The 2025 season was a challenging one for the Emmaus High School football team.

The Hornets finished the year 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. It was a down year in terms of wins and losses, but they still completed one of their goals and earned a spot in the District 11 playoffs.

“This season certainly came with its share of challenges and adversity,” said Hornet head coach Harold Fairclough. “While the results weren’t what we hoped for, our team continued to compete, learn and grow through every experience. We were able to identify areas that need improvement, and that growth will be valuable as we move forward.

“Qualifying for the district tournament was a great opportunity for our players. It showed their resilience and willingness to keep fighting through adversity. Despite the ups and downs, the team continued to work hard and earned the right to extend our season. I believe the players truly appreciated the chance to represent our program and community one more time on that stage.”

The playoff game was a rematch of the district semifinal from a year ago, but this time Emmaus and Easton met in the quarterfinal round on Friday, October 31. Unlike in 2024 when the Hornets upset the Red Rovers to advance to the championship game, top-seeded Easton got the better of Emmaus this season, winning 28-7 at Cottingham Stadium.

“Easton executed their game plan very well,” Fairclough said. “They controlled the line of scrimmage, ran the ball effectively, and made big plays in key moments. Their defense was disciplined and limited our opportunities.”

Emmaus senior quarterback Jerek Cooper finished the season with 532 yards passing and four touchdowns, along with 865 yards rushing and nine scores.

Junior Jay Santos led the ground game with 997 yards on 180 carries and 16 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Jamaad Sanders had team-highs of 11 receptions for 238 yards. Sophomore Ty Laird recorded a team-best three receiving touchdowns.

Defensively, senior Robert Edwards led the way with 84 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks. Senior Asher Dougherty tallied 55 tackles, 19 for loss and three sacks. Junior Mason Lenig contributed 35 total tackles and eight for loss. Senior Brian Brown had 24 tackles, while Santos added 25.

There were 22 senior members of the program that played their last game in Easton and will graduate this year. Fairclough appreciates all their hard work and dedication to making the program better.

“Our senior class has meant a great deal to this program,” said Fairclough. “They’ve shown commitment, toughness and leadership through both good times and tough ones. We ask a lot of our players, and these seniors consistently gave their best effort and set an example for our younger guys to follow.”

The page will now turn to the 2026 team and there is a lot to look forward to according to Fairclough.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to start fresh and build on what we’ve learned,” Fairclough said. “We have a talented group of underclassmen who are hungry to step up, and this offseason will be about developing their leadership and consistency.”

Easton went on to defeat fourth-seeded Liberty 38-20 in the semifinals a week later and will meet second-seeded Parkland in the final this weekend.