Friday night will be a big night for Escambia County football as the Blue Devils will honor the 1983 state championship team during the team’s game against region rival W.S. Neal.

The 1983 team will be recognized during halftime on the field, and will receive gifts from the team and the Escambia County High School Athletic Club.

Blue Devils head coach Mark Heaton said it is a great thing for the school and the community that the team is coming back for this presentation.

“I’m super excited about this,” he said. “Just having these guys and the tradition they bring back on this campus is huge. I hope the community comes out and supports them and what they did, and cheer us on as well.”

A large reason for bringing back the 1983 Blue Devils is to get a sense of tradition back into the school and community, according to Heaton.

He said he wants his team to have a part in gaining tradition back to ECHS.

“Our main purpose of honoring this team is to bring back tradition to this school and football program,” Heaton said. “The kids are trying to put some tradition back into this program, and I think we are headed in the right direction. We want to get as many of those people that were involved with that team to participate in this event as we can.”

Kick off for the game between ECHS and W.S. Neal is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Herbert Barnes Stadium.