By DREW GRANTHUM / Sports Writer

It’s finally here.

When 7 p.m. rolls around this Friday, all of Shelby County will officially be in football mode.

Each county teams will have officially started the 2013 campaign and will begin its march to the ultimate goal of the state championship.

We here at the Shelby County Reporter want to make sure you have the opportunity to know everything possible about your favorite team. So we present the 2013 Shelby County Football Magazine, found within the pages of this issue.

There are 84-pages of full color team reviews and position-by-position breakdowns of each school, all in alphabetical order along with team facts.

In a new twist, we’ve updated our feature stories, providing in-depth views at a player, a coach and a piece of Shelby County football lore.

Cover athlete Ronnie Clark’s rise to prominence, along with the resurgence of the Calera football program, are explored. His role as the consummate team player, along with his duty to his family amidst the recruiting process, is very different than the stereotypical blue-chip athlete.

New Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney’s move from rival Hoover is chronicled, as is the search to replace long-time starter Nick Mullens. How well Raney and Mullens’ successor can navigate the waters of AHSAA Class 6A Region 4 will be a storyline to follow all year.

Our last feature focuses on the deep rivalries found within the county. No matter the size of the schools, the action on the field is heated and the passion between the fans runs deep.

It takes a total team effort to make a magazine like this happen. I’d like to thank each of the coaches in the county for working with us to make sure the players, fans and schools are well represented.

I want to thank Daniel Holmes for his hard work designing the magazine, and Jon Goering for capturing football at its finest through his photography.

I also want to thank you, the fans, for supporting this production. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did putting it together.