Etowah will officially begin the defense of its Region 5AAAAA title tonight when it travels to Powder Springs to face McEachern for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Eagles (1-0) opened the season two weeks ago with a 21-14 victory over Starr's Mill in the Corky Kell Classic at the Georgia Dome. Now, the team will begin its challenging region schedule - and there might not be a worse team to start with than the Indians.

McEachern (1-0) has greatly improved over the past two seasons and it looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005. After struggling to a 6-4 record and narrowly missing the playoffs in 2008, the Indians stormed into '09 in commanding fastion.

Beating McEachern for the third straight season might be a challenge for the Eagles as the Indians now run a high-octane option offense fueled by senior running back Rajaan Bennett. In the Indians' 42-32 victory over Brookwood at the Corky Kell Classic, Bennett ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns

That isn't too say Etowah doesn't have offensive weapons of its own.

After a strong debut by quarterback Braden Nolan, Eagle fans may have a new star to cheer for. The junior was 8-for-10 passing for 123 yards against Starr's Mill, while also rushing for 44 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 carries.

Receiver Taylor Majors served as the primary target for Nolan.

With both teams coming off a two-week break since playing at the Georgia Dome, it puts each on a similar learning schedule and evens the ground entering tonight's game.

"We are pretty much on the same footing," McEachern coach Kyle Hockman said. "Both with pretty big wins. Hopefully, we got better over the week off and can keep some of the momentum."

Etowah is fundamentally solid across the board, but Reid Webster, Jason Holdway and Majors really make the defense stand out.

Webster, a lineman who has verbally committed to Clemson, leads an experienced and disciplined line. Majors, a two-way player who also drawing Division I attention is known for his solid hands and accuracy on assignments. Holdway, a junior, nabbed an interception against Starr's Mill.

"You aren't going to be able to trick (Etowah) or scheme them. They are just so defensively sound," said Hockman, who watched the Eagles play at the Georgia Dome right before McEachern kicked off. "Their offensive line is very, very physical. (Zach Lonas) and (Webster) are very physical kids - big and strong.

"They are a very confident football team. It will be a challenge."