Entering the game between Town Lake rivals Etowah and Woodstock, Eagles coach Bill Stewart said it would be the type of game that could be decided by one play.

He was right.

But, much to Stewart's dismay, it was Woodstock that made the game-changing play in the fourth quarter on its way to a 17-10 win in the battle of neighborhood and Region 5AAAAA rivals.

"It was a typical Woodstock-Etowah game that came down to making a play here and there," Stewart said. "I think we played hard. We had some mental breakdowns, and so did they. We had our opportunities and didn't capitalize, and they did."

Woodstock's opportunity came late in the fourth quarter when a series of penalties, and a fumble, pinned Etowah on its own 4-yard line. Eagle punter Joey Gilkey, who had earlier pinned Woodstock (3-1, 2-1) on its own 2, got off his longest punt of the night, which the Wolverines' Tanner Skogen caught at the Etowah 46.

Skogen charged up the left sideline before making a cut inside near the 5. He scored virtually unimpeded and gave Woodstock a 14-10 lead with 2:59 remaining.

"I just wanted to make sure I caught the ball first because we already had good field position," Skogen said. "Once I caught it, I looked up and my team had set up a great wall. I knew I just had to get to the wall. I was telling myself, 'Just get to the wall and it will be good.' I got to the wall, broke a tackle and it was wide-open. The team set it up great for me. I was just the one to catch it and score."

Sullivan sealed the rivalry for another year by adding a 30-yard field goal with 38 seconds on the clock.

Etowah (3-2, 2-2) tried in vain to get the ball in the air on its final two snaps, but Nolan was taken down for short gains on both occasions.

Woodstock coach Mike O'Brien praised the performance of his special teams, which helped the Wolverines overcome three interceptions and two lost fumbles.

"Special teams has done a great job for us all year, and that's one of the things we emphasize," he said as the Wolverines evened the series with Etowah at five games apiece. "It paid off for us (Friday)."

Before the final 3 minutes of the game, there were few fireworks - aside from the ones Woodstock set off each time it scored.

After a scoreless first quarter, in which each team lost a fumble, Etowah got on the board with a 23-yard field goal by Kyle Riordan with 8:22 left in the first half.

Relying heavily on quarterback Kevin Bolak and running back Skogen, Woodstock responded with 4:20 on the clock. The drive included an 11-yard run by Bolak, 38-yard completion from Bolak to Michael Seymour and, finally, a 23-yard pass to Trevor Bagwell.

After a short gain by Skogen, Bolak took the keeper into the end zone from the 1-yard line.

Neither team scored again until the third when Etowah regained the lead on the first drive of the half. The drive, which began at the Etowah 19, included double-digit pickups on the ground by Ryan Wilborn and Jason Holdway.

On first down from the Woodstock 23, Wilborn broke way for the Eagles' only touchdown of the night. The 10-7 Etowah advantage held until Skogen made his strike.

Skogen finished the game with 53 rushing yards on 14 carries. Bolak led the team with 54 yards on 10 carries and was 7-of-16 passing for 100 yards, while Bagwell led the receivers with four catches for 50 yards.

"I think our kids played their hearts out, and I think our kids have a lot of heart," Stewart said. "We are looking to rebound from this in a big game (next week) against East Paulding."

Etowah quarterback Braden Nolan led the team in rushing with 18 carries for 55 yards. He also was 8-for-18 passing and 52 yards with an interception. Wilborn added 48 yards on seven carries and Holdway picked up 44 yards on nine carries.

As Woodstock continues its region schedule next week against North Cobb, O'Brien said the importance of Friday night's win would remain.

"It puts (Etowah) behind us in the region," he said. "We have the tiebreaker head-to-head, so it's big. It's real big. We made mistakes early, but we played well enough in the end."