Box Score
DURANT, Okla. – A fourth-quarter meltdown saw East Central score 28 points in the final frame and Southeastern fell 31-17 in the season finale against the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Norris Field in Ada, Okla.
The loss ends the year for the Savage Storm at 4-6 overall and 2-6 in Great American Conference play.
The loss is the third in-a-row for SE in the series against the Tigers and brings the rivalry's record to an even 45-45-6 all time.
The loss came despite holding an advantage in total offense, 304-to-238, and outgaining the Tigers in both rushing and passing.
CJ Kirk led the Storm on the ground with 82 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns on 16 carries.
Ladarius Abrams added 53 yards on the ground on 14 carries while
Jercolby Bradley chipped in 31 yards on 12 carries. SE finished the game with 147 yards on the ground.
Bradley and
Nick Sioson shared time at quarterback with Bradley finishing 5-of-13 for 59 yards, while Sioson entered the game in the fourth quarter and finished 6-of-13 for 98 yards. In all, SE passer finished a combined 11-of-26 for 157 yards.
Anthony Gale hauled in five of those passes for a game-high 82 yards, while
Krishon Daye added three receptions for 25 yards and
Quentin Morris had 29 yards on two catches.
Despite allowing 31 points, the Storm defense held the Tigers to 238 total yards, with 122 yards on the ground and 116 yards through the air.
Logan Russell paced the SE defense with 10 tackles, including a sack.
Jacobi Crowley added nine tackles and
Izzy Eziakor chipped in eight.
Southeastern finished with seven tackles for loss, led by
Coby Ragsdale who had two.
Ragsdale, Russell and
Simeon Stevenson each recorded a sack which matched a team best for a game on the year with three sacks.
Josh Garcia also turned in his first interception late in the third quarter in the defensive red zone.
The Storm rushed out to a 17-0 lead that would hold up to be the advantage at halftime.
Chris Peoples used the wind to hit a season-long 42 yard field goal to put SE on the board with six seconds to play in the opening quarter, 3-0.
After a slow start to the second quarter, Kirk would score the game's first touchdown with a four-yard run to cap a massive 15 play, 92-yard drive that ate 7:08 off the clock to take a 10-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Storm would get a break on special teams for a change when
Chad Tucker recovered a Quamain Black fumble at the ECU 36 yard line to give SE a short field to work with.
Kirk would not waste any time using just one play to go 36 yards to the house and mount a 17-0 lead that would hold up as the halftime advantage.
Despite all the momentum the Storm built up over the first half, the Tigers would score first in the second half when Brian Gonzalez hit a 50-yard wind assisted field goal to make the score 17-3.
Titus Mobley would score on the first play of the fourth quarter to trim the Storm advantage to 17-10.
After the Storm offense went three-and-out ECU would knot the score at 17-17 after driving the ball 43 yards on six plays before Spencer Bond punched it in from one yard out.
SE would get the ball back with 10:33 to play and after Bradley left the game shaken up, Sioson would hit
Anthony Gale for a 38 yard connection on third-and-11. However, on the next play Sioson would turn to pitch but Armonty Bryant would get a hand on it and pick up the loose ball and rumble 50 yards to put the Tigers in front 23-17 after a missed PAT.
Another SE three-and-out would give ECU the ball with 7:07 to play and the Tigers would go 66 plays on seven plays before Bond would score from 16 yards out and after Bond tacked on a two-point conversion East Central would lead 31-17.
