Cairo’s John Michael Owens, left, throws some passes alongside Mitchell County’s Kentravious Williams in practice Tuesday.

THOMASVILLE — Cairo’s John Michael Owens knows what a big game feels like.

The Cairo quarterback is just one of seven Syrupmakers representing their school in the Florida-Georgia War of the Border Game on Friday. He’ll be hoping to use some of that big-game experience gained last fall to help get Georgia a win — and perhaps gain a scholarship offer or two.

“It’s fun, man,” Owens said. “It’s really an honor to be a part of it. It’s fun being around different people and practicing, just getting after it.”

Last season, Owens led a Cairo team that heated up down the stretch, as it cruised to its first region title since 2014. The Syrupmakers made it all the way to the quarterfinal round of the Class 4A state playoffs, where they took a 17-13 loss to Jefferson.

“I’d never really had an experience like that,” he said. “The farthest we ever made was the first round of the playoffs. Making it that far was a blessing and I’m thankful for all my teammates and coaches that helped me throughout the way. It was definitely a good way to go out.”

Owens finished the season as Cairo’s all-time leader for passing yards, throwing for 2,111 yards and 20 touchdowns to only nine interceptions. He was good at spreading the ball around, with seven receivers racking up 100 yards or more.

2016 wasn’t always a great offensive year, though. During the first few games, the offense sputtered. The defense carried the Syrupmakers to its first win against Thomasville in the opener, which featured no offensive touchdowns for them. Week 2 saw a close 23-17 loss to Thomas County Central.

From that point on, Cairo began to discover some swagger that it needed, and carried for the rest of the season.

“I’d say we gained some confidence, finally,” Owens said. “I think we weren’t really confident at the beginning of the season. We were just kind of waiting for that breakaway game. After the second of third game, we just started clicking on offense.”

Being a big part of that banner year for Cairo, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound signal-caller has received some attention from some colleges already. Valdosta State, as well as some Division III schools are already talking to him.

“I feel like I can bring a lot of knowledge,” Owens said. “I’m not the biggest guy, not the strongest guy, but I’m smart. I know how to play the game and I’m coachable.”

While Friday night’s game doesn’t have the same kind of stakes that a state playoff game in November might, there’s certainly something on the line, whether it’s bragging rights or a scholarship offer. Already Owens was showing some leadership for the offense, high-fiving and leading all the Georgia offensive players as they came onto the Veterans Memorial Stadium turf on Wednesday night.

“It’s going to be pretty fun playing someone different — See if South Georgia can beat up on Florida,” Owens joked. “I think we’ve got a good shot.”