ROSEBURG – Smoke in the Umpqua Basin cancelled a number of outdoor plans over the weekend, including the season opener for the Roseburg girl’s soccer team.

The Indians were scheduled to begin the season at home against the Thurston Colts on Saturday afternoon, but the unhealthy air quality squashed those plans. Roseburg, which is looking to improve on last year’s 2-10-2 record, will now wait until Tuesday to begin the year. The Tribe is headed to West Albany for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Smoke from multiple nearby wildfires could cause havoc on local outdoor sports throughout the week. Air quality was at unhealthy levels both Saturday and Sunday and conditions did not improve on Monday. If the air quality does not improve dramatically over the next few days, teams such as football, soccer and cross country, may need to spend time indoors running through drills.

High school football teams are beginning their final week of practices before the regular season kicks off on Friday night. If conditions do not improve throughout the week, games like Roseburg’s season opener at home against Gresham could be jeopardy. Currently there are seven contests involving a team from the Umpqua Valley that is scheduled to take place in a town where the air quality was listed as unhealthy on Monday.

The conditions be something coaches and administrators will be watching as game days get closer. Roseburg athletic director Russ Bolin was out of his office on Monday for a classification meeting with the OSAA, but he said he will be taking a serious look at contingency plans for Friday if the air conditions are unhealthy for Roseburg’s football season opener.

To monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI), visit this website.