From Staff Reports

The Selma Times-Journal

Each year, the staff of The Selma Times-Journal produces an annual high school and college football preview magazine “Gridiron.”

The focus of the magazine is to give area fans insight into the upcoming season, their favorite team and the players expected to make an impact. This year, it’s the fans who can have an impact on the magazine itself.

Beginning Thursday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m., The Selma Times-Journal is inviting area high school fans to visit the Times-Journal’s Facebook page to vote for their favorite “cover model” for the 2013 edition of Gridiron.

“Over the past few weeks, we have invited a number of area athletes to come to the newspaper and have their portrait taken for the cover of this year’s edition,” Times-Journal editor Tim Reeves said. “We have taken those portraits and built seven possible covers. Only one of them can win.”

Each of the county’s seven high school football teams is represented and will appear on the Times-Journal’s Facebook page for one week.

The photograph that receives the most “likes” will be selected as the cover photograph of the 2013 edition.

“Each year, we’ve struggled to create a cover that worked to represent all of our area teams. This year, we completely gave up on that goal, and decided to open it up to this competition,” Reeves said.

The fan vote will last from Thursday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. to Thursday, Aug. 8 at 5 p.m., giving area fans plenty of time to log on and vote.

“Over the past few years, we have seen tremendous interest from students, fans and alums of all the area schools when we’ve posted photographs from football games, homecoming ceremonies, and whatever else happens at the schools,” Reeves said. “This is the first time we’ve put something together that really puts the fans in charge. Simply, the cover of this year’s magazine is in the hands of the fans and the schools who can rally the most support for their athlete.

“It should be fun to see who comes out on top.”