2015 Emporia State Hornets football team

2015 Emporia State Hornets football
NCAA Regionals Final, L 17–38
Conference	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
2015 record	11–3 (9–2 MIAA)
Head coach	Garin Higgins (9th year)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Nardo (1st year)
Defensive coordinator	Mike LoPorto (8th year)
Home stadium	Francis G. Welch Stadium (capacity: 7,000)

2015 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#1 NW Missouri St. $^		11	–	0					15	–	0
#8 Emporia State ^		9	–	2					11	–	3
Fort Hays State		8	–	3					8	–	4
Central Missouri		8	–	3					8	–	3
Central Oklahoma		6	–	5					7	–	5
Missouri Western		6	–	5					6	–	5
Pittsburg State		6	–	5					6	–	5
Washburn		5	–	6					5	–	6
Lindenwood		3	–	8					3	–	8
Northeastern State		3	–	8					3	–	8
Missouri Southern		1	–	10					1	–	10
Nebraska–Kearney		0	–	11					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

The 2015 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2015 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937.^[1] 2015 was the 122nd season in school history.^[2] The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, who finished his fifteenth overall season, and ninth at Emporia State.^[3] Emporia State is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.^[4]

Previous season

The 2014 Emporia State Hornets football team finished the regular season 4–7, with losses to Central Missouri, Central Oklahoma, Pittsburg State, Fort Hays State, Washburn, Northwest Missouri State and Nebraska–Kearney. Due to the multiple injuries, including the starting quarterback, the Hornets were not ranked and did not make a post-season game, like the previous two years.^[5]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Along with Higgins, there are 9 assistants.

Name	Position	Seasons at Emporia State	Alma Mater
Garin Higgins	Head coach	9	Emporia State (1992)
Mike LoPorto	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach	8	Emporia State (2007)
Bryan Nardo	Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach	4	Ohio (2008)
Matt Nardo	Off. Coordinator/Recruiting Coord./Inside & H-backs/Receivers coach	1	Ohio (2005)
Nathan Linsey	Def. Secondary/Special Teams Coordinator	4	Emporia State (2010)
Justin Weiser	Strength & Conditioning/Running Backs	3	Emporia State (2010)
Tony Koehling	Offensive Line Coach	1	Ohio (2013)
Terence Coleman	Outside Receivers	3	NW Oklahoma State (2000)
Chuck Detwiler	Asst. Secondary Coach	3	Utah State (1974)
Aaron Matthews	Graduate Assistant – Defensive Line Coach	2	Emporia State (2014)
Justin Drudik	Graduate Assistant – Defensive Backs Coach	1	Nebraska–Kearney (2014)
Daniel Goodman	Graduate Assistant – Tight Ends Coach	1	Emporia State (2014)
Damon Leiss	Assistant Coach – Defensive Lines and Academics	8	Capella (1984)
Patrick Crayton	Receivers (AFCA internship)[6]	2015 season	NWOSU (2004)
Cale Cochran	Football Operations	2	Emporia State (current student)
Reference:[7]

Roster

2015 Emporia State Hornets football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 5 Brown, JustinJustin Brown So WR 6 Ervin, KavaskiKavaski Ervin Sr WR 7 Smithton, DrakeDrake Smithton Sr WR 10 Foote, MitchellMitchell Foote Jr QB 13 Reasonor, TyTy Reasonor So QB 14 Marstall, BraxtonBraxton Marstall So QB 15 Wilson, BrentBrent Wilson Sr QB 19 Proffitt, CarsonCarson Proffitt  Fr RB 27 Brown, AntonioAntonio Brown Jr RB 40 Callins, KaiKai Callins So H 45 Richards, ReeseReese Richards Jr H 46 Thierolf, ConnorConnor Thierolf Sr OL 57 Pomatto, JoeJoe Pomatto So OL 60 Anthony, GarronGarron Anthony Jr OL 62 Davis, JordanJordan Davis  Fr OL 64 Stastny, JarrettJarrett Stastny Jr OL 67 Hall, DylanDylan Hall So OL 69 McAdoo, JordanJordan McAdoo Sr OL 72 Riley, DaneDane Riley So OL 73 Pruitt, EricEric Pruitt Sr OL 74 Warhime, JakeJake Warhime So OL 76 Jenkins, BeauBeau Jenkins Jr OL 78 Janzen, BradenBraden Janzen  Fr OL 79 Sellers, KennethKenneth Sellers Sr H 80 Ball, TrentonTrenton Ball  Fr WR 81 Clothier, LoganLogan Clothier Sr WR 82 Buffalomeat, AnthonyAnthony Buffalomeat Jr H 86 Oliver, NickNick Oliver  Fr WR 87 Radel, JaylonJaylon Radel So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 2 Gentz, BrandonBrandon Gentz Sr DB 3 Mayze, AceAce Mayze Jr DB 4 Armstead, KumaniKumani Armstead So DL 9 Vinson, EddieEddie Vinson Jr DE 11 Jones, DominiqueDominique Jones Sr LB 16 McKenzie, TyTy McKenzie  Fr DB 18 Lohrentz, J.PJ.P Lohrentz Jr DB 20 Strode, JarettJarett Strode Jr LB 26 Nault, LandonLandon Nault  Fr DB 28 West, A.J.A.J. West So DB 29 Shorts, CurtisCurtis Shorts Jr LB 30 Culp, SethSeth Culp Jr LB 31 Whitley, RemingtonRemington Whitley So DB 32 Houghton, MarcusMarcus Houghton So DB 33 Monteagudo, JoshJosh Monteagudo Jr LB 34 Tetuan, JasonJason Tetuan Sr DB 35 Montgomery, ElliotElliot Montgomery  Fr DB 37 Combes, CaoleCaole Combes So LB 38 Schankie, KoleKole Schankie Jr LB 41 Ogles, JarronJarron Ogles Jr DB 42 Dickerson, TreyTrey Dickerson Jr LB 44 Robinson, JordanJordan Robinson Jr DL 47 Flemming, SteeleSteele Flemming Sr LB 50 Goodman, BrandonBrandon Goodman Jr DE 52 Walker, DonovanDonovan Walker So DE 54 Powell, LoganLogan Powell  Fr LB 55 Cleveland, GabeGabe Cleveland So DL 56 Schrader, LearLear Schrader Sr LB 58 Cason, ImmanuelImmanuel Cason  Fr DB 59 Cook, DrewDrew Cook  Fr DE 63 Bass, ParkerParker Bass So DL 65 Smith, RyanRyan Smith  Fr DL 90 Vega, NickNick Vega Jr DL 91 Harris, DarianDarian Harris  Fr DE 97 Allen, BrandonBrandon Allen Sr DL 98 Junior, JamesJames Junior Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 48 Buckingham, ReidReid Buckingham So K 49 Marcha, JustinJustin Marcha So K 92 Morton, AustinAustin Morton So K 96 Weaver, DakotaDakota Weaver So	Head coach Garin Higgins Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike LoPorto Bryan Nardo Matt Nardo Nathan Linsey Justin Weiser Tony Koehling Terence Coleman Chuck Detwiler Aaron Matthews Justin Drudik Daniel Goodman Damon Leiss Cale Cochran Patrick Crayton Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 22, 2015

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	at Missouri Southern		Fred G. Hughes Stadium • Joplin, MO		W 38–20	5,987
September 10/12	7:07 p.m./2:00 p.m.	Central Missouri		Francis G. Welch Stadium • Emporia, KS	MIAA-TV	W 45–34	5,785
September 19	2:00 p.m.	at Central Oklahoma		Wantland Stadium • Edmond, OK		W 38–28	4,502
September 26	2:00 p.m.	Northeastern State		Francis G. Welch Stadium • Emporia, KS		W 55–14	5,093
October 3	2:37 p.m.	at Lindenwood	No. 23	Harlen C. Hunter Stadium • St. Charles, MO	MIAA-TV	W 20–13	2,093
October 10	2:00 p.m.	No. 13 Pittsburg State	No. 18	Francis G. Welch Stadium • Emporia, KS		W 46–42	6,306
October 17	2:00 p.m.	at Fort Hays State	No. 13	Lewis Field Stadium • Hays, KS		L 24–27	3,094
October 24	2:00 p.m.	Missouri Western	No. 19	Francis G. Welch Stadium • Emporia, KS		W 17–3	6,056
October 31	2:00 p.m.	Washburn	No. 17	Francis G. Welch Stadium • Emporia, KS (Turnpike Tussle)		W 47–21	4,821
November 7	6:00 p.m.	at No. 2 NW Missouri State	No. 14	Bearcat Stadium • Maryville, MO	ASN	L 10–44	6,542
November 14	2:00 p.m.	Nebraska–Kearney	No. 19	Francis G. Welch Stadium • Emporia, KS		W 52–34	3,897
NCAA Division II Playoffs
November 21	1:00 p.m.	at No. 6 MSU–Mankato	No. 18	Blakeslee Stadium • Mankato, MN.		W 51–49	1,104
November 28	1:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Henderson State	No. 18	Carpenter-Haygood Stadium • Arkadelphia, AR		W 29–3	1,129
December 5	1:00 p.m.	at No. 1 NW Missouri State	No. 18	Bearcat Stadium • Maryville, MO		L 17–38	5,155
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central.

Source: ^[8]

Game notes, regular season

Missouri Southern

Emporia State at Missouri Southern

1 2 3 4 Total • Emporia State 7 10 21 0 38 Missouri Southern 3 7 10 0 20 Date: September 3 Location: Hughes Stadium, Joplin, MO Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:45 Game attendance: 5,987 Game weather: Clear, 89°F Referee: John Adams

Central Missouri

Central Missouri at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Central Missouri 14 10 7 3 34 • Emporia State 3 21 7 14 45 Date: September 10/12 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 7:07 p.m./2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 5,785 Game weather: Mostly clear, 89°F Referee: Dwight Neibling

Central Oklahoma

Emporia State at Central Oklahoma

1 2 3 4 Total • Emporia State 7 14 7 10 38 Central Oklahoma 7 7 7 7 28 Date: September 19 Location: Wantland Stadium, Edmond, OK Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 4,502 Game weather: Cloudy, 89°F Referee: Brian Moore

Northeastern State

Northeastern State at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Northeastern State 0 7 7 0 14 • Emporia State 21 21 10 3 55 Date: September 26 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:48 Game attendance: 5,093 Game weather: Sunny, 80°F Referee: Danny Harris

Lindenwood

Emporia State at Lindenwood

1 2 3 4 Total • #23 Emporia State 7 7 0 6 20 Lindenwood 0 3 7 3 13 Date: October 3 Location: Hunter Stadium, St. Charles, MO Game start: 2:37 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:57 Game attendance: 2,093 Game weather: Cloudy, 56°F Referee: John Steiger

Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total #13 Pittsburg State 14 14 7 7 42 • #18 Emporia State 7 15 10 14 46 Date: October 10 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:24 Game attendance: 6,306 Game weather: Sunny, 74°F Referee: Sean Johnson

Fort Hays State

Emporia State at Fort Hays State

1 2 3 4 Total #13 Emporia State 10 0 0 14 24 • Fort Hays State 0 6 7 14 27 Date: October 17 Location: Lewis Field, Hays, KS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:48 Game attendance: 3,094 Game weather: Overcast, 61°F Referee: Darewin Clardy

Missouri Western

Missouri Western at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Missouri Western 0 0 0 3 3 • #19 Emporia State 0 7 0 10 17 Date: October 24 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:54 Game attendance: 6,056 Game weather: Mostly clear, 63°F Referee: Craig Helser

Washburn

Washburn at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Washburn 0 7 7 7 21 • #17 Emporia State 13 24 3 7 47 Date: October 31 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:53 Game attendance: 4,821 Game weather: Overcast, 56°F Referee: Dwight Neibling

Northwest Missouri State

Emporia State at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total #14 Emporia State 0 10 0 0 10 • #2 NW Missouri State 14 14 9 7 44 Date: November 7 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 6,542 Game weather: Clear, 50s°F Referee: Craig Hesler

Nebraska–Kearney

Nebraska–Kearney at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total Nebraska–Kearney 14 6 7 7 34 • #19 Emporia State 14 7 24 7 52 Date: November 14 Location: Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 3,897 Game weather: Sunny, 69°F Referee: John Adams

Game notes, post-season

Minnesota State–Mankato

Emporia State at Minnesota State–Mankato

1 2 3 4 Total • #18 Emporia State 10 14 21 6 51 #6 MSU–Mankato 14 14 7 14 49 Date: November 21 Location: Blakeslee Stadium, Mankato, MN Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 1,104 Game weather: Cold & sunny, 28°F Referee: Bob Rose

Henderson State

Emporia State at Henderson State

1 2 3 4 Total • #18 Emporia State 0 16 6 7 29 #8 Henderson State 0 0 0 3 3 Date: November 28 Location: Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, Arkadelphia, AR Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3:35 Game attendance: 1,129 Game weather: Rainy, 43°F Referee: Dan Rankin

Northwest Missouri State

Emporia State at NW Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total #18 Emporia State 0 10 7 0 17 • #1 NW Missouri State 10 14 14 0 38 Date: December 5 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 5,155 Game weather: Clear, 40s°F Referee: Dwight Neibling

See also

• 2015 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football season

References

1. "Emporia State University Athletics - Facilities - Welch Stadium". Emporia State University.
2. History of ESU football Found on page 90
3. "Higgins, Garin". Retrieved October 13, 2014.
4. "MIAA". Retrieved October 13, 2014.
5. "Emporia State University Athletics - Emporia State Football to Open Season at Missouri Southern". Esuhornets.com. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
6. McGuire, Corbin (2015-08-15). "Former NFL veteran Patrick Crayton reunites with Garin Higgins on ESU staff". Emporia Gazette. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
7. "Coaching Staff". Emporia State Athletics. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
8. "Emporia State University Athletics - 2015 Football Schedule". esuhornets.com.