Box Score The Bears opened up MACCC South Division play Thursday against Pearl River on the right foot as the rushing attacked shined in a 35-20 home win over the Wildcats.
 
"I'm just excited for these kids, at the end of the day that is what it is all about," Southwest head coach Les George said. "They put in the work this past week and it is like what we talk about every week, you are going to reap what you sow."
 
As a team, the Bears (2-1, 1-0 MACCC South) finished the night with 456 total yards of offense with 271 of those coming on the ground, led by sophomore Jalen Williams who set a new collegiate career-high with 178 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries.
 
"I just put my (offensive) line first, trust them and hit the hole," he said. "Our O-Line stepped up tonight, our defense stepped up tonight. This is a big comeback compared to last week."
 
Southwest got off to a bit of a slow start as the Wildcats maneuvered their way down the field but the hosts caught a break when a 28-yard field goal attempt by the visitors was missed.
 
The Bears took advantage as quarterback Charlie Fair led a drive highlighted by a 23-yard pass to Tahj Williby and a 15-yard pass to Bryhsen Smith, a 12-yard pass to Isaiah Jones and a 17-yard run by Williams. The 11-play, 80-yard drive wrapped with a Chris Hunter two-yard touchdown plunge and with the Sergio Neyra PAT, the Bears took a 7-0 lead with 7:52 to go in the opening quarter.
 
After the Bear defense stepped up and forced punts on two-consecutive Wildcat drives, the Southwest offense shined once again early in the second quarter when Fair found some room and took it in from four yards out making the score 14-0.
 
A three-and-out from the Southwest defense kept the momentum on the home side and the offense capitalized. Another run-heavy drive ended with a Hunter one-yard touchdown run increasing the Bear lead to 21-0.
 
That score stayed true for the remainder of the first half as the Bear defense continued to be a thorn on the side of Pearl River.
 
With 9:32 to go in the third quarter, it was Will Smith's turn to shine as the freshman rumbled into the end zone on a 15-yard run making it a 28-0 game.
 
An unfortunate Bear turnover on deep in the red zone put the brakes to the ensuing Southwest offensive possession and the Wildcats used the swing in momentum to their advantage scoring their first points three plays into the following drive on a 77-yard run, cutting the Southwest lead down to 21 at 28-7.
 
In the fourth, the Bears got those points back as Williams continued his big night with a 30-yard touchdown run pushing the lead to 35-7.
 
"Before the play, I knew that we were going to run an outside zone play and I told the line to contain the side and when I cut back inside I saw green," Williams said.
 
The Wildcats managed scores on their next two drives, but it wasn't enough in the end as the Bears ran out the clock and walked away with the 15-point win.
 
In addition to Williams' big night Hunter was also strong with 40 yards and two scores on nine carries. Fair finished 14-of-22 for 185 yards and added a rushing touchdown. The leading receiver for Southwest was Isaiah Jones who had four catches for 76 yards.
 
Defensively BJ Mitchell, once again, led the Bears in tackles with six. He was joined by Justin Foster who got his first start Thursday and also had six tackles, 2.5 for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
 
The Bears will be back on the road on September 20 as they visit Mississippi Gulf Coast. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.