The Emporia State football team built two 18-point leads then held off a Fort Hays State comeback to beat the Tigers for the third-straight year 45-42 at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays, Kan. on Saturday afternoon in their regular season finale. ESU started the game much like last week with points to end their first five drives of the game to build a 31-20 lead at halftime. The Hornets scored first after halftime on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Braden Gleason to Jaylen Varner to make it 38-20 Hornets, but the Tigers notched back-to-back scores to cut the deficit to 38-35 near the end of the third quarter. The Hornets caught a break early in the fourth when a 57-yard Ross Brungardt punt was fumbled by FHSU and then recovered by Tyler Schultze at the Tiger 12-yard line and Braden Gleason capitalized with his sixth passing touchdown of the day finding Tayler Kahmann for the third time. Fort Hays State scored with 43 seconds to play but couldn’t recover the onside kick. Head coach Garin Higgins said the Tigers had his respect and attention coming into the game.
Senior defensive end Jordan Williams said the Hornets had to work for the win.
Emporia State wraps up the regular season 8-3 and 7-3 in the MIAA. The 2023 season is tied for the 10th most wins in ESU history and is the fourth instance of back-to-back seasons with at least eight wins in program history, three instances of which have come under Coach Higgins’ tenure. Gleason finished 30-for-40 for 369 yards and a career-high six touchdowns, passing former Central Missouri quarterback Eric Czerniewski for the all-time MIAA career passing touchdown record with 109. Tyler Kahmann caught nine balls for 119 yards for three touchdowns becoming the ESU record-holder for single-season touchdowns with 18. Sage Sieperda led E-State with 12 tackles including six solo stops while Chance Rodriguez picked up seven tackles and two sacks.
Emporia State will wait to see if they receive a bid to a bowl game this weekend. That would be played on December 2. If they do not, the Hornets open up the 2024 season in the Turnpike Tussle against Washburn at Welch Stadium on Thursday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m.
