COLUMBUS — The Cairo Syrupmakers looked as if they would be on the road for the first round of the Class 4A playoffs, as they trailed Northside-Columbus 31-7 with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter.

But Cairo wasn’t finished, as the Syrupmakers scored 28 unanswered points in the final 16 minutes of the game to secure the second seed in Region 1-4A with a 35-31 come-from-behind win over the Patriots at Kinnett Stadium on Friday night.

Cairo quarterback Mathew Peters hit Scooter Cooper on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left to play in the game to take the lead for the first time all night. The Syrupmakers’ special teams recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff to secure the win.

The comeback featured three second half touchdown passes to three different receivers by Peters, and a 72-yard touchdown run by Jamarcus Vicks. The comeback also included four onside kicks by the Syrupmakers, who recovered two of them. Trailing 31-28, Cairo forced a Patriot turnover in the final three minutes of the game to set up the game winning drive.

Cairo finished with 332 yards of offense, and the defense held the Patriots to just two first downs in the fourth quarter. Northside had 115 yards of offense in the second half.

The Syrupmakers will close out its regular season when they host Columbus at West Thomas Stadium next week.