Escambia County has a hefty task as the Blue Devils host Andalusia this Friday night.

Andalusia, previously ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, beat then top-ranked UMS-Wright 27-21 in overtime last week. This was the first win AHS acquired over UMS in school history.

ECHS defeated Monroe County 26-8 in a game where four different Blue Devils scored for Atmore.

Blue Devils head football coach Rico Jackson said he’s expecting Andalusia to come in as the No. 1 team. The weekly Alabama Sports Writers Association poll is usually released on Tuesdays.

“This is going to be a challenge for the kids,” Jackson said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Quarterback Ethan Wilson, and wide receiver BJ Anderson lead Andalusia on the gridiron. The combo made some good plays in last week’s win.

“Ethan is real good,” Jackson said.

Jackson said Andalusia’s offensive line is huge, and their defensive line is physical.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” he said.

To get ready for the Bulldogs’ pass attack, the Blue Devils are going to have to play disciplined ball, the coach said.

“They’ve got to do their job,” Jackson said. “They do a good job of mixing up their play calling. We’ll do our job the best we could.”

During last week’s win, Escambia County’s Ja’Maya Frye, Xavier Lymon, Malkik Brown and William Bradley scored for the Blue Devils.

After a weekend to think about it, Jackson said he was proud of the way the guys competed.

“We still have a lot fundamental issues,” he said. “We’re still trying to put people in the right place. I feel like we don’t need to shoot ourselves in the foot so much. Against Andalusia, we can’t afford to do that.”
Injury news: Senior Jaylan Brown is out for the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the Blue Devils’ game at UMS on Sept. 8.