1 September 2023
EMPORIA (KSNT) – The first game of Emporia State football’s season went well for the home crowd.
The Hornets hosted Lincoln on Thursday night in the season opener. After a back-and-forth first few drives, Emporia State laid on the gas, winning 56-10.
Emporia State started on offense with business as usual. Two minutes into the game, Braden Gleason found Tyler Kahmann for a 13-yard touchdown.
On the Blue Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, quarterback Xzavier Vaughn used the quarterback option for an 85-yard score to tie the game at 7-7. The Hornets responded right away with a two-yard touchdown from Gleason to Kahmann again to retake the lead, 14-7.
Scoring stalled through the rest of the first quarter and to start the second. Then, the Hornet offense picked up where it left off. Gleason found Kahmann for a 15-yard touchdown pass, taking a 21-7 lead.
With two minutes left in the second quarter, Gleason looked to pass, but ran it in for a touchdown to put the Hornets up 28-7 at the break.
Halftime adjustments kept the offense the same. Gleason found Kahmann for a 36-yard touchdown five minutes in, Kahmann’s fourth of the night. After a Blue TIger field goal, Gleason threw another touchdown, this one to Jordan Barnard, to give Emporia State a 42-10 lead through three quarters.
Backup quarterback Chase Ricke played the end of the third quarter through the rest of the game. True freshman Trenden Collins caught a pass from Ricke at the Hornet 26-yard line and took it 76 yards for a touchdown.
A few minutes later, Ricke threw a pass to Chris McGee for a two-yard touchdown. That’s where scoring ends, with Emporia State beating Lincoln, 56-10.
Gleason finished with an impressive statline of 42-49, 442 yards and five touchdowns, with 22 yards and a touchdown rushing.
Kahmann finished with nine catches for 106 yards and four touchdowns. Jaylen Varner finished with ten catches for 106 yards.
Both Montrell Wilson and David Johnson picked up an interception for the Hornets.
Emporia State starts the season 1-0, with a game at MIAA preseason No. 2 Northwest Missouri State on Thursday, Sept. 7.