Football | 10/26/2026 3:00:00 PM
October 26, 2026-For the first time in seven years a school has swept the MIAA Football Athlete of the Week Award presented by Field Turf. Emporia State defensive back
Clem McCullough, quarterback
Jamison Sarver and kick returner
Corey Turner II all picked up the weekly honors during the #8 Hornets 58-38 Homecoming win over Central Missouri.
It is the first time since 2019 that a school has swept the three weekly awards. Emporia State won all three awards in 2018 but had to share the special teams award that week.
In addition to leading Emporia State in tackles, McCullough delivered a game changing defensive play for the Hornets at the end of the first half. With ESU trailing 21-17 and UCM threatening to regain a double digit lead, McCullough intercepted a pass from Mule quarterback Jordan Pachot two yards deep in the endzone and returned it 100 yards to put Emporia State ahead for good with 47 seconds left in the half. In the fourth quarter he picked off Pachot again and effectively sealed the game. He finished with a game high nine tackles, seven of them solo, and a career best two interceptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. He became just the fifth MIAA player with a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown in Association history and the first since Missouri Western's Brayden Wright against Fort Hays State on September 23, 2023. He is the first Hornet with a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown since Travis lead did it at Central Oklahoma on September 9, 2007. Emporia State is the only school in the MIAA with multiple players having 100 yard interception returns.
Sarver tied his career high with four touchdown passes and threw for over 300 yards for the third time in four games as Emporia State posted their most points in a game since scoring 63 against Missouri Southern on November 4, 2023. He went 28 of 40 for 304 yards with four touchdowns against the Mules after having to leave the previous game with an injury in the second half. He connected with ten different players in the passing game and added 16 rushing yards on just three carries. It is the second time in two starts against UCM that he has brought the Hornets back from a double digit deficit against the Mules, as ESU overcame a 27-17 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter last year in Warrensburg in Sarver's first career start.
Turner became the first Hornet since 2014 to return a kickoff for a touchdown and in the process gave Emporia State a double digit lead to start the second half. With Emporia State leading 24-21, Turner caught the opening kick off of the second half at his own nine yard line and took it up the left sideline 91 yards to push the lead to 31-21 just 11 seconds into the second half. Turner would end up with four kick returns for a total of 151 yards and ended the game with 162 all purpose yards. He became the first Hornet since Austin Willis against Neb.-Kearney on November 15, 2014 to return a kick off for a touchdown and is the longest kick return for a touchdown by a Hornet since Ryan Hulings had a 92 yard return against Missouri Western on October 15, 2005. It is just the fourth kick return for a touchdown in the MIAA this season and the third longest one of the year in the Association.
The #8 Hornets return to action on Saturday, October 31 when they travel to #11 Northwest Missouri for a Halloween Top 15 match up. It will be the ninth time in 11 seasons Emporia State has travelled to Maryville, Mo. Kick-off from Tjeerdsma Field in Bearcat Stadium is set for 2:00 p.m.
NOTES
The last time a school swept the MIAA Football Athlete of the Week was on November 11, 2019 when Northwest Missouri's Braden Wright earned the Offensive Award, Spencer Phillips the Defensive Award and Parker Sampson the Special Teams Award.
A Hornet earned all three MIAA Athlete of the Week awards on October 29, 2018 when Braxton Marstall earned the Offensive Award,
Jace McDown the Defensive Award and Justin Brown shared the Special Teams Award with Northwest Missouri's Parker Sampson.
