Siuslaw Vikings football coach Jamin Pool looks at the annual Blue-Gold Game as something more than just a game.

He wants it to be a showcase for fall sports, a time the school bonds with the community.

"I want people to come away from the game with an excitement, a happiness, an intrigue," Pool said, "all those kind of terms.

"I've gone into the Blue-Gold Game thinking of it as the fall sports kickoff."

Team warmups begin at 6:30 p.m. and the festivities start at 7 at Hans Petersen Field.

There will be an introduction of the football team. Pool will address the crowd, a "talk/teach" moment.

There also will be an introduction of the cheerleaders. And the volleyball team.

 "I'm trying to involve a bunch of different people in this," Pool said.

Most of all, he's eager to show off his players, who he hopes will please fans as much as they have pleased him.

"I've been more impressed than I thought I was going to be," Pool said. "Some of the guys have put on 5 to 15 pounds of muscle over the summer. They've hit the weight room hard.

"Their times from the beginning of the summer to the end of the summer have improved. And they're being more precise in their movements. I'm really happy with that."

Starters for the season have not been named, and the roster still is in flux.

"We'll go into the Blue and Gold Game with the idea that everyone is up for a position," Pool said. "We're keeping the competition going."

The Blue and Gold teams will be determined at a draft of players by the coaches Thursday night. Rosters will be announced Friday morning, the day of the game.

The game itself will be a normal 12-minute quarter, with clock stoppages, followed by a second quarter of 20 minutes of running time.

The game will be an introduction of the team to the community as well as a tune-up for the following Friday's season opener at Elmira.

"I'm pleased with the amount of knowledge our players have taken in, their attention to detail," Pool said.

"We're getting toward the end of the second week of practice, and we can tell mental fatigue is starting to kick in.

"I've been impressed with how they've been able to overcome that, and still push to get better, to push each other to get better. So I'm happy."

Turnout has been something of a mixed bag. There won't be enough players to field a junior varsity. And some of the newcomers are athletic upperclassmen who will be expected to contribute despite a lack of experience.

Still, Pool is pleased at what he's seen.

"We had the idea, as a coaching staff, that we'd come in to Thursday still working out some of the kinks," he said. "But after today's practice, the coaching staff is 'We're good. We could play the whole season now.'

"As far as knowledge, we're set. We have a few critiques we'll get to tomorrow, then the Blue and Gold Game, and then we'll be ready for the season."

NOTES

The status of the junior varsity football team is week to week, according to athletic director Chris Johnson. "There probably will be no preseason games," Johnson emailed. The Elmira game Sept. 2 has been cancelled. Other preleague games include Pleasant Hill and Newport. If the Vikings play a Far West League schedule, JV games would be on Mondays this season. ...

Admission to the Blue-Gold Game is free. The concession stand will be open. There is no confirmation of the addition to the menu of a barbecued sandwich (the Pool 'Cue) to go with the Dodson Dog and the Lutero Burger. ...