Halfway through the 2008 season, the Georgiana Panthers are preparing for only their second home game so far.

The Panthers came away big winners in their first home game, which was against Frisco City, but their second home game won’t be as easy.

This week, the McIntosh Demons come to town and Georgiana head coach Shane Smothers said the excitement is building.

“Our kids are excited coming off a win and getting two wins under their belt in the region,” Smothers said. “We’re excited about playing at home again, and we’re all excited about hosting a good team like McIntosh.”

He said the Demons have the most athletes and speed the Panthers have seen so far.

“They’ve also got 40 kids on the roster, but they can only put 11 players on the field like us,” Smothers said.

As far as what the Panthers can expect from the Demons, it should be a ground-based attack.

“They’re going to run it, run it and then run it some more,” Smothers said. “They will use play action, but they just love to run it.”

He said the team speed of McIntosh will be the hardest thing to prepare for.

“It’s going to take us a few series to get adjusted to their speed, because it’s hard for us to simulate that in practice,” Smothers said.

Smothers said he feels like the Panthers are maturing and growing as a team.

“We just want everyone to come out and support us,” he said. “This is a huge game for the program. If the community will come out and support us like they can, it’ll be standing room only. We need to pack it out because it’ll be a good team across the field.”

Smothers also said this game will be a “Blue-Out” and all Georgiana fans are encouraged to come to the game wearing blue.

“Last week was one of the best defensive efforts I’ve seen since I’ve been here, but the players have to step it up and play football to notch another region win,” he said.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Harmon Field in Georgiana.