“We pulled one out.” That was what one Cairo coach said in a much happier elevator ride down to the Georgia Dome floor Saturday night following the Syrupmakers’ 28-14 victory over the Falcons of Flowery Branch. “It’s a great win for these kids. After last year, coming up three points short, this feels great.”
Last season the Syrupmakers fell in the finals to Carver-Columbus, and it was a goal of Cairo to make it back to the championship game. Along the way, the team faced the foe that last year claimed the title, only this time, it was the Tigers whose season ended on a sad note. The Syrupmakers would not be denied Saturday. When the score was tied at 14-14 entering the fourth quarter, the Syrupmakers didn’t shrink. Instead, the playmaker Angelo Pease stepped up.
Angelo Pease had played second fiddle all season. True, he played quarterback and touched the ball every play, but the pub usually went the way of running backs Ronnie Wooten and/or Reggie Bryant, aka Thunder and Lightning. But Saturday, whenever Cairo needed a play, it was Pease who came through. Late in the first half, with Flowery Branch dominating the time of possession and the ‘Makers having fumbled twice earlier in the game, Pease led his team down the field and notched the go-ahead score on a long pass play to DeWayne Isom. Pease was able to shake off a dropped touchdown pass to find his go-to receiver for the go-ahead score. In the second half, on the team’s first play from scrimmage, Pease was electrifying on a 78-yard scoring run. Then, once Flowery Branch tied the game and seemingly had all of the momentum, it was Pease’s time again to shine.
With 8:30 to go, Pease scrambled for a fourth-down conversion then one play later fired a 17-yard TD slant pass to James Wilcox. Flowery Branch had no answer and Pease led the team on one more scoring drive with Bryant punching it in from 2 yards out to ice the game, 28-14. If Pease hadn’t stolen the show, Bryant would be the story. He had 150 yards rushing and a score. He was able to grind out yards on first and second down, allowing Pease to have the running lanes on third down.
The defense for Cairo should also get a well-deserved how-do-you-do for putting the clamps on Falcons QB Connor Shaw. The junior signal caller entered the game on fire and Daniel Drummond, his tailback, was a scoring machine through the early rounds of the playoffs. The Syrupmaker defense was able to hold Shaw and Co. out of the end zone in the first half, limiting the Falcons to two field goals and intercepting a Shaw pass deep in Syrupmaker territory. Shaw was able to connect on a deep touchdown pass to tie up the game at 14-14 in the third, but Shaw was throwing, not running, and Drummond was reduced largely to non-factor status, which was a big victory for Cairo. That Cairo could get the Flowery Branch out of its offense and into a pass-heavy scheme is likely what Syrupmaker coach Tom Fallaw intended. Cairo was able to get past its early jitters, and dictated the tempo for enough of the game to secure the title. It was the third title for Cairo all-time and it completed a 14-0 season for the Syrupmakers.
Will the Syrupmakers take a step back next season? Pease, Wooten and Bryant are all seniors and the team won’t have the motivation of a second-place finish to get it through the tough times. Flowery Branch, on the other hand, will have Shaw back as quarterback. His wide receiver target Rodriquez Frazier will be a senior next year and Imani Cross is just a freshman. Kicker Billy Thompson’s range—which is already at 50 yards, as he showed in the title game—will also only expand. Next season, Flowery Branch could be playing the role of Cairo. The future is bright for the Falcons, but for now, the present is sweet for the Syrupmakers.
Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.
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