Cairo faces Thomas Co. Central Friday

The Cairo Syrupmakers will face another nonregion rival from class 1-AAAAA as they travel to Thomasville to take on the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets in the Jackets’ Nest this Friday night.  The Syrupmakers will also be faced with the task of stopping another split veer offense, just as last week.
The Yellow Jackets feature a three-pronged attack in their offensive system with Adam Choice at quarterback and Deondre Cooksey and Damien Williams at runningback. All three have the potential to score from anywhere on the field. Although the Yellow Jackets had to replace their entire offensive line this season, the new group is adjusting well and improving each week.
Defensively, the Jackets may be at their strongest. With six returning starters, the Yellow Jacket defense shut down Thomasville and limited Marist to just 17 points and 248 yards of total offense last week on the road. Defensive tackles Jalin Sneed and Jamal McNeil are back and pose a stern test for any offense trying to move the ball.
“It’s Central! They are always tough, well coached and have a lot of weapons. We can’t afford to turn the ball over or make mistakes. With them, you try to keep the ball as much as possible. Like I said about the veer, it can kill you quickly or slowly,” said Cairo coach Tom Fallaw.
Once again, the “Battle for the Bucket” puts the Barnett’s Creek Volunteer Fire Department’s water bucket on the line. The Yellow Jackets lead the series, which dates back to 1960, with a 17-21-1 record. The visiting team has won this game each year since 2003, but that is not something that gives the Cairo coaches any relief. “When you play rival games like this, it really doesn’t matter about the past, or where you play, it’s a different game every time and anything can happen,” said Fallaw.
Game time is set for 8 p.m. and tickets are $7 in advance and on sale at CHS through Friday. The game can be heard “live” on WGRA 790AM and on the Internet at www.wgra.net.