No. 9 Westover hosts No. 4 Cairo in key Region 1-4A football showdown

ALBANY — A year ago, Westover went to Cairo trying to figure out who its quarterback was.

Thursday night, the Patriots get the Syrupmakers again.

A lot has changed.

Westover is undefeated. The Patriots are ranked No. 9 in Class 4A. They’re coming off a 41-point victory and have begun looking like a team capable of making some noise well beyond Albany.

Now comes the measuring stick.

No. 4 Cairo visits Hugh Mills Stadium Thursday night for an early Region 1-4A showdown between two unbeaten teams with designs on a region championship.

Westover is 3-0.

Cairo is 2-0.

And while nobody is winning a championship in September, the winner will take an awfully important first step toward one.

“This is a big game because it is a region game, and it is a big game because of power ranking for playoff seed,” Westover coach Corey Joyner said. “It is also a big game because it is a measuring stick to see how well Westover competes.”

That’s really what Thursday night is about.

Westover has spent three weeks showing what it can do.

Now the Patriots get to find out how they measure up against one of Class 4A’s best.

Cairo went unbeaten in region play last season, finished 10-3 and reached the state semifinals before losing to Jefferson.

One of those victories came against Westover.

Barely.

The Patriots went to Cairo and battled the Syrupmakers for four quarters before falling 22-14.

The difference came on special teams.

A fourth-quarter kickoff return for a touchdown ultimately provided Cairo with the winning margin.

That Westover came so close was even more impressive considering what the Patriots were dealing with at the game’s most important position.

Gabriel Hopper had only recently taken over as Westover’s fourth quarterback of the season.

A year later, Hopper is the established starter.

There’s just one problem.

His status for Thursday night is uncertain.

Hopper sat out Westover’s 49-8 rout of Columbus on Friday while nursing an ankle injury. In his place stepped Jordan Joyner.

How unusual was that?

Joyner hadn’t played quarterback since seventh grade.

Then again, maybe Westover knew exactly where to look.

Quarterbacking apparently runs in the Joyner family.

Jordan’s older brother, Jaylen, is Westover’s offensive coordinator and a former quarterback. His uncle, Uyl Joyner, is Dougherty’s head coach and also played the position. His cousin, Dougherty sophomore Micah Joyner, threw five touchdown passes Friday night against Spencer.

So when Hopper couldn’t go, another Joyner went behind center.

“I think Jaylen Joyner, our offensive coordinator, did a great job in preparing Jordan to play and managing Jordan during the game,” Corey Joyner said. “Jordan did a great job managing the game and not turning the ball over.”

He completed 4 of 6 passes for 65 yards while Westover leaned heavily on its running game.

Malik Young took care of much of the rest, rushing for 139 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.

Now the question is whether Hopper will be ready for Cairo.

If not, Joyner isn’t panicking.

“He had not played QB since seventh grade, but he comes from a line of QBs,” Joyner said. “I believe strongly if we need him to play, he will definitely be ready.”

He’ll need to be.

Cairo represents a substantial jump in difficulty.

The Syrupmakers are coming off a 52-13 demolition of Hardaway and feature one of the state’s most dangerous two-way players in senior Bryian Duncan.

The West Virginia commit can change a game from either side of the football, lining up at running back and defensive back.

Joyner didn’t need a lengthy scouting report to explain the problem.

“He is a great player,” Joyner said. “He is unbelievably fast. We will have to get him before he gets started.”

Stopping Duncan, however, won’t be enough.

Joyner believes one of the game’s defining battles could happen well away from the football.

Up front.

“Cairo has a great defensive line,” Joyner said. “Those guys are quick and physical, but so are we on the O-line. It will be a great fight Thursday between the two.”

Westover has earned the right to be confident.

The Patriots are 3-0 and just dismantled Columbus 49-8.

Cairo has plenty of reason for confidence, too.

The Syrupmakers are 2-0, ranked fourth and just beat Hardaway by 39.

Something has to give Thursday night.

And perhaps the best indication of how intriguing this matchup could be came a year ago.

Westover went to Cairo with its fourth quarterback of the season and stood toe-to-toe with the eventual state semifinalists. It took a fourth-quarter kickoff return to separate them.

Now Cairo comes to Albany.

Westover is unbeaten.

Westover is ranked.

And Westover believes it’s a different football team.

Thursday night, the Patriots get their measuring stick.