Football Game Preview: Dougherty Trojans vs. Cairo Syrupmakers + Official Tickets

Dougherty is 0-5 against Cairo since November of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. The Trojans will be playing at home against the Syrupmakers at 7:30 p.m. Dougherty has given up an average of 33.7 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Dougherty is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Peach County last Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Dougherty took a blow against Peach County, falling 52-20. While losing is never fun, Dougherty can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 245th, while Peach County is ranked 54th).

Daishon Malone

Rushing Yards

09/26/25 @ Monroe	111
09/12/25 @ Crisp County	107
10/03/25 @ Peach County	92
08/14/25 @ Central	83
09/05/25 @ Harris County	64

Despite the defeat, Dougherty saw an underclassman step up: freshman Micah Joyner rushed for 109 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 182 yards and a pair of TDs. Dougherty also got a significant boost from Daishon Malone, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 92 yards.

Meanwhile, Cairo had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.3 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They strolled past the Golden Tornadoes with points to spare, taking the game 21-7.

Dougherty better keep an eye on Jaylen Teall. He was instrumental in Cairo's win, rushing for 105 yards and one score on only nine carries.

Dougherty's loss dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Cairo, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.

Dougherty came up short against Cairo when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 43-35. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Syrupmakers' Bryian Duncan Jr, who rushed for 169 yards and one touchdown while picking up 8.0 yards per carry. Now that the Trojans know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.