincoln re-joined MIAA football play after four seasons in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.[7]

On July 31, 2019, the Hornets were chosen to finish 6th in the conference preseason polls by the coaches and media.[8]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Along with Higgins, there are 9 assistants.

Name	Position	Seasons at ESU	Alma mater
Garin Higgins	Head Coach	13	Emporia State (1992)
Bryan Nardo	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach	8	Ohio (2008)
Mike LoPorto	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach	10	Emporia State (2010)
Nathan Linsey	Defensive Secondary/Special Teams Coordinator	8	Emporia State (2010)
Cayden Cochran	Passing Game/Recruiting Coordinator/Receivers	2	Valdosta State (2013)
Tony Koehling	Running Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach	5	Ohio (2013)
Daniel Goodman	Strength & Conditioning Coach/Running Backs	2	Emporia State (2015)
Jermaine Lopez	Special Teams Quality Control	1	Emporia State (2017)
Evan Porter	Offensive Quality Control
Ethan Sharp	Defensive Quality Control
Reference:[9]

Roster

2019 Emporia State Hornets football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Travon Jones Jr WR 4 Corey Thomas  So QB 5 Dalton Cowan  So RB 9 Kai Callins GS QB 10 Braden Gleason  Fr WR 12 Wil Amos  Fr WR 13 JT Mackey Jr RB 14 Billy Ross Jr. Fr QB 15 Pat Briningstool  Jr QB 16 Ethan Anderson  Jr RB 17 Juwan Johnson Jr RB 22 Carlos Grace Jr RB 23 Jordan Birch Jr RB 25 Vinnie Shabazz Jr RB 32 Jack Petz  Fr RB 35 Calvin Boyce  Fr RB 36 Noah Diaz So RB 37 Clay Phillips  Fr SB 45 Dan Courtwright  So WR 48 Cole Schumacker  So SB 49 Case Cochran  Fr OL 53 Jarrett Roy Jr OL 61 Marlon McKeithen Sr OL 62 Will Valentas Jr OL 63 Stu Habbart Fr OL 64 Hayden Reed  So OL 65 Denton Sanchez  So OL 66 Colton Dodd Fr OL 67 Aaron Clark  Fr OL 69 Gus Woeppel  Fr OL 71 Brandon Kane  Fr OL 72 Xavier Cason So OL 73 Chase Merkey Fr OL 74 Miles Wade  So OL 75 Estevan Arana Sr OL 76 Austin Unterreiner Sr OL 77 Dante Smith-Posey Fr OL 78 Stephen Williams Sr OL 79 Tyler Banta  Jr WR 81 Dexton Swinehart  Fr SB 82 Sam Pascuzzi  Fr WR 83 Tyler Kahmann Fr WR 84 Kai Lemons Jr WR 85 Seth Surface  Sr WR 86 Sean Talley  Jr WR 87 Jack Schneider  Fr SB 88 Marcellus Edwards Sr SB 89 Zach Cahill  Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Lawson Holbert Sr DB 3 Roscoe Gatewood III Sr DB 7 Jordan Wallace Jr DB 8 Gary Woods II Sr DB 11 Dom Venegas Fr DB 14 Jordan McDaniel Fr DB 18 Trey Morris  So LB 19 Gee Stanley Jr DB 20 Jawill Aldridge Sr DB 21 Kyle Rinck  Jr DB 24 Montrell Wilson  Fr DB 26 Xavier Hall  Fr DB 27 Blake Wilson  Jr DB 28 Jaedon Hall So LB 29 Cole Baird  Jr DB 30 Kelin Gordon  So LB 31 Jace McDown  Jr LB 33 Levi Messner  Fr LB 34 Joshua Carrethers  So LB 38 Cade Harelson  So DB 39 Andre Lewis  Jr DB 41 Cody Ladson  Fr DB 42 Chance Rodriguez  Fr LB 43 Dawson Hammes  So DB 44 Tyree King So DB 47 Keshaun Kinsey  Fr LB 50 Klayton Goering  Jr LB 51 Jack Barger  Fr LB 52 Jordan Griffin Jr DL 54 Cody Swanson Jr LB 55 David Johnson  Fr LB 56 Brett Sage  So LB 59 Matt Johnson  So DL 68 Charlie Suenram Fr DL 70 Marquay Shaw  Fr DL 90 Parker Bass Sr DL 91 Jordan Williams  Fr DL 92 Jahmek Murphy Sr DL 93 Marek Thompson  Jr DL 94 Anthony Burton  So DL 95 Tre'Vaun Ammons Sr DL 96 Hawkens Taylor  So DL 97 Joseph Stout  Fr DL 98 Jackson Maase  Sr DL 99 Dyllan Haworth  Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 40 Sam Dobbins  So K 46 Clark Schoonover So LS 57 Austin Passemore Sr P/K 58 Ross Brungardt Fr LS 60 Derek Hahn  Fr	Head coach Garin Higgins Coordinators/assistant coaches See Coaching staff Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: June 28, 2019

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:00 pm	Northeastern State		Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 51–14	4,861
September 14	7:00 pm	at Pittsburg State		Carnie Smith Stadium Pittsburg, KS	L 23–47	8,597
September 21	2:00 pm	Nebraska–Kearney		Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 21–31	4,087
September 28	6:00 pm	at Lincoln (MO)		Dwight T. Reed Stadium Jefferson City, MO	W 50–7	3,108
October 5	2:00 pm	No. 7 Northwest Missouri		Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 23–34	4,098
October 12	7:00 pm	at Fort Hays State		Lewis Field Stadium Hays, KS	L 3–19	6,735
October 19	2:00 pm	No. 14 Central Missouri		Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 27–34	4,532
October 26	1:00 pm	at Missouri Western		Spratt Stadium Saint Joseph, MO
November 2	2:00 pm	Washburn		Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS
November 9	2:00 pm	at Missouri Southern		Fred G. Hughes Stadium Joplin, MO
November 16	2:00 pm	Central Oklahoma		Welch Stadium Emporia, KS
Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Source:[10]

Northeastern State

Northeastern State at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Northeastern State 0 0 0 14 14 • Emporia State 20 10 14 7 51 Date: September 5 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 4,861 Game weather: Sunny, 90°F Referee: James Brockhart

Pittsburg State

Emporia State at Pittsburg State

1 2 3 4 Total Emporia State 7 0 8 8 23 • Pittsburg State 0 13 10 24 47 Date: October 5 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 8,597 Game weather: Clear skies, 87°F Referee: Bob Pritchett

Nebraska–Kearney

Nebraska–Kearney at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total • Nebraska–Kearney 7 10 7 7 31 Emporia State 0 6 15 0 21 Date: September 21 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:54 Game attendance: 4,087 Game weather: Overcast, 78°F Referee: Brian Moore

Lincoln (MO)

Emporia State at Lincoln (MO)

1 2 3 4 Total • Emporia State 13 13 21 3 50 Lincoln (MO) 7 0 0 0 7 Date: September 28 Location: Dwight T. Reed Stadium, Jefferson City, MO Game start: 6:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:51 Game attendance: 3,108 Game weather: Overcast, 72°F Referee: Scott Hardin

Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total • #7 Northwest Missouri 5 7 19 3 34 Emporia State 10 7 6 0 23 Date: October 5 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 4,098 Game weather: Cloudy, 71°F Referee: Gary Anspach

Fort Hays State

Emporia State at Fort Hays State

1 2 3 4 Total Emporia State 0 0 3 0 3 • Fort Hays State 3 13 3 0 19 Date: October 12 Location: Lewis Field Stadium, Hays, KS Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:35 Game attendance: 6,735 Game weather: Cool, 65°F Referee: Bob Pritchett

Central Missouri

Central Missouri at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total • #14 Central Missouri 10 10 6 8 34 Emporia State 7 13 0 7 27 Date: October 19 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 4,532 Game weather: Mostly clear, 67°F Referee: Scott Hardin

Missouri Western

Emporia State at Missouri Western

1 2 Total Emporia State 0 Missouri Western 0 Date: October 26 Location: Spratt Stadium, Saint Joseph, MO Game start: 1:00 pm CDT

Washburn

Washburn at Emporia State

1 2 Total Washburn 0 Emporia State 0 Date: November 2 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT

Missouri Southern

Emporia State at Missouri Southern

1 2 Total Emporia State 0 Missouri Southern 0 Date: November 9 Location: Fred G. Hughes Stadium, Joplin, MO Game start: 2:00 pm CST

Central Oklahoma

Central Oklahoma at Emporia State

1 2 Total Central Oklahoma 0 Emporia State 0 Date: November 16 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CST

References

1. "Emporia State University Athletics - Facilities - Welch Stadium". Retrieved June 28, 2019.
2. Weast, Don (September 3, 2019). "Emporia State Football Opens Season Against Northeastern State". Emporia State University Athletics (Press release). Retrieved September 4, 2019.
3. "Higgins, Garin". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
4. "Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Conference History". Themiaa.com. May 21, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
5. Weast, Don (November 10, 2018). "Emporia State Football Secures Bowl Bid with 35–28 win at Central Oklahoma" (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
6. "Football Media Day Set For July 31, MIAA Network To Stream Event". Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
7. "Lincoln football returning to MIAA for 2019 season". News Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
8. Sherwood, Dylan (July 31, 2019). "Hornets picked sixth in MIAA Preseason Poll". Emporia Gazette. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
9. "Emporia State University Athletics - 2019 Football Roster". Emporia State Athletics. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
10. "Emporia State University Athletics - 2019 Football Schedule". Retrieved June 28, 2019.