The heartache from last week's loss at Pearl River was quickly washed away as the Bears began preparations over the weekend for the final contest in the 2023 season against Holmes Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
 
"We are good, it is week in and week out," Southwest head coach Cliff Collins said. "The attitude of the players – I have a good group of guys. (Monday) we had a great practice. Attitude is everything, they have been upbeat and I told them don't let one moment or one play define you."
 
While Collins says that his guys are ready for the challenge of recovering after a tough loss, the Bulldogs enter this week's game in a similar situation having come up short last week, falling 36-28 to Northwest during Homecoming.
 
Collins adds that his guys have to be in the right frame of mind entering Thursday and try to limit the turnovers.
 
"The turnovers, those were self-inflicted wounds," he said. "They understood, everybody was called out and everybody knew whose fault it was. There was no finger-pointing but identifying what went wrong. It wasn't one phase of the football game that lost the game. Special teams, offense and defense, we all had problems and we all did things that we could have improved on to win that game Thursday and we didn't do that as a collective whole."
 
Thursday's game also marks the final for 30 sophomores who will be recognized before the game.  
 
"Let's make an everlasting memory and you want to win your last game," Collins said. "For those sophomores this is going to be their last junior college game and in a Southwest uniform. They are going to go on and come back 20 years from now and talk about those moments and memories that they had. That is what it is all about."
 
In order to make it a complete joyous occasion, the Bears will be looking to pick up the win over a tough Bulldogs team.
 
"I talked to Coach (Marcus) Wood this morning and he and I know each other," Collins said. "We know each other well and we were on the same staff as well. They are an up tempo team and they are going to have energy. We just can't give up big plays and they have one of the best receivers in the state (Deion Smith). Offensively, we just can't turn the ball over."
 
The Bears will counter with an offense led by Quez Goss who will be making his just his second start of the season and first since Week 2 when he threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-39 passing against Coahoma.
 
Collins and his team know the magnitude that a win will bring with it being a joyous occasion.
 
"Just getting a victory for these sophomores and getting a victory for these fans, they deserve it," he said.
 
The Bears and the Bulldogs kick off Thursday at 6:30 p.m.