SE Opens Season at Home against HSU

Football | 9/2/2015 9:39:00 PM

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern football opens up the 2015 season on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at Paul Laird Field and will aim to start off the season right with high expectations after posting a 7-5 season a year ago and playing its first postseason game in a decade.
 
Thursday will also be the first opportunity for Savage Storm fans to catch the action on the all-new Southeastern Sports Network which features six affiliates throughout the southeastern corner of the state.
 
Jay Lindly will bring you the action along with Joey McWilliams, Ed Meacham and Bob Sullins with the game carried locally in Durant on Mix 96.1 FM.
 
SE will be out to avenge a 60-17 loss at the hands of the Reddies a season ago as well as looking to snap a five-game losing streak in the series which the Storm trails in 18-7.
 
HSU is picked to finish third in the Great American Conference preseason poll, one spot ahead of SE.
 
The Storm returns eight starters on the offensive side of the ball, with the majority of those coming at skill positions.
 
Two-time all-conference running back Devlon Wortham highlights that group of returners after posting 833 yards rushing last season, despite being hampered by an early injury, and rushed for 10 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
 
He'll be aided in the running game by Ronnie Green who had 613 yards and five scores a year ago as well as Nelson Akinwande who added 277 yards and a pair of scores.
 
The offense will also be leaning on returning quarterback Ryan Polite.
 
Polite completed 58 percent of his passes last season for 2,609 yards and 19 touchdowns, while also taking advantage of his mobility to run for 299 yards and five TD's.
 
His top receiving target from a year ago has moved on, but Franky Okafor and Kaymon Farmer return after being the team's No. 2 and No. 3 receiving options a season ago.  Okafor had 33 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns, while Farmer chipped in 48 catches for 434 yards and three scores.
 
The Storm also return quarterback-turned-tight-end Nick Sioson who had 10 catches and a pair of TD's last season.
 
The offensive line is where the biggest changes become apparent with Garrett Westphal being the only regular starter returning to this season's group.
 
Westphal will be switching sides to anchor the left tackle position, while a blend of experienced backups from last year and 2015 newcomers will fill out the line.
 
The defense returns 10 starters from last year and eight of the team's top 10 tacklers from a season ago, led by linebacker Thomas Curry who tallied 70 tackles a year ago.
 
The defensive line may be the most experience position on the field with a pair of starters who started all 12 games as well as two others on the two deep who played every game.
 
They are led by nose tackle DaMarius Lavender who racked up 46 tackles on the line a year ago with 6.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
 
Curry leads the linebacking corps, with three of the four linebacker spots featuring returners as starters and backups.
 
Trent Hannah and Kevin Jones also return after posting 48 and 47 tackles a year ago and combining for 15 tackles for a loss and three sacks.
 
In the secondary, the Storm return a pair of seasoned veterans on the corners in Jacobi Sanders and Raheem Wilson.
 
Wilson was the team's third tackler from a year ago with 59, while also adding a team-high eight pass breakups and four interceptions.  Sanders added 28 stops to go with a pick and six pass breakups.
 
The safety positions, will be led by returning starter Bobby Jackson at strong safety who returns after posting 35 tackles a year ago, while the free safety spot will feature Orlando Swift looking to step into the role of starter after logging 14 stops and a pair of pass breakups as a backup last season.
 
The special teams will return kicker Jake Walters, but will be looking to replace all-region punter Jared Heim.
 
Walters was 12-of-21 on field goals a season ago with a long of 42 and converted 41-of-44 extra points.
 
SE will be playing entirely a conference schedule for the first time thanks to the conference's recent expansion to 12 teams.
 
The Storm will face the league's newest member the third week of the season in Oklahoma Baptist on Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at Paul Laird Field.
 
The Storm will also host Southwestern Oklahoma State on Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. for homecoming, with Harding on Oct. 17, Southern Arkansas on Oct. 31 and East Central on Nov. 14 all being played at Paul Laird Field at 2 p.m.