Woodstock's defense certainly made a statement with its 17-0 shutout of Kell two weeks ago.

The Wolverines held the Longhorns to 70 yards of offense in what coach Mike O'Brien called a "big" win over a "high-quality" opponent. Kell managed just two first downs against the forceful Woodstock line.

Now it's time to see if the 10th-ranked Wolverines' defense is for real as it is tasked with slowing down the potent offense of McEachern tonight at the Wolverine Den.

Led by senior running back Rajaan Bennett, the Indians have scored 91 points in their first two games, eating up an average of nearly 350 yards of offense per game.

"(McEachern's) got a tremendous scheme, offensively and defensively," O'Brien said. "They've got some good players to play it, so it is going to be a total challenge. Our defense is going to have a big test, but then (again) they have a test every week."

Although the Region 5AAAAA schedule has just begun, O'Brien didn't hesitate to call the Indians (2-0, 1-0) a favorite for the title.

"They are one of the frontrunners," he said. "This is going to be a super test for us."

Bennett isn't the only player for the Wolverines (1-0) to concern themselves with this evening. The Indians operate with two quarterbacks, Trent Thompson and Dondre Purnell, both of whom run the offense well. Running backs Zarold Wilder and Jerrell Robertson also have the ability to make impact plays, as do receivers Demarius Matthews, Amba Etta-Tawo and Tra Fletcher.

Working in favor of the Wolverines is the two weeks they had to prepare since their season opener. O'Brien said the team spent time going over things they didn't go well against Kell and maintain the areas it is already doing well in.

"We just tried to get better this week like we did last week," he said.

O'Brien said the key defensively will be playing with consistency and making sure everyone gets their assignments. He said that is nothing new for the veterans, but it could be a learning experience for the newcomers.

"I think they know the team concept of playing offense and defense," he said. "They know we play together."

McEachern coach Kyle Hockman said that while he would never minimize the contributions of Bennett, it was nice to know there is more to the Indians than their star running back.

"It's kind of nice," he said. "We have an outstanding player in Rajaan. It's got to be tough. (Teams) kind of have to choose if they want to try to stop him and give other guys single coverage, or if they want to play us kind of straight even and give the other guys a little bit."

While O'Brien and his staff will make those tough calls from the sideline, he said the pressure is still on the Wolverines to improve upon last season's fourth-place Region 5AAAAA finish, even if they stretch it into a deep postseason run.

"We would love to be able to get to that same spot, but we have to do it one week at a time," he said. "This is our biggest challenge because it is the next game. (McEachern's) got some tremendous players that we've got to stop."

The Wolverines and Indians also met in Week 3 last year, with Hockman earning his first victory at McEachern, a 17-13 decision.

The Indians went on to win four of their final seven games in '08 but missed the playoffs. Woodstock won six of their final eight games and slid into the postseason.

Despite the intense recent history between the teams, O'Brien said he is glad the teams are playing early in the year.

"When you play (McEachern), it is going to be tough no matter what because they get as good or better as the year goes on also. It's always a challenge to play a team like that."