CAIRO — The Cairo Syrupmakers may have not reached their ultimate goal of a state championship but there was still plenty to be proud of for head coach Steve Devoursney and the Cairo faithful.

The Syrupmakers finished 8-3, second in Region 1-AAAA, advanced to the playoffs for the 17th year in a row and 16th straight season they hosted a playoff game at West Thomas Stadium. The Syrupmakers beat rival Thomasville and came close to knocking off defending Class AAAAA champion Bainbridge.

Unfortunately, for Syrupmakers fans, a double overtime 52-46 loss to Carver-Columbus cost Cairo a shot at the region title.

“It was disappointing losing to Carver. It was disappointing to lose in the first round but there were a lot of positives with the season also,” Devoursney said. “We made the playoffs, which was 17 years in a row and we hosted a playoff game which I think was 16 years in a row. We kept those streaks alive which was good. We won eight ballgames which was something to be proud of for our kids.”

Looking ahead to 2020, the Syrupmakers season will look a lot different. The Georgia High School Association recently realigned the regions and Cairo will stay in Region 1-AAAA but will be joined by rivals Thomas County Central and Bainbridge, along with Dougherty, Monroe and Westover. Cairo will no longer have to travel to Columbus for a region game but will be tested by two programs that were just in Class AAAAA.

“Coach (Jeff) Littleton does a good job at Bainbridge. They’ll be tough every year,” Devoursney said. “Coach (Ashley) Henderson does a good job at Central. That’s two rival games for us, it’s going to be two games a lot of fans from both sides are going to want to be a part of. It’s exciting but it’s also one of those things, it makes it a lot tougher.”

Adding to the degree of difficulty is the prospect of zero experience returning at quarterback. Matthew Peters will graduate which means the No. 1 objective this offseason for the Syrupmakers is to find their next signal-caller.

“We had a three-year starter at quarterback. Anytime you have a three-year starter at quarterback, they’re hard to replace. We’ve got to find a quarterback next year,” Devoursney said. “That’s going to be our No. 1 priority going into it. There’s a lot of other areas we’ve got to fill but everything starts with the quarterback. Right now, we don’t have an idea who that’s going to be.”