By Staff
Our View
If the rebuilding phase of the Escambia County High School football program continues to move as smoothly as it has in the past two years, head coach Kyle Davis and the Blue Devils will be playing for a state championship soon.
Davis has taken the Devils, who had not had a winning season in many years and came one game from posting a winning record in the regular season. The 5-5 record the team did rack up was the best record for the school in 11 years.
They also made the playoffs last season, which was Davis' second season as head coach. It was also Davis' first trip to the postseason as a head coach. Davis and his staff took those boys who had only known defeat their whole ECHS career and showed them they could win if they put their minds to it.
The team might have had a slight hiccup with the whole ineligible athlete situation, but this will not be a deterrent for the team as they progress forward next year. To help the athletes and the community heal, the team has asked Don McNeal, a former Blue Devil and Miami Dolphin, to speak at their football banquet this month.
McNeal dealt with adversity as a pro player when he missed a game-changing tackle in Super Bowl XVII. He has since become a motivational speaker.
The Blue Devils could benefit greatly from McNeal's advice and if they take it to heart, it could mean an even better season in 2007.
High school athletics can be an unforgiving place to work, but Davis and his staff are making sure they get the most out of every athlete they work with. They might have to push harder, but they will get ECHS to a winning season yet. The ECHS staff has the support of the Atmore community and now all they need to do is continue to strive for the stars and who knows, they might end up in the state championship game some day soon.