The Emmaus High School football team had one of its best seasons in program history in 2024.

The Hornets finished 10-3 overall and on top of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s West Division. They won two games in the District 11 6A tournament to advance to just the third final in the team’s history.

“I believe we had a great season,” said Emmaus head coach Harold Fairclough. “It was awesome to see the progress week in and week out. We battled some key injuries throughout the season which allowed some kids to get on the field and showcase their hard work and talent. It also created some depth for us as we moved into the second half of the season and the playoffs. We overcame two tough losses to put ourselves in position to make a postseason run. I think our team showed a lot of character and grit by being able to refocus each week and continue the process of getting better one step at a time.

“We made an awesome postseason run which started by beating our rival and winning the West Division title. We went on to play some of our best football in November, which is when you want to be playing your best football. We were able to shutout Nazareth and beat a very talented Easton team that beat us in overtime in week 5. We made the district finals for the third time in school history. We came up short in the finals, but it was a hell of a run with a great group of kids.”

Fourth-seeded Emmaus had a dominant quarterfinal game at districts, shutting out fifth-seeded and defending champion Nazareth, 35-0. The Green Hornets followed that up with a close, one-point victory (20-19) in overtime at Easton in the semifinals. But the Trojans got some revenge in the final, erasing the memory of an Emmaus win in the regular season finale to turn the page and win 17-3 in the championship game on November 15th.

“I believe the difference was their level of effort and energy versus what we brought to the game,” Fairclough said. “In the first match up we played with a tremendous amount of effort and energy which led to a 27-0 shoutout. In the second match up they played with a higher level of energy, effort, and execution.”

The senior group has been one of leadership and they left their mark on the program, taking them back to the district final and bringing a divisional title.

“This group of seniors showed a lot of grit, leadership, and determination,” said Fairclough. “I don’t think many people expected them to lead this program to a district final. They were a hardworking group that lived up to the standard and expectation of this program and we are forever grateful for that.”

The Hornets are poised to be back in a similar position next season with the group that will be returning.

“We have a core group of these guys back,” Fairclough said. “I’m excited for this next group to put their own stamp on the program. I’m excited to get back in the weight room and start working hard to get back to the finals.

“It’s exciting to see how each group handles the expectations and how they live up to the standards of the program. I believe we have a talented group of rising sophomores that went undefeated at the freshman level and we had a JV team that finished 9-1. I look forward to working with this group.”