2019 Emporia State Hornets football team

2019 Emporia State Hornets football
2019 Emporia State Hornets football
Conference	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Record	4–7 (4–7 MIAA)
Head coach	Garin Higgins (13th season);
Co-defensive coordinators	Mike LoPorto (10th season); Bryan Nardo (8th season);
Home stadium	Francis G. Welch Stadium

2019 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings

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
	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 # – bowl participant (Missouri Western: Live United Texarkana Bowl, Nebraska-Kearney: Mineral Water Bowl) Rankings from AFCA poll

The 2019 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they had done since 1937.^[1] 2019 is the 122nd season in school history.^[2] The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, who was 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]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:00 p.m.	Northeastern State	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 51–14	4,861
September 14	7:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Pittsburg State	Carnie Smith Stadium Pittsburg, KS	L 23–47	8,597
September 21	2:00 p.m.	Nebraska–Kearney	Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 21–31	4,087
September 28	6:00 p.m.	at Lincoln (MO)	Dwight T. Reed Stadium Jefferson City, MO	W 50–7	3,108
October 5	2:00 p.m.	No. 7 Northwest Missouri State	Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 23–34	4,098
October 12	7:00 p.m.	at Fort Hays State	Lewis Field Stadium Hays, KS	L 3–19	6,735
October 19	2:00 p.m.	No. 15 Central Missouri	Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 27–34	4,532
October 26	1:00 p.m.	at Missouri Western	Spratt Stadium Saint Joseph, MO	L 0–28	4,583
November 2	2:00 p.m.	Washburn	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS (rivalry)	L 17–37	4,098
November 9	2:00 p.m.	at Missouri Southern	Fred G. Hughes Stadium Joplin, MO	W 29–6	4,327
November 16	2:00 p.m.	Central Oklahoma	Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 34–14	3,017
Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[5]

Preseason

The Hornets entered the 2018 season after finishing with an 8–4 overall and 7–4 in conference play the previous season under Higgins.^[6] The 2019 MIAA Media Day was held on July 31.^[7] On The Hornets were chosen to finish sixth in the conference preseason polls by the coaches and media.^[8]

Game summaries

Northeastern State

Northeastern State at Emporia State

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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)

Team	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 State

Northwest Missouri State at Emporia State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #7 Northwest Missouri State	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Emporia State	0	0	0	0	0
• Missouri Western	7	14	0	7	28

Date: October 26
Location: Spratt Stadium, Saint Joseph, MO
Game start: 1:00 pm CDT
Elapsed time: 3:00
Game attendance: 4,583
Game weather: Partly sunny, 53°F
Referee: Dwight Neibling

Washburn

Washburn at Emporia State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Washburn	14	14	7	2	37
Emporia State	7	3	7	0	17

Date: November 2
Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS
Game start: 2:00 pm CDT
Elapsed time: 2:43
Game attendance: 4,098
Game weather: Sunny, 53°F
Referee: James Brookhart

Missouri Southern

Emporia State at Missouri Southern

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Emporia State	3	6	13	7	29
Missouri Southern	0	0	0	6	6

Date: November 9
Location: Fred G. Hughes Stadium, Joplin, MO
Game start: 3:00 pm CST
Elapsed time: 3:04
Game attendance: 4,327
Game weather: Clear, 62°F
Referee: John Adams

Central Oklahoma

Central Oklahoma at Emporia State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Oklahoma	0	7	7	0	14
• Emporia State	10	7	0	17	34

Date: November 16
Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS
Game start: 2:00 pm CST
Elapsed time: 2:42
Game attendance: 3,017
Game weather: Sunny, 60°F
Referee: Craig Helser

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 and 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

References

^ "Emporia State University Athletics - Facilities - Welch Stadium". Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ Weast, Don (September 3, 2019). "Emporia State Football Opens Season Against Northeastern State". Emporia State University Athletics (Press release). Retrieved September 4, 2019.
^ "Higgins, Garin". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
^ "Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Conference History". Themiaa.com. May 21, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "2019 Football Schedule". Emporia State University. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
^ Weast, Don (November 10, 2018). "Emporia State Football Secures Bowl Bid with 35–28 win at Central Oklahoma" (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ "Football Media Day Set For July 31, MIAA Network To Stream Event". Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
^ Sherwood, Dylan (July 31, 2019). "Hornets picked sixth in MIAA Preseason Poll". Emporia Gazette. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
^ "Emporia State University Athletics - 2019 Football Roster". Emporia State Athletics. Retrieved June 28, 2019.

[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] "2019 Football Schedule". Emporia State University. Retrieved April 6, 2025.

[6] Weast, Don (November 10, 2018). "Emporia State Football Secures Bowl Bid with 35–28 win at Central Oklahoma" (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2019.

[7] "Football Media Day Set For July 31, MIAA Network To Stream Event". Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Retrieved June 28, 2019.

[8] Sherwood, Dylan (July 31, 2019). "Hornets picked sixth in MIAA Preseason Poll". Emporia Gazette. Retrieved August 4, 2019.

[coachingstaff-9] "Emporia State University Athletics - 2019 Football Roster". Emporia State Athletics. Retrieved June 28, 2019.

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Emporia State Hornets football
Venues	Jones Field at Welch Stadium (1937–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Washburn
Culture & lore	Corky the Hornet Timeline of college football in Kansas
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
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