Emporia State Football Training Camp Preview: Running Backs + S-Backs

Football | 8/10/2023 5:44:00 PM

August 10, 2023-The Hornet running backs combined for 1,460 yards last season on 327 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per rush. Individuals had 100 yards rushing in three games while as a group they went over 100 yards in six games.
 
Billy Ross Jr. was the leading running back for the Hornets last year with 713 yards on 148 carries and eight touchdowns. He was named third-team All-MIAA after finishing fifth in the MIAA in both rushing touchdowns and rushing yards.  A member of the Hornet track & field team he ran a career best 10.67 in the 100m at the 2021 MIAA Championships.
 
Kingsley Bennett had 41 carries for 146 yards as a true freshman and finished with 264 all purpose yards. Also a member of the ESU track & field team, he had a career best 10.57 in the 100m at the 2023 MIAA Championships.
 
Super senior Jack Petz has moved back and forth between running back and S-Back at Emporia State. He gained 39 yards on 13 carries last season. He had a career high nine carries for 63 yards against Lincoln in 2021.
 
Devin Johnson is in his third year with the Hornets. He was the All-City Athletic Conference Player of the Year and had over 1,000 all purpose yards and 11 touch-downs as a senior for John Marshall HS in Oklahoma City.
 
The Stinger Back is a hybrid position between a tight end, receiver and full back for the Hornets.
 
Tommy Zimmerman was an honorable mention All-MIAA selectin at tight end/fullback last season. He had 24 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns last season. He had nine catches for 99 yards against Neb.-Kearney as a freshman.
 
Jordan Barnard made the travel squad for Emporia State as a true freshman. He was a KFBCA All-State tight end, a 2020 Grasslands All-Star Team First-Team tight end, a Sports In Kansas Class 1A All Senior State Team tight end, a Topeka Capital First-Team All-State tight end and a Wichita Eagle First-Team All-State wide receiver for Olpe HS.
 
RUNNING BACK NOTES:
Jack Petz is the only senor listed among the nine running backs.
Three of the nine running backs are from Kansas, two are from Oklahoma, two are from Missouri, and one each from Texas and Colorado.
 

#	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Cl	Hometown	High School	Previous School
5	Billy Ross Jr	RB	5-9	183	R-Jr.	Oklahoma City, OK	Heritage Hall HS
20	Devin Johnson	RB	6-1	192	R-So.	Oklahoma City, OK	John Marshall HS
22	Max Middleton	RB	5-11	183	R-Fr.	Andover, KS	Andover HS
24	Kingsley Bennett	RB	5-7	163	So.	Garland, TX	Naaman Forest HS
25	Jordan Clay	RB	5-10	176	Jr.	St. Louis, MO	Christian Brothers College HS	William Jewell
30	DeAndre Thomas	RB	5-8	180	R-So.	Blue Springs, MO	Blue Springs HS	Kansas
32	Jack Petz	RB	6-0	198	R-Sr.	Lenexa, KS	St. James Academy
	Diego Cearns	RB	5-10	190	Fr.	Aurora, CO	Eaglecrest HS
	Trey Sommer	RB	6-2	195	Fr.	Humboldt, KS	Humboldt HS

 
S-BACK NOTES:
Two of the four S-Backs are from Kansas, two are from Oklahoma.
Casey Harelson is the younger brother of former Hornet and current linebacker coach Cade Harelson.
 

#	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Cl	Hometown	High School	Previous School
8	Tommy Zimmerman	SB	6-2	231	R-Jr.	Overland Park, KS	Blue Valley Southwest HS
85	Casey Harelson	SB	6-7	234	R-Fr.	Davenport, OK	Davenport HS
88	Jordan Barnard	SB	6-1	222	So.	Olpe, KS	Olpe HS
	Zach Stein	SB	6-1	210	Fr.	Collinsville, OK	Collinsville HS

 
###HORNETS###
 
This is the third of nine position group previews during Hornet Football Training Camp. Tomorrow the offensive line will be previewed.