When Georgia and Florida meet Oct. 31 in Jacksonville, Fla., there's no doubt the stands will be filled and the players will be fired up.

In many of the series' 86 editions, the games have been close contests between two of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference.

Etowah coach Bill Stewart equates his team's game tonight against Towne Lake rival Woodstock with the former World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

"Anytime you have Etowah-Woodstock it's big," said Stewart, who has won two of his three battles with the Wolverines since coming to Etowah in 2006. "It's like a Florida-Georgia matchup, where you've got to come out and you never know which down is going to make the difference - which down is the one that wins the game for you and which loses the game. We've had some very close outings every year and I expect the same this year."

Much like the Georgia-Florida in the SEC, Woodstock-Etowah has risen to become a matchup between two of the top teams in Region 5AAAAA, both of which earned playoff berths a season ago. And with both teams having region losses to McEachern on their records, a victory tonight could go a long way toward securing another spot in the postseason.

As with any rivalry, emotions are sure to run high, but Stewart and Woodstock counterpart Mike O'Brien agree it will take a combination of heart and skill to come away with the victory tonight.

"For both teams, we are going to be expecting every player to contribute," Stewart said. "In a game like this, a big region game (like) Woodstock-Etowah, you've got to be clicking on all cylinders. It's not going to be a deal where one kid takes over a game. They are all going to have to play their best."

For Woodstock (2-1, 1-1), a solid performance requires a consistency, which has been hard for the Wolverines to find at times.

"We'll make a stop sometimes and then (sometimes) we don't," said O'Brien, who has split his six meetings with Etowah. "It's the same thing every game. We just need to get more consistent on offense and on defense."

Woodstock's 37-31 overtime loss to McEachern to weeks ago was a prime example of inconsistency. The Wolverines dominated the first half before mistakes caught up late in the game. During the overtime period, Woodstock was unable to stop the McEachern offense and, for the first time all night, couldn't manage a first down on offense.

After the loss, the Wolverines rebounded to dominated Marietta, 38-0, last week. O'Brien hopes that game, and the week of practice that followed, will have his team in shape for Etowah.

"We just have to handle (Etowah's) big line," O'Brien said. "If we play good, then we have a chance. If we don't play good, then we don't have a chance."

Since suffering a 49-10 loss to McEachern in Week 2, the Eagles (3-1) have posted victories over Kennesaw Mountain and Cherokee and now sit 2-1 in region play. Stewart said he has seen improvement each week, and his team is ready for the next challenge.

"I think every week is pressure for us," Stewart said. "We aren't in a position where we can take anyone lightly. To be honest, I don't feel like that from week to week. I feel like we need to come out hard every game. We aren't taking anyone lightly."

While the fifth week of the season is hardly a must-win time, both coaches would like to earn the tiebreaker that could come in the event of a logjam in the region standings.

"As far as this being a must-win (game) where you don't have any hope after this, it's not," Stewart said. "But it is a region game and you don't want to drop a region game. We have already dropped a region game."

O'Brien recognized the importance of game for a similar reason.

"It's important, but mostly because it's our next game," he said. "It does have implications in the region and that makes it a big ball game. Whoever wins this one is going to have a chance to go to the playoffs, hopefully. This game has those kinds of implications.

"You put a team behind you, if you can, and whoever wins this game does that because then you have the head-to-head (advantage) in the event of a tie."