Escambia County will compete for a chance to win the region championship this week as the Blue Devils host top-ranked UMS-Wright on Friday.

The Blue Devils are coming off a big 24-3 Class 4A, Region 1 victory over Andalusia. In the game, ECHS racked up 342 yards of offense, and was led by Jordaun Patterson, who went 11-for-21 for 205 yards and a touchdown. Patterson added 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

UMS enters the match up after a blowout 65-0 victory over Monroe County. So far this season, the Bulldogs have allowed three touchdowns. Mobile Christian, Hillcrest-Evergreen and Clarke County scored one touchdown each against the Mobile school.

ECHS head football coach Rico Jackson said the only way his team can go up against a defensive power is to worry about itself.

“We’re just going to have to practice hard, and have a good week of practice, and go out there and try to win the region,” he said.

While UMS’ defense looks pretty stout, its offense is equally impressive. UMS has scored an average of 32.6 points per game this season, only two points higher than ECHS’ average.

Keyshawn Woodyard, a receiver; Edwin White, free safety; and Symon Smith, at running back, are the Bulldogs’ top weapons.

“They’ve got a really good team,” Jackson said. “We’ve got a good team, too. It’s a chance for us to win the region, and it’s a chance for us to prove — not to other people — but that we deserves to be here.”

Jackson said the keys to the game include being sound on special teams as the Bulldogs have a tendency to block punts.

“When the opportunity presents itself, we’re going to have to make a play,” he said. “There needs to be no turnovers. I’m just excited that we’re in a position to talk about a region championship in this region.”

Getting to this point in the year, where the Blue Devils sit 5-2 overall, and 4-1 in the region, took a lot of hard work from both the players and coaching staff, Jackson said.

Jackson said the boys have done a good job of growing up, and that showed during the offseason. He said this has been a big factor in the Blue Devils’ success this year.

“We had a young kid that made a mistake on a drill, and none of the kids laughed,” Jackson said about an offseason practice. “I knew then that we were growing up.

“I think people are in shock we have a good team, and they don’t know how to accept it,” he said. “I feel like every year it’s different. You have different players each year. Those players that played five, three or 10 years ago — they’re not playing.

“It’s a different year and a different team,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we do.”

Kick off on Friday is at 7 p.m.