SE Stuns Nationally-Ranked Bisons, 32-31

DURANT, Okla. – After driving 91 yards for a Daulton Hatley to Skye Lowe four-yard touchdown pass with under a minute to play against No. 17/12 Harding, Southeastern would play for the win as Hatley would find Pablo Perini for the two-point conversion and a 32-31 victory on Saturday night at Paul Laird Field.
 
The Savage Storm improve to 2-0 on the season, collecting its first win over a ranked team since knocking off Southern Arkansas in 2018 while also picking up its first win over the Bisons since joining the Great American Conference, snapping a nine-game losing skid in the series.
 
"We're at home," Said Fenwick when asked about going for two. "And with their offense you never know what's going to happen. We felt like we had a good play that we put in this week. The kids were fire up about it, why not roll the dice. We're not supposed to win that game. Let's go for it, let's take the risk and let's see what happens."
 
"Our preparation and our focus the kids had this week was unreal," Fenwick continued. "This goes back to the spring when we started working on this stuff after the Emporia scrimmage. Designing a plan and installing a plan to stop this offense, and you don't stop it you just try to contain it. And you just try to have one more point than they do. The kids played so hard."
 
Midway through the third quarter the game did not look to feature much drama as the Storm had pushed its lead out to 24-10 following Deundre Wheeler's second rushing score of the night with 9:04 to go in the third.
 
However, Taylor Bissell would break a 59 yard run for a score in the third before Cole Chancey and Omar Sinclair would each add fourth-quarter rushing TD's to take a 31-24 lead with 3:45 to play.
 
The Storm would suffer a penalty on the ensuing return and start at its own nine yard line down a touchdown.
 
SE would gain the benefit of a Harding targeting penalty to convert a third and long early in the drive which would span 11 plays and was capped by Hatley's four yard score to Lowe with 46 seconds left.
 
With no hesitation SE lined up for two and Hatley would find Perini in the endzone for the 32-31 lead.
 
HU found itself in uncharted territory needing to pass as TJ Davis and Alexce Marshall would each record sacks on the final drive and Jeremiah Baltrip would break up a fourth and 18 heave to preserve the victory.
 
Hatley would finish the night with 281 yards on 27-of-40 passing with one touchdown, while Braxton Kincade would tack on a 39-yard passing TD on a trick play to Perini in the first quarter.
 
Kincade would also prove to be a popular target, hauling in seven of the eight passes thrown his way for 90 yards, while Katrell Blakely added six catches for 42.
 
Perini would finish with two grabs for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Lowe snagged two catches, one of them for a score.
 
CJ Shavers led the rushing effort with 55 yards on 14 carries, while Wheeler carried five times for 19 yards and a pair of TD's.
 
Hunter Wageneck led the Storm defense with seven total tackles, while Maalik Hall had two tackles for loss, with Davis and Marshall each recording a sack.
 
Harding would get on the board first as Grant Ennis connected on a 51-yard field goal at the 10:26 mark to take an early 3-0 lead.
 
After trading fruitless possessions, SE would pick up a pair of first downs before pulling out the trickery as Kincade would take the ball on the reverse pass and heave it to Perini down the left side for a 39-yard score to take a 7-3 lead with 3:11 to play in the first.
 
After the defense forced another stop, the offense would get rolling, this time going 80 yards on 10 plays and opening the second quarter with a 12 yard Wheeler rushing touchdown to push the lead to 14-3.
 
After yet another stop, the Storm would turn to the leg of Trey Keatts who would connect from 31 yards out with 2:56 to play in the first half for a 17-3 lead.
 
However, a pair of big plays by the Bison would see them answer in three plays on the next drive, closing the deficit to 17-10 at halftime.
 
After forcing a three-and-out to open the second half, the Storm offense would again put together a 10-play drive, this time marching 64 yards where Wheeler would score from a yard out to push the advantage to 24-10 with 9:04 to play in the third.
 
The defense would remain firm on the ensuing drive, but with under five to play in the third HU would get a 59-0yard rushing touchdown from Bissell to cut the SE advantage to 24-17.
 
One possession later that would become a 24-24 tie as the Bisons capped a drive at the 11:15 mark of the fourth quarter with a Chancey three-yard rushing score.
 
After a three-and-out for SE, HU would then take a 31-24 lead with an 11-play, 52 yard drive that was capped by a Sinclair 16-yard score with 3:45 to play.
 
That would set up the final drive heroics as Hatley would complete six passes on the final 91-yard drive, and a seventh on the two-point conversion to Perini to secure the 32-31 win.