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Michael Best Returns for his 27th year of Cairo High School Football on WGRA.  Listen as Michael calls both home and away games this fall.  For a broadcast schedule of games, click on the "Broadcast Schedule" at left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cairo Wins Again!    By: Michael Best 

Syrupmakers beat Shaw to advance to the third round of state playoffs, game is here Friday night. 

The Cairo Syrupmakers (11-1) survived a furious last minute comeback try by the Shaw Raiders(10-2) last Friday night to advance to the third round of the state AAA playoffs.  Cairo defeated the Raiders 21-14 and will now face Carver (Atlanta) this Friday night at home. Cairo's Johnathan Bryant intercepted three passes, including a potential tying touchdown in the closing minutes to preserve the victory.  Reginald Bryant went over the 1000 yard mark on the season with his 141 yard night, including two touchdown runs. 

With the game on the line, the Syrupmaker offense went to work with less than four minutes to play in the game to score the game winning touchdown with 3:32 to play.  The winning drive was highlighted by a 43 yard run by quarterback Angelo Pease, and several bruising carries by Reginald Bryant, culminating in a 3 yard touchdown burst for the game winner. 

"Our backs were against the wall, and both the offense and defense responded to preserve the win, I'm proud of the entire team, because it took a team effort to win this one,"said head coach Tom Fallaw. 

The Syrupmakers and Raiders went scoreless in the first quarter, before the Syrupmakers scored on a 6 yard run by Pease with 9:07 left in the half.  Garret Godwin's extra point gave Cairo a 7-0 lead which they held on to until the half.  The third quarter featured another scoreless defensive battle.  The Syrupmakers increased their lead to 14 when Reginald Bryant busted in from 6 yards out and Godwin's extra point made it 14-0 with 8:59 to play in the game. 

After the second touchdown, the Raider's conduct on the field began to deteriorate, as they were charged with two personal fouls on their next drive.  After punting to the Syrupmakers on fourth down, a scuffle broke out at the end of the play, which escalated when several Shaw players charged on the field.  The Cairo coaches quickly cleared the field of any Syrupmakers, however, the game was delayed several minutes as numerous Shaw players continued to storm the field. 

After calm was restored, the Raiders were penalized 15 yards for unsportsman like conduct, and one Shaw player was ejected.  "It was kind of chippy all night, we told the officials about it at halftime, but things escalated as the game went on,' said Fallaw. 

After the on-field distractions, the Syrupmakers fumbled on their first play from scrimmage, and the Raiders took advantage of the turnover, scoring on a 20 yard pass.  The Syrupmakers then fumbled the ensuing kickoff at their own 16 yard line, and one play later, the Raiders scored on a 16 yard pass.  With the extra point, the Syrupmakers and Raiders were tied with 4:39 to play in the game. 

The Syrupmakers then took the kickoff and drove the field, on runs by Pease and Bryant to take the lead on a three yard plunge by Bryant.  Godwin's extra point gave the Makers a 21-14 lead.  But the Raiders were not through. Shaw drove the ball into Syrupmaker territory, driving for yet another tying score.  However, Cairo's Johnathan Bryant saved the Syrupmakers with interception at the Syrupmaker one yard line.  The Makers were then faced with moving the ball from deep in their own territory, knowing one mistake could tie the game again. 

Cairo called on Reginald Bryant to get them  out of the shadow of their own goal post, then punter Garret Godwin punted the ball from the Cairo endzone which put the Raiders near mid-field with seconds remaining.  As time expired, the Raiders came up one yard short of a first down at the Maker 30 yard line. With the clock running out, Raider quarterback Cam Greathouse spiked the ball to stop the clock, however, it was fourth down and the Makers took over on downs. Cairo then ran the remaining seconds off the clock and defeated the Raiders 21-14 to advance to round three. 

Cairo will now play Carver of Atlanta Friday night at 7:30pm at West Thomas Stadium.  Tickets are $10 according to GHSA playoff rules and are now on sale at Cairo High School. 

 

YARDSTICK 

                                CAIRO                      SHAW

FIRST DOWNS             9                              13

RUSHING                  38-207                        24-81

PASSING                  4-9  55YARDS            19-37-4   164 YARDS

TOTAL                     262                               245

PUNTING                 6- 31.5 AVG                4-39.2

PENALTIES              6-30                            6-65

TURNOVERS            4                                  5

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Syrupmakers blast Benedictine       By: Michael Best 

Syrupmakers record 6th shutout of the season. 

The Cairo Syrupmakers set the pace for round one of their state playoff game with Benedictine on the first play from scrimmage, and never looked back, advancing to round two of the state AAA playoffs with a 42-0 win over the Benedictine Cadets. 

 Cairo's Reginald Bryant took the handoff from quarterback Angelo Pease on the first snap of the game and rumbled 75 yards virtually untouched for a Syrupmaker touchdown.  After Garret Godwin's kick, the Makers led 7-0 and most fans weren't even settled into their seats under a warm blanket. 

After stopping the Cadets on the first series, Cairo struck again as Pease darted through the Benedictine defense for a 36 yard touchdown.  Godwin's kick made it 14-0 with 9:47 to go in the first quarter. Pease had a stellar night running for 107 yards and three touchdowns, while Bryant had another 100 plus game with 111 yards on just 5 carries. Bryant now has 993 yards on the year. 

Cairo's Angelo Pease was unstoppable in the first half, rushing for 93 yards in the first two quarters and adding two more touchdowns on runs of 32 and 12 respectfully. 

Not to be out done, Cairo's Ronnie Wooten got in on the scoring in the second half.  Leading 28-0 at the half, Cairo went to Wooten who finished the night with 83 yards and two touchdowns.  Wooten scored on Cairo's first possession of the second half on a 12 yards run, and added another touchdown with 3:03 to play, and Logan Gainous' extra point gave Cairo the 42-0 win. 

With the big lead and a running clock, the Syrupmakers turned to J.J.Wilcox to run the offense at quarterback, and coach Tom Fallaw emptied the benches in the fourth quarter, giving everyone a chance to play in closing minutes. 

The Cairo defense led the way again with their 6th shutout of the season, allowing just 71 yards in the first half, and 38 total yards in the second half. The Cadets had just 7 first downs, rushed 48 times for 101 yards, and completed just one pass for 8 yards. 

Cairo turned the ball over twice, and the Cadets had three turnovers.  Cairo punted just once on the night for 33 yards, while the Cadets punted 3 times for a 28 yards average. 

"It was a good win, we're getting better each week, and thats what you want this time of year, we've got to continue to work hard because the road just gets tougher," said coach Fallaw. 

Cairo will now face the Shaw Raiders in round two of the state AAA playoffs this Friday night.  The game will be at 7:30pm at West Thomas Stadium.  All tickets are now $10 each as mandated by the Georgia High School Association.  Tickets will be on sale at Cairo High School this Friday from 9-3pm. 

YARDSTICK 

                                  CAIRO                   BENEDICTINE

FIRST DOWNS                9                                7

RUSHING                    30-331                       47-101

PASSING                     2-4    35                     1-3    8

TOTAL                         366                            109

PUNTING                     1-33  YARDS            3-28 YARD AVG

PENALTIES                    4-30                       4-45

TURNOVERS               2                               3

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November 2, 2007

REGION 1-AAA CHAMPIONS!                                                          by: Michael Best 

Syrupmakers blank Monroe 34-0 for region championship.  

The Cairo Syrupmakers defeated the Monroe Tornadoes 34-0 last Friday night to claim the region 1-AAA championship.  Cairo amassed over 400 yards of offense on the way to the big win. 

On a night deemed as "Blackout Friday" the Syrupmakers and fans turned out in black and destroyed the defending region champions who beat Cairo last year in overtime, spoiling an undefeated season. Friday night was also 'Senior Night", and  also featured a special recognition of "60 years of Majorettes" at halftime. 

The Syrupmakers took just five plays to score after the opening kickoff Friday night when Bryant went in from 7 yards out and Garret Godwin's extra point made it 7-0 with 9:12 to go in the first quarter.  After shutting down the Tornadoes and forcing them to punt, the Makers scored again when Bryant scampered 14 yards and Godwin's kick gave Cairo a 14-0 lead with 10:46 to go in the half. 

Cairo's next points came on a 64 yard pass from Pease to Johnny Williams.  Pease, who was scambling away from the Tornado defense found Williams open at mid-field, and the senior tightend made the catch and raced for a touchdown.  The extra point was blocked and Cairo led 20-0 with 2:24 to play in the third quarter. 

Despite turning the ball over four times in the second half, Cairo still found ways to score as Angelo Pease found Reginald Bryant open in the flats for a 30 yard touchdown pass.  Pease had fumbled the snap and managed to pick up the fumbled ball and back away from the Monroe defenders in time to find Bryant for the touchdown.  Godwin's extra point gave Cairo a 27-0 with 5:33 to play in the game.  Cairo added seven more points in the closing seconds as Ronnie Wooten dashed in from 9 yards out and Godwin's kick made the final score 34-0. 

Cairo is now 8-1 on the season and 4-0 in region play and will finish the regular season on the road at Crisp County this Friday night.  With the region championship comes home field advantage in the playoffs.  Cairo will host round one Friday night November 16th.

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October 26, 2007                                                                     Syrupmakers Trample Trojans                                                                                By: Michael Best 

Syrupmakers are undefeated in region play, region championship Friday night 

The Cairo Syrupmaker football team ran their region record to a perfect 3-0 and an overall record of 7-1 with a 48-13 win over the Dougherty Trojans Friday night in Albany.  Cairo's version of "Thunder and Lightening", Reginald Bryant and Ronnie Wooten, accounted for 270 yards of Cairo's offense and combined for five touchdowns with Bryant scoring three and Wooten adding two more. 

The Trojans got on the board first with an opening drive that ended in a 7 yard touchdown pass.  After the extra point, the Trojans led Cairo 7-0 with 7:00 to play in the first quarter.  However, the Syrupmakers answered with a drive on their own as the Makers scored on a 36 yard pass from Angelo Pease to Dewayne Isom.  Garret Godwin's kick tied the game at seven with 3:39 to play in the first quarter. 

Cairo would score again after Xavier Jordan picked off a Felton Wall's pass and set the Makers up for a quick score as Bryant went in from 8 yards out and Godwin's kick made it 14-7.  Next, the Syrupmaker defense made a big statement when they stopped the Trojans after a 15 play drive that ended after the Trojans were first and goal inside the Maker fivce yard line.  "That was a big play for our defense, we turned them away, and took a touchdown lead into the locker room at the half, with us getting the ball to start the second half," said head coach Tom Fallaw. 

The Syrupmakers came out in the second half and continued to dominate the Trojan defense, as the Makers went right down the field and scored again.  This time it would be Pease taking it in from 28 yards out and Godwin's extra point gave Cairo a 21-7 lead with 9:19 to play in the third quarter.  The Syrupmaker defense stood tall again and took over deep in Trojan territory after a mishandled snap on a punt.  Cairo would score quickly as Bryant went in from 14 yards out on a dazzling run through the Trojan defense.  Godwin's extra point increased Cairo's lead to 28-7 just one minute later. 

The Trojans would then put together their last drive of the night, going with a "no huddle" offense and scoring on a one yard keeper by the Trojan quarterback.  The extra point was no good and Cairo's lead was 28-13 with 3:48 to play in the third quarter. 

Cairo's "Thunder and Lightening" then went to work as Bryant and Wooten ran rough shod through the Trojan defense. Bryant scored his third touchdown of the night from 2 yards out and Godwin made it 35-13 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter. Bryant finished the night 122 yards of rushing.

 Next it would be the "Lightening" part of the duo as Ronnie Wooten scored on runs of 15 and 52 yards.  Wooten finished the night with 148 yards of rushing and two touchdowns.  The Cairo offensive line opened holes in the much-larger Trojan defense all night long, allowing the Syrupmaker offense to rack up 379 yards of offense, with 328 on the ground.  Pease was 2-3 passing for 51 yards, with both receptions going to Isom. 

Cairo did not punt all night, and had only three penalties for 35 yards and no turnovers.  Cairo will now play Monroe Friday night for the Region 1-AAA championship at West Thomas Stadium in Cairo.  This Friday night is "Blackout Friday" as fans are encouraged to wear black along with the Syrupmakers.  Friday night is also "Senior Night."

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October 19, 2007                                                                                Cairo vs. Worth

Syrupmakers shutout Rams
By: Michael Best
 

The Cairo Syrupmaker football team ran their season record to 6-1, and 2-0 in region play with a 23-0 shutout region win over the Worth County Rams. The Syrupmakers completed a week of homecoming activities with the win, and continue their quest for a region championship.
 
Cairo's Reginald Bryant led the Syrupmakers on the ground with 200 yards of rushing on 24 carries.  Although the field was saturated from two days of heavy rains, the big runningback didn't let the field conditions slow him down. 

After a great kickoff return by Jerry Bodiford, the Makers relied on Bryant to take the Syrupmakers in as he plunged in from three yards out, after getting every carry on the drive.  Garret Godwin added the extra point and Cairo led 7-0 with 9:38 to play in the first quarter.
 
The Maker defense bent, but did not break as they held the Rams after making their biggest play of the night on the first play of the game on a 40 yard pass to Ricky Elizondo.  After forcing a Ram punt, the Makers would turn to Bryant again who carried the Makers down to the Ram 2 yard line, before scoring with 11:06 to go in the second quarter. Godwin's kick gave the Makers a 14 point lead.
 
The Makers would add three more points before the half on a 36 yard field goal by Godwin, with 6:25 to play in the half, a lead the Syrupmakers would take to the locker room.
 
After homecoming ceremonies at halftime, the Makers came out on defense, and shut the Rams down once again, but struggled offensively. "Our defense has give some big plays this year, but they always seem to rise to the occasion, in the past we've had a player step up and kind of dominate defensively, but this year we have 11 players step up and play, and they are doing an outstanding job," said Fallaw. 

The Rams fought all night, and tried to get going offensively with some big plays. One of those  plays for the Rams was a fake punt early in the third quarter.  Trailing 17-0 and facing fourth and seven, the Rams called for the fake as the Makers stacked 10 men on the line, going for the block. "Give them credit, that was a good call," Fallaw said. However, the big play was brought back when the Rams got called for a block in the back, and Cairo was flagged for a face mask penalty.  The penalties off set each other and the Rams were forced to punt.
 
Cairo added one more score late to increase their lead to 23-0 as Bryant scored his final touchdown of the night.  Cairo will now face Dougherty High School this Friday night in Albany. 

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October 12, 2007                                                                                Cairo whips Westover                                                                                              By: Michael Best 

The Cairo Syrupmakers beat the Westover Patriots 48-14 to go 1-0 in region 1-AAA play and 5-1 on the season.  The Syrupmakers used several big plays to pull away from the Patriots, after they  pulled within one of the Syrupmakers after one quarter, 7-6. Cairo racked up over 400 yards of offense including a 76 yard touchdown run by quarterback Angelo Pease and 117 yards of rushing by runningback Ronnie Wooten on just six carries on the night. 

After stopping Westover's opening drive of the night, the Syrupmakers scored on their first offensive series when Pease  broke loose and scampered 76 yards for Cairo's first touchdown of the night.  Garret Godwin kicked the extra point and Cairo led 7-0 with 5:26 to play in the first quarter. Pease is establishing himself in only his 6th start at quarterback, passing for 108 yards, going 3-4,  including 2 passes to Johnathan Bryant for 75 yards and the one to Isom for 33 yards. Pease also scored two touchdowns on the night.  

However, after the Syrupmaker score, the Westover Patriots bounced back as Patriot quarterback Brandon Lee led his team down the field against the Syrupmaker  and then scored from one yard out, the extra point was no good, and Cairo clung to a 7-6 at the start of the 2nd quarter.  Lee passed for 75 yards in the first half, but did not complete any more passes in the game.After the Patriot score, the Syrupmaker offense went into overdrive, scoring four more times in the quarter.  Reginald Bryant scored on a 3 yard run, Dewayne Isom scored on a 33 yard pass from Pease Pease added another touchdown on a one yard run with 2:17 to play in the quarter and J.J. Wilcox finished off the scoring for the Syrupmakers as the defense got in on the point parade with a 62 yard interception for touchdown with 33 seconds to play in the half. 

The Syrupmakers came out in the second half and picked up where they left off, scoring on their first possession of the second half on a one yard run by Reginald Bryant, which then brought on a running clock for the remainder of the game. With 7:57 to play in the third quarter, Cairo had increased their lead to 41-6.  

Coach Fallaw then emptied the benches, and Westover scored their last touchdown when Keion Miller scored on a 18 yard pass from back up quarterback Keiron Johnson.  Cairo added one more score with just 21 seconds to play when freshman runningback LaQuinten Williams scored on a 32 yard run.  Logan Gainous added the extra point capping off the scoring on the night. 

Ronnie Wooten led the Makers with 117 yards of rushing on 6 carries, Pease had 6 carries for 78 yards, Reginald Bryant had 10 carries for 39 yards, and back up quarterback Brian Walker had three carries for 30 yards. 

Cairo had only one penalty in the game for 5 yards and committed no turnovers.  Westover had 4 penalties for 20 yards and had 2 turnovers. The Syrupmakers will be back home this Friday night to take on the Worth County Rams for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm. 

YARDSTICK

                             CAIRO                        WESTOVER

FIRST DOWNS           8                                    15

RUSHING               30-299                            37-122

PASSING              4-5-0  108YDS               9-23-2     109

TOTAL                     407                                 231

PUNTING               2-31.5 AVG                   4-33  AVG

PENALTIES              1-5                               4-20

TURNOVERS           ---------                             2

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September 28, 2007                               Syrupmakers blank Pirates                                                                By: Michael Best 

The Syrupmakers improved their record to 4-0 after shutting out the Matanzas Pirates for the second straight year, this time, 46-0. The Syrupmakers punted just once, and scored every time they had the ball in the non-region contest. 

Once again the swarming Syrupmaker defense did not allow the Pirate offense much room to operate, keeping them deep in their own territory all night, allowing just four yards of total offense in the second half, 41 yards total for the game.  Defensively, the Pirates forced one Cairo punt, and gave up 297 yards of offense. 

Cairo's Angelo pease was five for seven passing for 104 yards and no interceptions. Pease spread the passes around, completing two passes to Shon Brown, one of those for touchdown, and completing passes to Dewayne Isom, Chris Adams and Johnathan Bryant. 

After stopping the Pirates on their first drive, Cairo waisted little time getting on the board when Syrupmaker quarterback Angelo Pease, plunged in from the one yard line with 7:52 to play in the first quarter, the extra point was wide and Cairo led 6-0.  The Syrupmakers would score again when junior running back Ronnie Wooten went in from 3 yards out and the two point conversion failed and Cairo led 12-0 with 2:27 to play in the first quarter. 

Cairo added two more touchdowns, this time Pease ran in again from the one yard line and Garret Godwin's extra point made it 19-0.  Cairo's last score of the half came on a 17 yard pass from Pease to Johnathan Bryant, and the PAT was blocked, giving the Syrupmakers a 25-0 at the half.

 The Pirates kicked off to start the second half, and Cairo scored on second down, when Pease found senior wideout Shon Brown all alone for a 50 yard touchdown pass, and Godwin's PAT made it 32-0, favor Cairo.  Cairo's Reginald Bryant scored Cairo's next touchdown on a 3 yard run and the PAT made it 39-0 with 7:49 to play in the third.  The Syrupmaker's last score came on a one yard run by freshman runningback LaQuinten Williams and the PAT made the final score 46-0.

 The Georgia High School Association mandates a running clock in the second half when the scoring difference is 30 points or more.  The "Mercy Rule" was used for the final two quarters with just a 10 minute fourth quarter. 

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September 14, 2007                                                                             Syrupmakers come back to beat Bainbridge Bearcats                                       by: Michael Best 

Last week, the Cairo Syrupmakers trailed the Thomasville Bulldogs until the fourth quarter before tying the game and forcing double overtime, in which the Makers won on a touchdown by Reginald Bryant, 20-14. This week , the Syrupmakers found themselves behind again late in the game and pulled off a last second touchdown to slip past the Bainbridge Bearcats 20-19 , this time with fourteen seconds left to play. 

Cairo fumbled the opening kickoff Friday night at their own 20 yard line and the Bearcats took advantage of the mistake, as Bearcat runner Rasheed Russell scored on a five yard pass from quarterback Vic Williams, and the extra point gave the Cats a 7-0 lead with 9:08 to go in the first quarter.  However, the Makers would answer back on their next possession as Reginald Bryant scored on a three yard run and Garret Godwin's extra point tied the game at seven with 8:10 to play in the half. 

The Bearcats would score again after the Syrupmakers forced a Bearcat punt, but mishandled the kick after it fell inside the 10 yard.  On the fumbled punt, Bainbridge recovered the ball at the Syrupmaker three yard line and scored with 6:10 to play in the half.  The extra point attempt was wide left, and the Makers trailed 13-7.  Cairo would engineer another drive to take a 14-13 lead with 3:32 to play in the half when Reginald Bryant scored from three yards out and Godwin's extra point gave the Makers a one point lead that they would take to the half. 

In the second half, the Bearcats got a great return on the opening second half kickoff that set the Cats up on the Syrupmaker 35 yard line.  The Bearcats then took advantage of another short field and drove the ball in to take the lead with 6:69 to play in the third quarter. The two point conversion try was no good, the Makers now trailed again, 19-13. 

The Syrupmakers, who did not punt all night, took the opening kickoff and began a 15 play drive that ate up 80 yards and took almost 10 minutes off the game clock. With Cairo's Reginald Bryant getting most of the carries and the Maker offense grinding it out on the ground, the long drive ended with a fumble in the endzone as Cairo tried to score from one yard out. 

With the lead and the clock running, the Bearcats began their next possession at the Syrupmaker 20 yard line.  The Cairo defense stiffened and forced a Bearcat punt giving the Makers the ball at their own 10 yard line with a little more than three minutes to play in the game. 

The Syrupmakers were unable to convert on fourth down with a little over a minute to play and it appeared the Bearcats had defeated the Makers 19-13 as Pease's pass fell incomplete. However, as the celebration erupted on the visitor's side, Syrupmaker fans noticed not one but two yellow flags on the field.  The penalties would both go against the Cats, one a personal foul call and the other a defensive holding penalty.  After the penalties were assessed, the Syrupmakers had new life at the Bearcat 45 yard line.  "Any time you get 25 yards at one time on penalties that's big," said Fallaw. 

The Syrupmakers could do little with their second chance and faced a 3rd down and 20 at the Bearcat 41 yard.  Cairo quarterback Angelo Pease, with great protection from the Cairo offensive line, hit Johnathan Bryant on the run and the Syrupmakers regained the lead on the touchdown, 20-19 with 14 seconds to play.  Cairo's two point conversion was no good, and the Makers stopped the Bearcats on the ensuing kickoff and pulled off another exciting come from behind victory. 

Cairo's Reginald Bryant finished the night with 28 carries for 107 yards, while quarterback Angelo Pease rushed for 65 yards on six carries and completed 8 of 12 passes for 99 yards.  Johnathan Bryant, who caught the game winning touchdown pass, had three catches for 72 yards, and Xavier Jordan caught three passes for 20 yards.  The Makers rushed for a 185 yards, and passed for 99 to finish with 284 yards of offense, while the Syrupmaker defense held the Cats to just seven first downs, 115 yards of rushing and 33 yard through the air. 

Cairo's record improves to 3-0 on the year, and the Bearcats drop to 1-2.  Cairo is open next week, and will play Matanzas High School next Friday night at home.

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September 7, 2007                                                               Syurpmakers beat Bulldogs in double overtime                                                 by:  Michael Best, Voice of the Syrupmakers

     The Thomasville Bulldogs beat the Cairo Syrupmakers for almost three and half quarters Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Thomasville. However, the Makers fought back to tie the game at the end of regulation at 14, and then defeated the Dogs on a Reginald Bryant touchdown in double overtime.                                                                                                                        Trailing 14-0, the Syrupmakers came back in the second half and began to chisel away at the Bulldog first half dominence. With the offensive line giving Cairo quarterback Angelo Pease time to work, the junior signal caller completed 8 of 11 passes, including six in a row at one point for 186 yards.                                                                                                                           Thomasville scored their first touchdown in the second quarter on a nine yard run, and after the extra point led 7-0 with 4:38 to play in the half.  The Bulldogs would get the ball back just before the half and score again this time fooling the Maker secondary with a half back pass to lead 14-0 with one minute to play in the half.  The Syrupmakers put together a much improved second half, as Bryant's first touchdown came with 8:53 to play in the game and the tying score came with 18 seconds left in the game.  Godwin split the uprights on his extra point to tie the game at 14 and force overtime.   To start overtime, Pease's pass to Bryant was intercepted at the goal line and the Bulldogs were then in position to win the game with a score.  However, the Syrupmaker defense held the Dogs and forced a field goal by the Dogs that hit the left upright on the goal post and fell out.  The Syrupmaker defense came out in the second overtime and held the Dogs again, with several key plays by the Syrupmaker secondary in the endzone.  The Maker defense kept the Bulldogs from scoring, giving the Syrupmaker offense another try.  This time, the Makers would go to the ground.  After Bryant was stopped for no gain on first down, Bryant came off the right side of the Syrupmaker line and scampered 15 yards for the winning touchdown

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August 31, 2007                                                                             SYRUPMAKERS SHUTOUT OSBOURNE

By: Michael Best, Voice of the Syrupmakers
 
The Cairo Syrupmakers shut out the Osborne Cardinals 40-0 in a game played mostly in the rain and called due to lightening in the third quarter with 3:23 to play in the game. The Cardinals were held to 83 yards of offense, while the Syrupmakers racked up 318 yards all on the ground. Neither team completed a pass on the rain soaked night, and the Syrupmaker defense held the Cardinals to -1 yards of rushing in the second half.
 
The Cardinals won the toss and deferred their option to the second half.  The Syrupmakers took the opening kickoff and scored quickly on a 39 yard run by junior running back Ronnie Wooten who had almost 200 yards of rushing and three touchdowns on the night.  Cairo's Garret Godwin's extra point made it 7-0 with 9:14 to play in the first quarter.
 
After stopping the Cardinals on downs on  their first possession of the night, the Cardinals forced a Syrupmaker turnover and drove to the Syrupmaker 10 yard line.  However, Cardinal quarterback Marquez Williams was pressured by Syrupmaker lineman Montavious Williams and threw an interception to Cairo's Johnathon Bryant who picked William's pass off at the one yard line and went 99 yards for the Syrupmakers second score of the evening, Godwin's kick made it 14-0 with 3:02 to play in the first quarter.
 
After stopping the Cardinals again, Cairo's Wooten would score his second touchdown of the night on a 49 yard run and Godwin made it 21-0 with 43 seconds left to play in the first.  Wooten would score his third touchdown of the night, this time going 54 yards one play on Cairo's next possession and Godwin's kick made it 28-0 with 8:10 to play in the third.  Cairo would score one more time after forcing the Cardinals to punt. This time Johnathon Shine would go in from 5 yards out, the extra point attempt was mis-handled in the driving rain and the Makers led 34-0 at the half.
 
The Cardinals received the second half kick off and could do little with it, having to punt the ball back to the Syrupmakers.  With the GHSA Mercy Rule in effect, the clock ran non-stop in the third quarter and the Syrupmakers scored again on their first possession of the third.  This time freshman running back LaQuinton Williams would splash his way 41 yards and score with 3:28 to play in the quarter.  While a penalty on the Cardinals was being discussed, lightening flashed, and the game was called with rain still pouring down.
 
Cairo's Ronnie Wooten led all rushers with nine carries and 197 yards of rushing with three touchdowns. The Cardinals were led by Johnathon Williams who had 17 carries and 67 yards of rushing. The Syrupmakers are now 1-0 and the Cardinals drop to 0-1.
 
 

 

 

 
 
 

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