By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
Entering the final game of the regular season, the FHSU Football team is coming off its bye week, hoping to conclude the 2025 campaign with a victory. The Tigers (5-5, 4-4) will travel to Emporia State to take on the Hornets (5-5, 4-4) on Saturday.
FHSU played the Hornets in Emporia last season as well, winning 36-7 and depending on Saturday’s results in the MIAA, the Tigers can finish anywhere between third and seventh in the final conference standings.
With a late-season bye week, FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown and the Tigers had an opportunity to handle their schedule a little differently than usual.
“I think this bye week went well,” Brown said. “I think we had an opportunity to give the younger players a chance to show what they can do in practice, and also for the team to work on specific things and rest a little bit as well. The kids were energetic and worked hard, and so I think it went well for us.”
FHSU safety Koa McIntyre also mentioned that the bye week gave the Tigers the option to focus on areas they need to improve in a more precise way than they have during a game week.
“It’s been a long season, so it’s nice to get that chance to rest and recover a little bit,” he said. “We also had the chance to focus on ourselves more this week, and that was really good.”
The Hornets present a fast-paced style of football this season, scoring 28.9 points per game and conceding 30.3 points per game. The Tigers, on the other hand, are scoring only 19.8 points on average, but also are limiting their opponents to 25.6 points per game. Emporia averages 278 passing yards per game and will present a challenge to the FHSU defense.
“They are playing very fast, they have some quick and talented wide receivers, and their quarterback has been improving over the course of the season, so it’s going to be challenging,” Brown said.
Jakolbi Wilson, a 6’3, 315-pound defensive lineman, said it is challenging to play this fast-paced game from his perspective, but that the Tigers will be ready for it.
“It’s always more difficult for us in the offensive and defensive lines, the bigger boys, to hold on to the fast pace,” he said. “But we will make sure to put the guys that are more in shape on the field and I think we will be fine.”
The Tigers have 23 seniors on the roster, and Brown also spoke about the importance of securing a win for those players graduating from the program.
“You could see that they know it’s their last match because of the way they practiced this week. They were just focused and more intentional in their actions throughout the week,” Brown said. “I think it’s important for them to end on a positive note. I still remember my final game in high school and my final game in college, so they will remember this game for the rest of their lives, and it’s important to give them a win.”
FHSU and Emporia State will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Welch Stadium in Emporia.