It’s a busy week at Escambia County High School with all of the homecoming events and hullaballoo that will be taking place.

The Blue Devils and the student body at ECHS will be taking part in themed dress up days and events throughout the week that will culminate with the football game and halftime crowning of the 2011 homecoming queen.

Homecoming week can be a distraction of sorts for a team full of teenagers that not only has to be focused on winning a football game, but also on what corsage to get their date for the dance.

This is where the coaching staff comes into play trying to keep their players minds out of the outside world that looks to lure them away from the fun that will be homecoming.

Do the coaches want their plays not to have fun? Yes, they do, but not at the expense of falling to an opponent and especially not an opponent that is 0-8 this season.

For that reason, the coaches at ECHS will harp even more this week to keep their players heads into the game they play every Friday.

They have a right to do that as well. It’s important for the Blue Devils to remain focused on the task they are practicing for all week long. That task is to go out and crush their homecoming opponent who also happens to be a rival. A rival they have played 64 times. A rival they beat 85-7 back in 1916 in the school’s first season with a football team.

The Blue Devils must keep their thoughts on football, while also being exposed to the fun that is homecoming.

Winning a football game might not be the most important thing in the world, but when it comes down to it, what will the team remember? Will they remember who the homecoming queen was or will they remember that they lost to Monroe County because they let the distractions get to them?

So, remember Blue Devils, while all of this homecoming fun is taking place, that you must stay focused on football.

Stay focused on football, so you are able to celebrate homecoming even more with a big win for Atmore.

Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or by e-mail at sports@atmoreadvance.com