Southwest Mississippi falls 13-12 to East Central to end season

Southwest Mississippi finished its football season with a 13-12 loss to East Central on Thursday, Oct. 29, in Decatur. The Bears held a 12-0 lead in the third quarter before the Warriors scored twice to take the lead.

Simon Naylor’s field goal early in the second quarter gave Southwest a 3-0 halftime advantage. On East Central’s first play after halftime, Bernard Lackey sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety, extending the Bears’ lead to 5-0.

Later in the third quarter, with East Central at the Southwest 15-yard line, Lackey forced a fumble and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. The play put the Bears ahead 12-0 with 5:02 remaining in the quarter. It was Lackey’s second fumble-return touchdown of the season.

East Central responded with a 60-yard kickoff return and a touchdown on the next play. The Warriors later scored to take a 13-12 lead with 8:47 left. Southwest’s final possession ended on a turnover on downs, and East Central ran out the clock.

Lackey recorded two sacks and a forced fumble. Miles Bass had an interception and returned it 50 yards. Caleb Bryant had 1.5 sacks, while Ryshawn Perry had half a sack. The Bears also forced another fumble, recovered by Demarcus Johnson.

Southwest ended the season 1-9. Jakhari Williams led the Bears with 1,642 passing yards and six touchdown passes, with 12 interceptions. Ronde Baker led the team in rushing with 656 yards and six touchdowns. Tahj Williby paced the receivers with 404 yards on 26 catches and three touchdowns.

On defense, Fred Nicholson led Southwest with 54 total tackles, followed by Jordan Magee with 49 and Lackey with 46. Bryant led the team with 4.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.

Source: Original Article