THOMASVILLE — As the high school football season kicks off around the country, two South Georgia rivals will battle it out in Cairo. The Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets and the Cairo Syrupmakers know each other well. The rivalry between the two goes back a long ways, though the coaches are just getting to know each other. TCC head coach Justin Rogers and Cairo head coach David Coleman are both entering their second year in their respective programs. However, both understand the significance of the rivalry.

“It’s a historic rivalry game for us,” Coleman said. “A South Georgia rivalry game, one of the good ones out there.”

“We are super excited about finally getting here to week one and starting the season,” said Rogers. “Ready or not we’re going to play Friday. So, we better be ready.”

Both the Yellow Jackets and the Syrupmakers are bringing in new quarterbacks. Central sophomore Jaylen Johnson has some big shoes to fill as he is taking over for phenom Sam Brown. Johnson had a solid summer and has showed that he is a dual threat quarterback to be feared by all of Georgia. However, this will be his first experience with a target on his back, something that can be nerve wracking for anyone.

“He’s done well vs Perry and he’s done well against Cook, but both of those he had a green jersey on,” Rogers said. “This’ll be the first time that jersey’s gone and there are live bullets coming at you.”

Despite this, Rogers seems confident that Johnson’s running abilities will allow him to avoid sacks and extend plays.

As for Cairo, it is unclear who the Syrupmakers starting quarterback will be. Many believe it will be senior Juderek Gee-Simmons, a dual threat QB who transferred from Mitchell County. Though, Gee-Simmons and sophomore Bryce Wilson both got significant playing time in Cairo’s pre-season scrimmage against Ware County. This could benefit Cairo as it leaves Central having to prepare for both quarterbacks.

The game will be played in Cairo and, though it isn’t a far drive for Yellow Jacket fans, the home crowd is sure to give the Syrupmakers a boost. Couple that with the rivalry and an almost playoff like atmosphere and fans have the makings of a fantastic week one match up.

“It should be a playoff atmosphere. All of these rivalry games early in the year are. It’ll be a big crowd on Friday night and that’s just one more aspect of it that helps us get ready for the playoffs is playing in front of that crowd,” said Coleman. “Playing in front of our own people, you know, we always enjoy that and always want that because we do have such a good football community and a good student section.”

The key to victory for both teams will likely come from defense. For Thomas County Central, the focus is on dominating the line of scrimmage. Cairo on the other hand has to focus on locking down Johnson’s threat on the ground and not allow him to extend plays with his legs.

The game will take place on Friday in Cairo at 7:30 pm.