DURANT, Okla. – The East Central University football team traveled south to Durant on Saturday for the Great American Classic Showdown, presented by Simmons Bank, closing out the 2025 season in a rivalry matchup that once again carried high stakes and familiar intensity. After taking care of business against the Storm last year in Ada, the Tigers aimed to duplicate that outcome on the road. Instead, a late surge came up just short as ECU fell 24–19 at Paul Laird Field.
 
ECU delivered an electric start. Less than a minute into the contest, Sergio Kennedy connected with Brooks Rigney on a 74-yard bomb, completing a two-play, 75-yard strike that put the Tigers ahead 7–0 at the 14:14 mark. After both teams exchanged punts, the Storm capitalized on their final possession of the first quarter, tying the game on a short touchdown run.
 
Southeastern seized momentum in the second quarter with a grinding 18-play drive that drained more than ten minutes of game time and ended with a 22-yard field goal, giving the home team a 10–7 lead. ECU answered at the half's final whistle as Alexander McGregor connected from 34 yards out, sending the Tigers into the locker room level at 10–10.
 
The Storm opened the third quarter with another methodical march, covering 65 yards in nine plays and punching in a touchdown to push ECU into a 17–10 deficit. But the Tigers clawed back early in the fourth when McGregor drilled his second field goal of the afternoon, a 35-yarder that narrowed the margin to 17–13.
 
Southeastern countered once again, extending the lead to 24–13 with a touchdown run at the 6:36 mark, but ECU refused to go quietly. Kennedy engineered a five-play, 48-yard drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Gordon with 1:56 remaining to trim the deficit to 24-19.
 
ECU kept its hopes alive by executing a perfectly placed onside kick, recovered by Logan Taylor to give the Tigers a final chance. That opportunity, however, ended abruptly. With the Tigers pushing into scoring territory, a late interception extinguished the comeback bid and ultimately sealed the game.
 
Sergio Kennedy completed 23 of 35 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 74-yard strike on the opening drive.
 
In his final game of his collegiate career, Brooks Rigney led the Tigers' receiving corps with 6 catches for 137 yards, including the 74-yard touchdown that opened the scoring. It was his second straight game with over 100 receiving yards and third overall. Kaden Jones provided steady production with 9 receptions for 98 yards, while Xavier Gordon added 41 yards on 3 grabs, including a late 4-yard touchdown that helped fuel ECU's fourth-quarter push.
 
Quincy Thompson paced ECU on the ground, carrying 10 times for 36 net yards with a long run of 13.
 
Amajah Lewis anchored the ECU defense with a team-high 11 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Caden Pickens followed closely with 10 stops and a TFL, while Keebler Wagoner added 6 tackles and a TFL of his own. Michael Onwuzurike was disruptive up front with 4 tackles and a team-leading 2.0 TFLs, and Nathaniel Rainey contributed 1.5 TFLs among his three stops. Christopher Campbell added a TFL and a quarterback hurry. Du'Wayne Paulhill, Alon Woodberry, and Kaleb Hamilton each registered a pass breakup, while Logan Taylor came up with his first interception of the season.
 
Despite the setback, ECU ends the campaign with plenty to celebrate. The Tigers finish 6–5 overall, securing a winning record and tying for the top mark on the Oklahoma side of the Great American Conference for another season of progress for the program.