Perhaps the biggest game in Galveston County sports history is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Galena Park.

The La Marque Coogs and the Texas City Stings will take the gridiron for the second time this season. But this time, the stakes are much higher.

The winner claims the Region III title and a berth in the Class 4A, Division II state semifinals. The loser will see its season come to an end and will be left to wonder what could have been.

“I guess you could say this will be a huge day for Galveston County,” said Texas City head coach Tim Finn. “I’m sure there will be a lot of talking about this game before Saturday.”

This is the first time La Marque and Texas City have squared off against one another in the football postseason. The two schools meet annually in the “Battle by the Bay.” La Marque won the first meeting this season 24-14.

“This is going to be fun for the fans and the county,” said La Marque head coach Bryan Erwin. “Texas City has improved a lot since the last time we played them, but so have we. I think it’s going to be an even better game than the first one.”

La Marque (12-1) has advanced to the Region III finals in every season since Erwin took over as coach in 2002. Last year, the Coogs fell to the Brenham Cubs.

La Marque has won its three playoff games this season by a combined score of 100-14, including Saturday’s 46-0 drubbing of the Yates Lions.

“That game was over before it even started,” Finn said of La Marque’s dominant performance. “They jumped on them early, and I think that’s a credit to them and their staff. La Marque has a certain mystic or mojo or whatever you want to call it. But there are some opponents that are intimidated by them.”

Texas City (10-3) has been rolling after notching its first postseason victory since it last won the state championship in 1999. The Stings shocked region favorite Brenham on Saturday, 45-35, to set up the rematch against the Coogs.

“I wasn’t that surprised to see Texas City beat Brenham,” Erwin said. “Brenham didn’t match Texas City’s physical play, and it cost them the game. Texas City has certainly earned the right to play in this game.”

The two schools had originally hoped to play at Rice Stadium on Saturday. It was even thought the location was already reserved.

But a schedule mix-up gave Pearland and Cy Falls the time slot at Rice, making La Marque and Texas City scramble a bit to find a new location for the game.

“It wasn’t easy,” Erwin admitted. “I don’t know what happened with Rice, but somehow Pearland got our spot. We couldn’t play at (Houston’s Robertson Stadium) either. It came down to Baytown, Deer Park, Pasadena or Galena Park. Both us and Texas City felt Galena Park was the best venue to hold the game.”

Galena Park seats 14,000, which may not be enough if early attendance estimates of 20,000-plus prove to be true. However, the stadium does feature plenty of amenities, such as a video replay scoreboard and artificial field turf.

“It’s going to be a great turnout,” Finn said. “I hope the stadium can hold the crowd, but I also hope it can’t. That would be an exciting atmosphere.”

La Marque will be home team for the contest, while Texas City will be away. The coaches mutually agreed on that designation, as both showed to be a little superstitious. The Coogs are undefeated this season in their all-blue uniforms, while the Stings are 3-0 in the postseason wearing their road white jerseys.

Finn said this rematch of District 23-4A titans will create an atmosphere certain to live up to the tradition of Texas high school football.

“When you see ‘Friday Night Lights,’ it’s the stakes that are on the line that make the game special,” Finn said, referring to the blockbuster movie about high school football in Texas. “That’s when you get that type of atmosphere. I’m sure the two communities will feel the same way about this game.”