Emmaus had their home opener Friday night at EPSD Stadium in front of a sellout crowd for the first time since the 2019 season. It was also the first time fans saw a game played on the new turf, which had its ribbon cutting ceremony prior to kickoff. Emmaus did play on the turf for the 2020 season, but a majority of those games didn’t have fans. Friday night’s game was the perfect way to welcome fans back to EPSD Stadium.
Emmaus received the opening kickoff and sophomore QB Josiah Williams led the offense out onto the field for his first series as QB1 at home. Unfortunately, his first pass attempt of the night was tipped and picked off by Ethan Neidig of Freedom. The Patriots couldn’t capitalize on the takeaway and Emmaus got the ball back. The two sides punted back and forth for a majority of the first quarter. The score after one quarter of play was 0-0.
Continuing into the second quarter, the defenses remained in control as both Emmaus and Freedom struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm. It wouldn’t be until the last drive of the first half when Emmaus found their rhythm. Williams was able to find Chase Fotta for a gain of 26. He then found Ben Thomas for a gain of 25 to set Emmaus up with first and goal. Emmaus settled for a field goal attempt, that was missed, however, a Freedom penalty gave the Hornets another chance on fourth down. Coach Fairclough elected to go for it instead of settling for a possible 3-0 halftime lead. Williams rolled out to his left and looked to find Jaden Delgado, but they couldn’t connect. The score going into halftime remained 0-0.
Freedom started with the ball in the second half, but the Hornet’s defense forced a three and out. Emmaus had their first opportunity of the second half and didn’t take long to capitalize. Williams found Jaiden Robinson for a 4- yard touchdown resulting in the first points of the game. Emmaus was in front, 7-0 with nine minutes to play in the third quarter.
Freedom continued to struggle against an Emmaus defense that was ready to earn a week-two win. However, Freedom started to utilize senior running back, Deante Crawford. He set the Patriots up with first and goal to start the fourth quarter. The score going into the fourth was 7-0 Emmaus.
With just nine yards to go to the end zone, Freedom looked to Crawford again. The senior running back did what he does best, find the end zone. The nine-yard touchdown run brought Freedom right back into the contest. The Patriots fumbled the snap on the PAT and the attempt was no good. Hornets stayed in front 7-6.
Emmaus began milking the clock and maintained a good looking drive. Facing a third and long from their own 45, it looked as if they’d be giving the ball back to Freedom. Junior RB Tylik Jarvis had other ideas, as he took the handoff from Williams and said goodbye. A 65-yard touchdown run from Jarvis, his fourth of the season, made the score 13-6 Emmaus.
The Hornets attempted a two-point conversion to try and make it a two score game. The try was unsuccessful and the score remained 13-6. With only four minutes remaining, Freedom needed to put together a scoring drive quickly. Emmaus’ defense, however, was ready to shut them down. The Patriots faced a fourth and two in their own territory, and Brian Taylor’s pass fell incomplete.
Emmaus had the ball back with 2:52 left in the game. Emmaus ran only 52 seconds off the clock due to Freedom using all three timeouts. The Hornets punted the ball back to Freedom. Emmaus punter, Brydon Crawford, got off an excellent punt, pinning the Patriots back at their own five-yard line. With 1:52 to play, and no timeouts, a tough task loomed for Taylor and the Freedom offense.
On second down, Taylor was intercepted by David Iobst of Emmaus and the Hornets took over with first and goal. The game was all but over at this point. Williams and the Hornets offense went out in victory formation, the crowd on their feet cheering, and Emmaus got a crucial week two win. The final score from EPSD Stadium was 13-6. Emmaus hits the road to take on Central Catholic next Saturday.
Following the game, I spoke with junior running back Tylik Jarvis who ran for 142 yards on 16 carries. He was delighted with the win sharing, “I’m speechless! I’m just so happy for this team.”
Coach Fairclough added what it meant to have a full capacity crowd back at EPSD Stadium, saying, “It was great to see the community out here to watch a high school football game. That’s what high school is about.” He also added, “It can’t just be for one game though. We have to do this every game.”
An overall great start to Labor Day weekend if you’re a Hornets fan as Emmaus gets their first win over Freedom since 2016.
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