ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – The Elizabeth City State University football team returns to Roebuck Stadium this Saturday in the first time in three weeks for one of the most anticipated days of the year — Homecoming and Senior Day. ECSU looks to finish the season on a high note, fueled by a spirited home crowd and a week of Viking pride across campus as they host the Bluefield State Big Blue in a CIAA showdown to close out the 2025 regular season.

The Seniors
The Vikings will also be putting everything on the field for their 18 seniors playing in their last home game at Roebuck Stadum. The seniors below will be recognized before the game at 11:30 am.

#3 Sterling Avery Chavis III
#4 Edrith "EJ" Gatling Jr.
#5 Christopher Perkins III
#8 D'Andre Tolson
#11 Micah Lowry Jr.
#12 Kofi Kwaw
#13 Christopher Calhoun III
#15 Wilbert Smith IV
#20 Dolphis Caldwell II
#33 Tavias Higgs
#41 Bryson Seaborne
#44 Jordan Evans
#54 Darius Satterfield
#59 Zaire Bacon
#87 DJ Austin
#99 Malcolm Smith
Rashard Biggs
Brayson Seaborne

Last Time Out – Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City State rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit to stun Bowie State, 28–27, in one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.

Trailing 27–7 midway through the third quarter, the Vikings stormed back with 21 unanswered points, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Navian Hilliard to Terrance Holland with under two minutes to play.

A key interception by Manuel Montout and strong defensive stands from Chris Calhoun and Wilbert Smith IV fueled the turnaround, while Traquan Johnson powered the offense with a touchdown run and a big reception to set up the go-ahead score.

The victory marked ECSU's most thrilling win of the season — showcasing resilience, composure, and Viking pride on the road. 

Last Time Out – Bluefield State
Bluefield State fell to nationally ranked Virginia Union, 70–14, on the road at Mitchell Stadium.

Quarterback Brice Koontz threw for 213 yards and accounted for both Big Blue touchdowns — connecting on scoring passes to Brandon Wiley and Julian Crawley. Wiley led all Bluefield receivers with 78 yards, while Tyler Wilson added 30 yards on the ground.

Despite the loss, the Big Blue offense showed flashes of big-play ability, highlighted by Koontz's 37-yard touchdown strike late in the first quarter and a nine-yard touchdown pass in the fourth.

Scouting the Big Blue

QB
#16 Brice Koontz has been the leader of the Bluefield State offense this season, completing 107 of 213 passes (50.2%) for 1,798 yards and 19 touchdowns. The sophomore averages nearly 200 yards per game through the air, with a season-long completion of 74 yards.

RB's
#20 Tyler Wilson leads the Big Blue ground attack with 308 rushing yards on 94 carries (3.3 avg), highlighted by a season-long run of 30 yards.
#7 Keland Mills has added 96 yards on 24 carries (4.0 avg), providing depth and balance to the Bluefield State backfield.

WR's
The Big Blue boast one of the CIAA's most explosive receiving duos in #4 Brandon Wiley and #1 Julian Crawley. Wiley leads the team with 37 receptions for 698 yards (18.9 avg) and 9 touchdowns, averaging nearly 78 yards per game. Crawley has been equally dangerous, hauling in 28 passes for 655 yards (23.4 avg) and a team-high 10 touchdowns.

Defensive Leaders 
#0 Kamaree Wells leads the team in total tackles with 61 (45 solo, 16 assists), adding 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 4 passes defended.
#11 Michael Riley has 58 total tackles (35 solo, 23 assists), including 4 TFLs, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles, anchoring the linebacker corps.
#54 Rashad Muhammad contributes 37 total tackles (23 solo, 14 assists) with 8 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, providing a strong presence in the defensive front.
#32 Gyasi Wallace adds 25 total tackles (19 solo, 6 assists) and 4.5 tackles for loss, helping disrupt opposing offenses in the secondary and backfield.

Punt Returns 
#85 Ja'Shawn Harris has been a dynamic threat in the return game, averaging 17.9 yards per return on 8 attempts with 2 touchdowns, including a long return of 70 yards.

Scouting the Vikings

QB's
#5 Christopher Perkins has been the team's primary signal-caller, completing 124 of 206 passes (60.2%) for 1,352 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 150 yards per game with a long completion of 91 yards.

#10 Navian Hilliard has contributed 322 yards through the air with 4 touchdowns on 18 of 37 passing (48.6%), coming in relief of Perkins last week in the Viking's 20-point comeback over Bowie State.

RB's
#1 Traquan Johnson leads the Viking ground game with 448 net yards on 125 carries (3.6 avg) and 4 touchdowns, averaging nearly 50 yards per game.
#5 Christopher Perkins adds 374 yards on 88 attempts (4.3 avg) with 3 scores, including a long run of 73 yards, providing a big-play threat from the backfield.
#26 Ameil Braswell contributes 92 yards on 26 carries (3.5 avg) and 2 touchdowns, helping give depth and balance to the rushing attack.

WR's
The Vikings have done an excellent job spreading the ball around, making them tough to defend in the passing game. Multiple playmakers have emerged, keeping defenses off balance and creating opportunities all over the field.

#7 Ka'Trez Bracey leads the group with 30 catches for 404 yards (13.5 avg) and 4 touchdowns, including a long of 91 yards, averaging nearly 45 yards per game.
#4 EJ Gatling contributes 25 receptions for 261 yards (10.4 avg), providing a reliable short-to-intermediate target.
#0 Terrance Holland has 29 catches for 239 yards and 4 touchdowns, serving as a key red-zone threat.
#82 Joe Griffin is a big-play threat with 10 receptions for 167 yards and 5 scores, averaging 16.7 yards per catch.
#1 Traquan Johnson adds 11 catches for 173 yards (15.7 avg) and 2 touchdowns, showing his versatility as both a rusher and receiver.
#6 Troy Smith has 20 receptions for 195 yards and 1 touchdown, while #18 Shamar Sutton contributes 12 catches for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns, rounding out a deep, versatile receiving corps.

Defense
#21 Jaevon Branch – 53 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2 sacks; disrupts plays in the backfield.
#16 Caleb Gervais-Lynch – 16 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 QB hurry; strong interior presence.
#15 Wilbert Smith IV – 17 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble; versatile playmaker.
#19 Sir'Sean Ingram – 21 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 QB hurry; impacts run and pass.
#13 Chris Calhoun – 66 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 pass breakups, 1 QB hurry, 1 forced fumble; reliable in coverage.
#3 Sterling Chavis – 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 interceptions, 1 pass breakup; ball-hawking defensive back.
#11 Micah Lowry – 23 tackles, 2 TFL, 5 pass breakups; lockdown presence in the secondary.
#9 Manuel Montout – 16 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 QB hurries; clutch playmaker.
#44 Jordan Evans – 14 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 QB hurries; aggressive front-line defender.
#35 Sean Worthy – 19 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups; ball-hawking DB with big-play ability.

What's on the line for ECSU
With last week's 20-point comeback victory over Bowie State, the Viking's have strung together two straight wins. Another win on Saturday would improve the Vikings to 4-7, their best record since 2017. A win against the Big Blue would also give the Vikings a 4-3 CIAA record, marking the first time ECSU has had a winning conference record since 2013. Regardless of the outcome, this shows the work first year head coach Adrian Jones and his staff have put into the ECSU Football program. Although there are a good number of seniors graduating, there are also a lot of young playmakers that made their mark this season and ready to go for year two of the Adrian Jones era.