THOMASVILLE — When the winning team takes home the Barnetts Creek Bucket Friday night, it will be for the 20th time.

Brothers Billy Joe Lewis and Logan Lewis were both fire chiefs many years ago: Billy Joe at Barnetts Creek in Thomas County and Logan at Pine Park in Grady County.

“These guys wanted to come up with something that would kind of represent the rivalry between Thomas County and Grady County, and Central and Cairo,” Yellow Jackets radio announcer Randy Young said. “And this water bucket was used to actually lift water out of a well they used to put fires out in both communities.

Logan Lewis said the two fire stations were the first in Georgia with a mutual agreement to answer calls across the county line and fight each others’ fires.

As can be imagined, the trash talk between the two fire departments was fiery when Central and Cairo got together. Around the 20th time the two met up, the brothers wanted to incorporate a trophy.

“I remember seeing an old well bucket by Barnetts Creek,” Logan Lewis said. “It was a 40- to 50-year-old bucket we salvaged.”

The two welded it, silver-plated it and put a plaque on it.

“There was always a big to-do about the Syrup Pitcher (given to the winner of the Thomasville vs. Cairo game),” said Billy Joe Lewis, who picked out his seats to Central games when the stadium was being built and has had them ever since. “We wanted one to give to the winner of this game.”

The Yellow Jackets have held the bucket for the past three years. It was engraved this week with last year’s 21-0 Central win and will be in Cairo Friday night for the team’s 42nd meeting. Whether it stays will be determined on the field.

“It’s one of those things a lot of people don’t think about, but I guarantee the players and coaches do because if you have this bucket and you lose, the first thing that happens is their players or their administrative folks, they’re making a beeline right over to that visiting press box to get the bucket,” Young said.