WISE -- The UVA Wise football team will close out the 2025 season when they host local rival Emory & Henry Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. on the Beaty Richmond Field at Carl Smith Stadium.

It will be Senior Day and the senior football players, cheerleaders, and band members will be honored in a pre-game ceremony at 1:30 p.m. In addition, the reserved seating section will be named in honor of former UVA Wise athletic director and NFL player Carroll Dale in a ceremony following the senior day festivities.

The College will also be honoring educators at the game, and all educators and a guest can get in the game free with a school ID. They are also invited to enjoy tailgating in the Valley Lot and to stop by the McGlothlin Suite during the game.

The Cavs will wrap up the season with the chance to play spoiler for Emory & Henry, who are currently ranked ninth in the NCAA Super Region 2 rankings. The top eight teams go to the national tournament, and with automatic bids being a factor the Wasps will need a win to have a chance to get into the tournament. With local rivalries, it could come down to a lateral on a punt return going for a game-winning touchdown as time expires. Or not, something like that probably could never happen.

Playing a factor is the controversy between seventh-ranked Kentucky State and eighth-ranked Delta State. The two were supposed to play on Saturday, but Kentucky State has backed out claiming a contractual agreement between their conference and the Conference Carolinas to play a game on Nov. 15. There might be some pushback on this from the committee, so Wasp fans will be watching the Kentucky State-Shorter score with extreme interest.

GETTING WISE
- McCalan Beason has led the Cavs at quarterback over the last few games, and the freshman has gone 45-85-1 over that stretch for 652 yards and three touchdowns.
- Daniel Thomas has rushed 172 times for 815 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He needs 185 yards to be the first Highland Cavalier to surpass 1,000 yards in a season in the program's Division II era (2013-present). He already has the most yards in a season in the NCAA era. The last rusher to break the millennial milestone in a season was Ra'Shad Morgan, who had 1,485 yards in 2007. Andon Rogers has 172 yards on 29 carries and has scored three touchdowns.
- DJ Powell has 690 yards and two touchdowns from 59 receptions. Kahlil Jones has 20 catches for 386 yards and two TDs, while Peyton McClanahan has 26 catches for 379 yards with three touchdowns.
- Matt Strong has 53 tackles, with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Brub Hines III has 51 tackles, two sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and an interception.

ABOUT THE WASPS
- Emory & Henry comes into the game with a 7-3 overall and 5-3 SAC record. It is their second-best record in D-II, with last season's 9-2 overall and 6-2 SAC record slightly edging it. As stated earlier, they are currently on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and a win over UVA Wise would go a long way to help their postseason dreams.
- They have one of the top defenses in Division II as they are in the top 20 in the nation in total defense, holding opponents to 291.9 yards a game.
- Cole Lambert is the main QB, going 90-160-8 for 1,319 yards and ten TDs. Charles Mutter is 31-71-0 for 484 yards and four touchdowns.
- Jordan Jackson is the leading rusher as he has 959 yards on 198 carries. He has rushed for 16 TDs this season. Mutter is second with seven touchdowns from 39 carries for 254 yards. Rudolph Paul has 42 carries for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
- Cam Peoples leads the Wasps in receptions with 37 for 601 yards and four TDs. Jakari Mozelle has 23 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns.
- AJ Burgess has 74 tackles to lead the team, along with 5.5 tackles for loss. Kasey Branch and Tyreon Porter have 72 tackles apiece. Ean Rhea leads the team in sacks with 11.0. He ranks sixth in the nation in sacks and ninth in tackles for loss.
- Emory & Henry were the first team currently in the SAC to field a football team as they played their first games in the 1890s but soon afterwards dropped football for being too rough until the 1915 season. In that interim Carson-Newman began their program and, apart from wartime, have played continually since – earning them the place as the oldest team in the SAC.  Emory & Henry are also the only SAC school to have an offensive set named after them after Steve Spurrier popularized it at Florida in the 1990s. Wingate ran an Emory & Henry play against UVA Wise in their game here earlier this season. (It is even in NCAA Football 2026 as a play option.)
- The Wasps lead the all-time series 6-1 as the two teams did not play for many years due to being in different divisions/affiliations. The Cavs' win came in 2011, as seen on television, on a lateral on a punt return going for a game-winning touchdown as time expired.