CAIRO — It wasn’t a perfect display by the Cairo Syrupmakers, but their 10th straight win was accomplished in close to convincing fashion.

Cairo broke out quickly against Thomson and never looked back, pounding the visiting Bulldogs 38-14 Friday night in the Class AAAA state football playoffs second round. The victory sets up a quarterfinals showdown Nov. 23 at West Thomas Stadium against Troup County.

“The deeper you get, the more they mean, obviously,” Syrupmakers coach Steve Devoursne said of the win. “It was a good night tonight. Anytime you get to the third round of the state playoffs, it’s a good deal.

“I don’t care what level, high school, college or pro, you win 10 games, I think that’s the sign of a good season.”

Matthew Peters ran for three touchdowns, and Nick Gosier and Jamarcus Vicks added TD runs as the Syrupmakers ran their record to 10-2. Thomson finished its season at 5-7.

Peters ended Cairo’s first two drives with a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, and the Syrupmakers took a 14-0 lead into halftime. Thomson, backed up at its own 2 after a muffed fair catch, used 19 plays and 7:59 off the clock but its drive stalled at the Cairo 34 late in the first half. Quarterback Damekus Taylor carried the ball on 11 of those plays. Taylor finished with 178 yards on 36 carries and accounted for both Thomson touchdowns. 

Noah Jones extended the lead to 17-0 with a 38-yard field goal on the Syrupmakers’ opening possession of the second half.

Devoursney even reached deep into the bag of tricks on more than one occasion. After Peters’ second TD, the Syrupmakers went for two. Gosier took the snap and then pitched the ball to Peters, who then threw it back to Gosier for the conversion.

Gosier’s score was set up when Devoursney opted to go for the dagger following Peters’ third touchdown. With the Syrupmakers leading 24-6, Devoursney called for an onside kick and Keon Bogan recovered at the Thomson 44.

“We practice it all the time,” the coach said. “My son said, ‘Hey you see that? It was open.’ And it was right there at the time.”

Cairo faced third-and-goal from the Bulldogs’ 18. Gosier cruised in from there on a reverse, and Jones’ PAT pushed the lead to 24-6 with 1:47 to go in the third quarter.

After recovering a Taylor fumble at the Cairo 17, the Syrupmakers needed just four plays to go 83 yards. Vick shot through the middle of the Thomson defense to cover the final 42, putting the game out of reach.

Taylor scored on a 2-yard plunge in the fourth quarter but the Syrupmakers ran out the remaining 3:55.

Cairo’s defense, allowing just 10 points per game, held Thomson to 4 of 12 on third down conversions and forced two turnovers. 

“The defense played really well tonight,” Devoursney said. “We were worried coming in we couldn’t stop them. But overall, they did a great job. They’ve got a good football team. But it was a good night for the Syrupmakers.”

Peters ran 16 times for 94 yards and threw for 71 yards, 51 of those on a long strike down the Thomson sideline to Marquil Lovejoy that set up his third score. Tay Solomon added 91 yards rushing.

Troup County, 11-1, ended the regular season ranked No. 9 in the state by the Atlanta Journal-Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. But Devoursney thinks his team’s second-round domination of Thomson sends a signal to the rest of Class AAAA.

“We’re still in it,” he said. “There’s only 64 teams practicing in the state of Georgia next week and we’re one of them. We’ll take it.”

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.