Entering Thursday's MACCC South Division contest against East Central, the Bears were hoping for a repeat of last season's contest with the Warriors – a hard-fought game that ended in the favor of Southwest.
 
Unfortunately, that was not the case as the Warriors scored 21-unanswered points in the first half and rode that momentum in the second, handing the Bears a 48-15 loss.
 
"Man, we didn't play, we just didn't come to play football tonight," Southwest head coach Cliff Collins said. "That is the one thing that I can take to it, as the leader of this team. It was embarrassing and not what we are made of. That is not my team, that is not what we do. I am a winner. We weren't ready to play and East Central was ready to play tonight."
 
The Bears (1-4, 0-3 MACCC South), matched-up with the Warriors early on, answering East Central's opening drive passing score with a touchdown of their own on a 4-yard run by Keeghan Rodgers. Lyndell Boatman added the PAT, tying the game at 7.
 
East Central re-took the lead two drives later with another passing touchdown, jumping ahead 14-7. The Bears, looking to answer, had an unfortunate set-back as a Warrior interception not only squashed their hopes but gave the visitors the ball once again with ideal field position. Four plays later, a short touchdown run made it a 21-7 game.
 
Down, but not out the Bears responded with a strong 74-yard drive that unfortunately wrapped on an unsuccessful 4^th and goal attempt as a run up the middle was stuffed at the 2-yard line. Southwest looked to keep East Central at bay deep in their own territory but the Warriors got a big pass play to not only get out of trouble but move the ball near midfield. Seven plays later, the Warriors scored once again extending their lead to 28-7.
 
The Bear defense buckled down a bit in the third quarter, but the Warriors connected on a field goal, making it a 31-7 game.
 
Another one in the early stages of the fourth extended the East Central lead to 34-7, however the Bears answered right back. Quez Goss entered the game not only in relief of starter Amarien Jefferson but also seeing his first action since suffering an injury in Week 2. The freshman from Scott Central led the Bears down the field on a 9-play, 61-yard drive which was mostly made up of complete passes to Za'Quwon Moss, Rodgers and Tyler Daniels. The drive culminated with a 3-yard touchdown run by Rodgers for his second score of the night. Boatman's PAT reduced the Warrior lead to 19 at 34-15.
 
The momentum was short-lived, however as a 62-yard return on the ensuing kickoff set up a short TD run by East Central, growing the Bear deficit to 41-15.
 
Struggles continued down the stretch for Southwest against East Central who added one more touchdown at the 4:25 mark in the fourth quarter, rounding-out the scoring.
 
Rodgers finished the night with two touchdowns and 27 yards on eight carries. Daniels hauled in 7 passes for 74 yards.
 
Defensively, Javier Simmons led the charge with six tackles.
 
The Bears will be on the road for their next game as they visit Hinds in Raymond on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.