The Escambia County Blue Devils recently received the chance to be featured on the cover of the high school football magazine “Friday Night Football.”

The magazine features an in-depth look at the upcoming football season in the state of Alabama with reports on recruits, teams and predictions on how the season might shape up.

By selling a couple hundred magazines for “Friday Night Football,” they will get their own personalized magazines that they will look to sell as another fundraiser for the team.

The money the team raises will go directly towards the incurred expenses they might already have and will receive during the season including payment for officials and pregame meals.

Taking the time to purchase one of these magazines will help show the support that Atmore’s team deserves. This team is putting in work every day to be successful this season and each player is taking on a role in what head coach Mark Heaton calls a “family.”

The money that is received for the magazines might not go a long way once it is all said and done, but just knowing that the community is behind them will give them that extra push to work even harder.

Not every team receives a chance such as this and by taking the time to sell magazines, the Blue Devils show they are taking their program seriously.

This is a special opportunity for the Blue Devils because of the extra exposure that it gives them heading into the season. This year’s squad has a chance to surpass the success of last season.

“Become a family. Win championship.” This is the team motto that the Blue Devils are taking into 2011, and with each workout, the team is growing closer.

Heaton said he has seen the bonds growing in his team and noted he sees a much closer group than he had in his first year at ECHS.

Accountability and leadership are grabbing hold of each Blue Devils player, giving the coaching staff hope that it will lead to even more wins on the field.

With that said, take the time to speak to a player or coach about purchasing one of their special magazines. It will go a long way to helping them fund their season and showing them that the community has an interest in what they are doing at Herbert Barnes Stadium.

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