BY MAKENNA ALLEN
PHOTOS BY ALLIE SCHWEIZER AND CORA TASSET
It’s Homecoming 2019 in Hays and the Tigers have extended their win streak to four games. In a defensive battle at Lewis Field Stadium, the Tigers defeated the Emporia State University Hornets 19-3. The Oct. 12 game marked the Tigers’ fourth victory over Emporia among the last six times the teams have met. Despite the fact that the Hornets were unable to score a touchdown, the victory was not an easy one for the Tigers.
The clashing of two strong defenses made for a slow start for both teams. From the beginning of the game, the Tiger offense ran smack into the wall of Emporia’s defense that managed last week to hold a No. 7 ranked Northwest Missouri team to less than half of their season average points and rushing yards. In fact, it wasn’t until well into the first quarter that a 34-yard field goal from kicker, Dante Brown, placed any points on the board.
With this first field goal, Brown set the school record for highest number of field goals with 38 in his career.
From that point on, the Tigers looked to build upon the foundation laid by Brown. The offense gained momentum as they scored on their next three possessions. Brown followed his field goal with another in the second quarter. Running back, DJ Hickman, added his own contribution to the score on a 23-yard TD-pass from quarterback, Chance Fuller.
Thanks to Hickman and the Tiger offense, the home team led 13-0 halfway through the second quarter. A third field goal from Brown before the half allowed the Tigers a bit more breathing room in a two-possession game of 16-0 heading into halftime.
Though the majority of the points on the board could be attributed to Brown, the five scoring possessions proved a noteworthy success against the powerful force of the Emporia defense.
Tigers’ head coach, Chris Brown, was proud of the success his offense found against the Hornets.
“I think playing a defense like that really helps your kids improve and makes them really think and understand every situation,” Brown said. “I was proud of the way our offense played. I just wish we could’ve got some more points on the board.”
The Tiger offense wasn’t the only part of the team to shine during the homecoming game. Indeed, Brown believed that his team played hard on both sides of the ball. While Emporia’s defense went to work, Fort Hays’ own defense put up a fight. They held the Hornets to just 56 rushing yards during the entire first half. The Hornets also managed to convert on just one of seven third downs during this time of play.
“I’m proud of the way those guys stepped up tonight because that’s a very good Emporia offense and we did a pretty good job of shutting them down,” Brown said.
It was only in the game’s third quarter that Emporia managed to put points on the board with a field goal after a drive deep into Tiger territory. As the second half progressed, this pattern occurred more frequently when the Hornets managed a greater number of third-down conversions.
The Tigers nearly gave up an additional three points as the Hornets drove into Tiger territory after three Tiger defensive penalties that Brown suggested must be corrected.
“It’s still too many stupid penalties, defensively,” Brown said. “They might not get those three points on the board. I think that’s what hurt us. We had 30-something yards of penalties just on that little drive alone and we can’t have those things.”
This slight shift in momentum was not enough to overcome the Tiger defense and the deficit the offense created during the game’s first half. Overall, Brown was pleased with the way in which his team united on both sides of the ball to overcome a strong football team.
“I saw improvement on both sides of the ball this week, from last week to this week,” Brown said. “I thought we played more physical today. I thought our guys played with a little bit more of an edge today and I hope that’s something we can still build off of.”
Even as the Tiger team begins to find its stride, there is no room to relax the pressure. The Tigers are now 4-2 in the MIAA. After six weeks of play, they stand with the exact record that they held at this time during the 2018 season. Even after suffering two losses, the Tigers were able to share a conference title and progress to playoffs.
At this crucial time, Brown emphasized to his team that history can repeat itself.
“We’re at the same point as last year, 4-2, not knowing what’s going to happen, but just believing in ourselves and getting better each week,” Brown said. “Last year we were 4-2 and tied for a conference championship, got ourselves into the playoffs and that’s still in line and it still can happen because there’s a lot of teams that still have to play each other.”
Brown underscored this motivation not just for his players but also for the Tiger football fans who make all the difference in the team’s success. Tonight’s game was no exception as members of the Fort Hays community packed not just the stands but also the track surrounding the football field. The game totaled 6,737 people in attendance.
According to Brown, this atmosphere had a tremendous impact on the Tigers’ performance.
“Just the sound, the noise they were making, it gave me chills down my spine just to hear them cheering us on and supporting our young men,” Brown said. “But we can’t thank our fans enough, coming here week-in and week-out, supporting these young men and being behind them. We can’t do it without them. Everybody says they’re the twelfth man and they are.”
Tiger fans, the team needs its twelfth man. Don’t forget to keep up with next week’s game as Fort Hays travels to play Pittsburg State University. The Gorillas and Tigers kick-off in Pittsburg, Ks. at 1:00 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 19.