
Emporia State hosted their First Snap Scrimmage at Welch Stadium on April 18.
The Emporia State football team held this year’s spring scrimmage on April 18 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Welch Stadium to prepare for the fall football season. The Hornets will begin the 2025 season on Aug. 28 at home against Minot State.
The event began with special teams work, jog-throughs and individual work. The team later split up seven on seven before the Championship Drive followed by another special teams period. The Hornets performed tackle drills before proceeding with another Championship Drive.
“I think (the spring scrimmage) brings a sense of camaraderie along with knowing we have the ability to showcase our talents in front of friends and loved ones,” said Yanci Spiller, a redshirt freshman for the Hornets.
During the half, Hornet football recognized seniors who played during the 2024 season and introduced the recruiting class. Following a highlight video, the Hornets went on to play a live scrimmage to close out the first snap.
“My favorite part was being able to have fun with my teammates and getting to see the families come out and get to watch us play,” said redshirt freshman linebacker Conner Neil. He said that he feels the event helps bond together the community and the team. “It gets the community out to see what we’ve been working on. It’s always fun when the community comes out and supports us, always.”
Freshman defensive back Nate Benford appreciated the crowd the spring scrimmage game brought. He shared how it shows the impact the community and event has on their team.
“I think it impacts our team bonding,” said Benford. “It was fun to go out and compete against the people we will play with in the fall. We have been participating in community service activities throughout the spring so it was nice to have the community support in return and be involved in our success.”
Spiller says he expects good things coming for ESU football this year.
“I’m most excited to see how we take our new team from last year to build off of our culture and construct our identity in this conference,” he said. “We have plenty of talent and to see it all come into fruition will be an amazing experience.”