2016 Emporia State Hornets football team

The 2016 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on the newly-renovated[1] Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937.[2] 2016 was the 119th season in school history.[3] The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, finished his 15th overall season, and 10th overall at Emporia State.[4] Emporia State has a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 1991.[5]

2016 Emporia State Hornets football
Conference	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
2016 record	11–2 (10–1 MIAA)
Head coach	Garin Higgins (10th season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Nardo (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike LoPorto (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Bryan Nardo (5th season)
Captains	Mitchell Foote (1st year) Landon Nault (1st year) Kole Schankie (1st year) Eddie Vinson (1st year)
Home stadium	Francis G. Welch Stadium (capacity: 7,000)

2016 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 NW Missouri St. $^		11	–	0					15	–	0
No. 10 Emporia State ^		10	–	1					11	–	2
No. 21 Central Missouri ^		9	–	2					9	–	3
Fort Hays State		7	–	4					8	–	4
Pittsburg State		7	–	4					7	–	4
Washburn		7	–	4					7	–	5
Missouri Western		4	–	7					4	–	7
Central Oklahoma		3	–	8					3	–	8
Lindenwood		3	–	8					3	–	8
Missouri Southern		2	–	9					2	–	9
Northeastern State		2	–	9					2	–	9
Nebraska–Kearney		1	–	10					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

Preseason

The Hornets entered the 2016 season after finishing with an 11–3 overall, 9–2 in conference play last season under Higgins.[6] On August 2, 2016 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Hornets were chosen to finish tied for third place in the Coaches Poll, and fourth in the Media Poll.[7]

Sporting News released their Top-25 on May 25, 2016, landing Emporia State at #24.[8] On June 15, 2016, Lindy's NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 released its poll, ranking Emporia State at #12.[9]

On August 15, the American Football Coaches Association released the Preseason Division II Poll,[10] landing Emporia State at #24.[11]

On August 22, D2football.com released its Top 25 poll, ranking Emporia State 12th.[12]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Along with Higgins, there were 10 assistants.

Name	Position	Seasons at ESU	Alma Mater
Garin Higgins	Head Coach	10	Emporia State (1992)
Mike LoPorto	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach	9	Emporia State (2007)
Bryan Nardo	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach	5	Ohio (2008)
Matt Nardo	Off. Coordinator/Recruiting Coord./Inside & H-backs/Receivers coach	2	Ohio (2005)
Nathan Linsey	Secondary/Special Teams Coordinator	5	Emporia State (2010)
Justin Wieser	Running Backs/Strength & Conditioning	4	Emporia State (2010)
Tony Koehling	Offensive Line Coach	2	Ohio (2013)
Terence Coleman	Outside Receivers	4	Northwestern Oklahoma State (2000)
Daniel Goodman	Graduate Assistant – Tight Ends Coach	2	Emporia State (2014)
Antwan Crutcher	Graduate Assistant – Defensive Line	1	Ohio (2015)
Daniel Siehndel	Graduate Assistant – Defensive Backs	1	Southeast Missouri State (2015)
Reference:[13]

Roster

2016 Emporia State Hornets football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Morris Williams II Jr QB 4 Jaylen Lowe Jr WR 5 Justin Brown  So WR 6 Louis Dailey Jr WR 8 Mitchell Foote Sr RB 9 Kai Callins  So WR 10 Jaylon Radel Jr QB 12 T'Quan Wallace Fr WR 13 Brent Davenport So QB 14 Braxton Marstall  So RB 23 Antonio Brown Sr RB 24 Denzel Strong Sr RB 25 Ricky Van Weezel Fr RB 26 Landon Nault So RB 30 Trenton Rietzke  Fr RB 34 Brett Osbern  Fr WR 35 Malcom Dade  Fr WR 36 Anthony McGee So RB 37 J.J. Rivers  Fr RB 39 Brock Squier Sr H 43 Luke Berblinger  Fr H 44 Nick Oliver So H 45 Reese Richards  Sr OL 53 Jake Warehime Jr OL 62 Cole Cruz  Jr OL 63 Brance Watts  Fr OL 64 Jarrett Stastny Sr OL 66 Nick Vega  Sr OL 67 Dylan Gall Jr OL 68 Carter Pemridge Fr OL 69 Joe Pomatto Jr OL 70 Andrew Lillich So OL 71 Zack Fasbender So OL 72 Dave Radel Jr OL 74 Thomas O'Grady Jr OL 75 Estevan Arana  Fr OL 76 Austin Unterreiner Fr OL 77 DeAndre Herron Sr OL 78 Braden Janzen So OL 79 Tyler Banta Fr H 80 Trenton Ball So WR 81 Kirvin Parks  Fr WR 82 Anthony Buffalomeat Sr WR 83 Jordan Jackson So WR 84 Ramsey Stramel Jr WR 85 Seth Surface  Fr WR 86 Sean Talley Fr WR 87 Carson Profitt So WR 88 Jordan Reed So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Marcus Houghton Jr DB 3 DeAndre Glover Sr LB 7 Gabe Cleveland Jr DB 11 M.J. Mathis Sr LB 16 Ty McKenzie  So LB 17 Orlando Sheets So DB 18 J.P. Lohrentz Sr DB 19 Dillon Lohr  Fr LB 20 Jarett Strode Sr DB 21 Josh Monteagudo Sr DB 22 Roscoe Gatewood  Fr DB 27 Gary Woods II  Fr DB 28 A.J. West Jr DB 29 Curtis Shorts Sr LB 31 Remington Whitley Jr DB 32 Max Wariboko Fr DB 33 Drew Cook So LB 38 Kole Schankie Sr LB 41 Jarron Montgomery Sr DB 42 Trey Dickerson Sr DB 46 Ferrando Joseph Jr LB 50 Brandon Goodman Sr LB 51 Darric Cashier So DE 52 Donovan Walker Jr DE 54 Logan Powell So DE 55 Patrick Dugan Jr LB 56 Logan Thompson Jr LB 57 Luke Meyer Fr LB 58 Immanuel McDown So LB 59 Jace Bass Fr DE 60 Collin Frickey Jr DE 61 Paul Foster So DL 65 Ryan Smith So DE 73 Camren Proby  Fr DE 90 Parker Bass So DL 91 Eddie Vinson Sr DE 94 Ugonna Nwarie Jr DE 95 Tre'Vaun Ammons  Fr DL 97 Tim Giddings  Fr DE 98 Jackson Maase  Fr DT 99 Larenze Abston Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 40 Dakota Weaver Jr LS 48 Reid Buckingham Jr K 49 Justin Marcha Jr P 89 Riley O'Neal  Fr K 92 Austin Motron Jr	Head coach Garin Higgins Coordinators/assistant coaches See #Coaching staff Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 3, 2016

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 pm	No. 1 Northwest Missouri State	No. 24	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	L 14–41	6,821
September 8	7:00 pm	at Nebraska–Kearney		Ron & Carol Cope Stadium Kearney, NE	W 34–7	4,663
September 17	2:00 pm	Missouri Southern		Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS (Traditions Day)	W 49–21	5,304
September 24	1:00 pm	at No. 13 Central Missouri		Audrey J. Walton Stadium Warrensburg, MO	W 37–31 ^3OT	7,995
October 1	2:00 pm	Central Oklahoma	No. 23	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 35–21	4,987
October 8	2:00 pm	at Northeastern State	No. 18	Doc Wadley Stadium Tahlequah, OK	W 47–27	1,503
October 15	2:00 pm	Lindenwood	No. 12	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 35–28	6,014
October 22	2:00 pm	at Pittsburg State	No. 12	Carnie Smith Stadium Pittsburg, KS	W 41–36	8,763
October 29	2:00 pm	Fort Hays State	No. 10	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 24–16	6,103
November 5	1:00 pm	at Missouri Western	No. 9	Spratt Stadium St. Joseph, MO	W 27–14	4,017
November 12	1:00 pm	at Washburn	No. 9	Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl Topeka, KS (Turnpike Tussle)	W 30–3	6,789
November 19	1:00 p.m.	No. 13 Minnesota–Duluth	No. 9	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS	W 59–26	5,014
November 26	1:00 p.m.	No. 1 Northwest Missouri State	No. 9	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO	L 13–44	5,119
Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Source:[14]

Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Northwest Missouri 3 17 14 7 41 #24 Emporia State 7 0 0 7 14 Date: September 1 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:59 Game attendance: 6,821 Game weather: Sunny, 75°F Referee: Craig Helser

Nebraska–Kearney

Emporia State at Nebraska–Kearney

1 2 3 4 Total • Emporia State 3 14 10 7 34 Nebraska–Kearney 0 0 0 7 7 Date: September 8 Location: Cope Stadium, Kearney, NE Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 4,663 Game weather: Breezy, 79°F Referee: Lonnie Brickman

Missouri Southern

Missouri Southern at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Missouri Southern 0 7 7 7 21 • Emporia State 28 14 7 0 49 Date: September 17 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:57 Game attendance: 5,304 Game weather: Sunny, 77°F Referee: John Adams

Central Missouri

Emporia State at Central Missouri

1 2 3 4 OT 2OT Total • Emporia State 7 3 7 7 7 6 37 #13 Central Missouri 0 7 0 17 7 0 31 Date: September 24 Location: Walton Stadium, Warrensburg, MO Game start: 1:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:40 Game attendance: 7,995 Game weather: Sunny, 80°F Referee: John Steiger

Central Oklahoma

Central Oklahoma at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Central Oklahoma 0 0 10 11 21 • #23 Emporia State 7 14 7 7 35 Date: October 1 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 4,987 Game weather: Sunny, 72°F Referee: Craig Helser

Northeastern State

Emporia State at Northeastern State

1 2 3 4 Total • #18 Emporia State 16 14 10 7 47 Northeastern State 13 7 0 7 27 Date: October 8 Location: Wadley Stadium, Tahlequah, OK Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 1,503 Game weather: Sunny, 73°F Referee: John Adams

Lindenwood

Lindenwood at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Lindenwood 0 7 7 14 28 • #12 Emporia State 0 0 14 21 35 Date: October 15 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:12 Game attendance: 6,014 Game weather: Overcast, 72°F Referee: Danny Harris

Pittsburg State

Emporia State at Pittsburg State

1 2 3 4 Total • #12 Emporia State 14 17 0 10 41 Pittsburg State 17 7 0 12 36 Date: October 22 Location: Carnie Smith Stadium, Pittsburg, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:29 Game attendance: 8,763 Game weather: Clear, 73°F Referee: Craig Helser

Fort Hays State

Fort Hays State at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Fort Hays State 3 0 0 13 16 • #10 Emporia State 7 0 7 10 24 Date: October 29 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:54 Game attendance: 6,103 Game weather: Mostly sunny, 81°F Referee: Dwight Neibling

Missouri Western

Emporia State at Missouri Western

1 2 3 4 Total • #9 Emporia State 3 7 0 17 27 Missouri Western 7 7 0 0 14 Date: November 5 Location: Spratt Stadium, St. Joseph, MO Game start: 1:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:48 Game attendance: 4,017 Game weather: Slight overcast, 70°F Referee: Sean Johnston

Washburn

Emporia State at Washburn

1 2 3 4 Total • #9 Emporia State 0 17 7 6 30 Washburn 0 3 0 0 3 Date: November 12 Location: Yager Stadium, Topeka, KS Game start: 1:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 2:53 Game attendance: 6,789 Game weather: Clear and sunny, 58°F Referee: Craig Helser

Minnesota–Duluth

Minnesota–Duluth at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total #13 Minnesota–Duluth 13 7 6 0 26 • #9 Emporia State 14 14 14 17 59 Date: November 19 Location: Francis G. Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 1:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:01 Game attendance: 5,014 Game weather: Sunny and cool, 46°F Referee: Abram Anaya

For the first time in school history, Emporia State was selected to host an NCAA postseason football game.[15]

Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total #9 Emporia State 0 13 0 0 13 • #1 Northwest Missouri State 17 14 3 10 44 Date: November 26 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 5,119 Game weather: Sunny and clear, 51°F Referee: Craig Hesler

References

1. Weast, Donald (February 18, 2016). "New Turf Project Underway at Welch Stadium" (Press release). Emporia State University Athletics. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
2. "Emporia State University Athletics - Facilities - Welch Stadium". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
3. Weast, Donald (August 29, 2016). "#24 Emporia State Football Opens Up Against #1 Northwest Missouri" (Press release). Emporia State University Athletics. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
4. "Higgins, Garin". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
5. "MIAA". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
6. "Emporia State Football Slated for Third In MIAA Coaches Poll". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
7. "NWMSU Tops Football Polls". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
8. "Emporia State Football is in Sporting News Preseason Top 25". Retrieved August 4, 2015.
9. "Emporia State University Athletics - Emporia State Football Ranked #12 in Lindy's Preseason Rankings". June 15, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
10. "Northwest Missouri State No. 1 in Preseason AFCA Poll". August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
11. Weast, Donald (August 15, 2016). "Emporia State Football Ranked in AFCA Top 25 to Start Season" (Press release). Retrieved August 19, 2016.
12. "Top 25 Poll". D2football.com. August 22, 2015. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
13. "Coaching Staff". Emporia State Athletics. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
14. "Emporia State University Athletics - 2016 Football Schedule". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
15. "Emporia State University Athletics - #9 Emporia State Football to Host NCAA Playoff Game". Esuhornets.com. November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.