Secret to standout

FIle photo by Travis Rosenau
Martin Luther College defensive end Andrew Esmay (9) spins away from a Westminster blocker during a home football game on Oct. 26 at MLC.

NEW ULM — For someone who sat out his freshman year of college football by choice, Martin Luther College defensive end Andrew Esmay is no longer the Knights’ best kept secret.

Long gone are those days for the 6-foot-6 defensive end as he’s now arguably the team’s top defensive playmaker. Esmay, a 2022 graduate of Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin, is the Division III leader in sacks (12.5) and forced fumbles (6) and recently helped the Knights roll by Westminster 46-14 at home this past Saturday to move to 5-2 on the season.

That game also gave Esmay the MLC record for the most sacks in a single season, passing Ben Ewings, who had 11 sacks in 2013.

Esmay said the records and highlights are great accomplishments, but he cares more about seeing his team succeed.

“It’s a great thing to be able to have and lead in those categories,” Esmay said. “But what matters to me is what we’re doing as a team, that we’re winning, stats aren’t as big of a deal, but it is really cool to be able to lead that and hopefully keep leading it at the end of the season, just keep doing what I can do, do my job for my team.”

Using all of his 210-pound frame to get around big offensive tackles, Esmay also knows he has to be crafty and quick with speed rushing if he wants to bring down opposing quarterbacks.

“My favorite [move] is definitely ghost rush, just try to line up outside and beat them under and beat them to the edge because I’m a lot faster than those guys,” Esmay said. “And the spin move, always love the spin move, always catches them off guard.”

Esmay said he played football for fun in high school and never saw himself as the team’s best player on either sides of the ball as he played right tackle and defensive end.

“Luther Prep I played all four years and I was a right tackle and defensive end all four years,” Esmay said. “In middle school, I was actually a wide receiver and running back, so I thought going into high school that’s what I’d do. But at Luther Prep, it isn’t a huge school, so you’re big, you go on the O-line and also play D-line. And I wasn’t — I was pretty good — I wouldn’t say I was a menace or not [laughs], but I had fun, we were a pretty good team.”

Esmay’s collegiate football career almost didn’t happen, however, as he originally brushed off the idea since he just wanted to study to become a pastor.

“I always thought I wanted to be a chiropractor and the last day of my senior year, I decided I wanted to try this out [at MLC], and so I got here,” Esmay said. “I didn’t do football my freshman year, I thought it was pretty dumb to do sports in college, especially when I know I’m just going to be here to be a pastor, which is what I’m studying to do, and my dad’s a pastor. I love seeing what pastors do, so that kind of motivated me to want to be one.”

Esmay’s thoughts on playing sports in college changed after his freshman year at MLC, and fellow junior teammate and Knights wide receiver Thomas Koelpin and Knights head football coach Paul Huebner are big reasons why.

“My close friend [Thomas] joined late his freshman year and he kind of encouraged me to do it,” Esmay said. “I didn’t really think much of it at the time, but then coach Huebner reached out to me, ‘We’d love to have you on the team, love to see what you can do.’ And then I joined spring football, ‘All right, I’ll come to a few practices and see how it is,’ and I really liked it, so I just stuck with it.”

Esmay’s first year of college football during his sophomore year wasn’t a pain-free transition as he played five games and finished with 12 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. The big reason for that, however, as that he was dealing with an injury that eventually ended his season prematurely.

“I broke my pinky my second game [last season],” Esmay said. “It was not fun. … Somewhere in the middle of the season they took my club off and I couldn’t play anymore for the rest of the season.”

Back at full health this season, Esmay saw himself recently named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after his standout performance against Westminster, a game in which he had three tackles, two sacks and forced two fumbles, one he recovered and took 51 yards for a touchdown in the second half.

“Every day I get off that field, I thank God for allowing me to stay healthy and keep playing,” Esmay said. “Being hurt and knowing what that’s been like, it’s really created a desire in me to wanting to just keep playing and stay healthy.”

With the Knights’ last five-win season coming in 2021 (5-4), Esmay has obviously played a big role in the success the team has had this year. However, he credits having some of the best coaches in DIII as a reason for the Knights’ success this year.

As for the rest of the season, Esmay has playoffs in mind.

“Our goal, I would say, we want to win out and make playoffs and see what we can do there,” Esmay said.

The Knights will look for another win this Saturday on the road in St. Paul against Northwestern in UMAC action. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff.