SE Downs ATU 22-5 in Home Finale

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern secured its first winning season since 2009 and snapped a three-game losing skid against Arkansas Tech with a 22-5 win on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day in the home finale at Paul Laird Field.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 6-4 on the season and 5-4 in Great American Conference play heading into its season-ending meeting with rival East Central on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
 
In addition, 19 seniors bid farewell to Paul Laird Field as the home portion of their playing careers came to an end on Saturday.
 
The defense paved the way for the Storm in a game that played like a meat grinder at times, holding the Wonder Boys to 209 yards of total offense, including just 46 yards on the ground and 163 yards through the air.
 
It is the second time this season the defense has held an opponent to less than 50 yards rushing and sixth-straight week it has not allowed a team to pass for 200 yards.
 
Chad Tucker paced that defense with seven tackles, while Jacoby Sanders and Trent Hannah each added six.
 
The Storm spread around the work on defense with seven different players tallying four-or-more tackles.
 
Sanders would snag his first interception of the season and pick up 26 yards on the return, while Thomas Curry and Kevin Jones-Dickerson each recovered a fumble.  Malique Earl and Tanner Ginavan each forced a fumble.
 
The defense also had its highest sack performance of the season with four as a team, led by the 1.5 from Ryan Harkness.
 
Offensively, the Storm did the bulk of its damage through the air as Ryan Polite was an efficient 21-for-33 passing for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  He also added the team's only rushing touchdown.
 
His favorite target was Layton Dworaczyk who had a season-high seven catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Anthony Foster added 82 yards on five catches, while Franky Okafor and Kaymon Farmer each hauled in four receptions.
 
Devlon Wortham turned in 57 yards on the ground on 18 carries, while Nelson Akinwande added 16 on seven carries.
 
Polite also had nine yards on four carries with a rushing touchdown.
 
The Wonder Boys took the early 3-0 lead with 11:29 to play in the first quarter when Randy Velazquez connected on a 52 yard field goal.
 
The Storm answered in the waning moments of the first quarter when Polite found Dworaczyk for the first time, this one a four-yard strike for a TD.
 
The snap on the ensuing PAT would get away from holder Dru Smith who would scramble to his right and hit Xavier Smith, a connection and a situation that has worked out similarly on two occasions this season and the Storm took an 8-3 lead.
 
ATU would close the gap at the 3:43 mark of the second quarter when SE would be forced to punt deep in its own territory and the Wonder Boys would block a Jared Heim punt which would roll out of the back of the endzone for a safety to make the score 8-5.
 
It was the first safety posted against Southeastern in 26 games since the 2012 ATU team snagged a rare two-pointer during the 2012 season.
 
The score would remain 8-5 at the halftime break.
 
Neither team would add to the score in the third quarter, but with 10:22 remaining in the game Polite would score on the QB sneak from a yard out to cap a five play, 82 yard drive and stake SE to a 15-5 lead.
 
The Storm would put the finishing touches on the win with 2:29 to play when Polite would find Dworaczyk for the second time on the day for a 28 yard TD toss on a six-play, 30 yard drive to mount a 22-5 lead which would hold to be the final.