Smoke creeps into plans for Ashland Football's Pacific Rim Bowl

ASHLAND, Ore. – A football team who came to Ashland from the other side of the Pacific still hopes to face off with local players despite smoky conditions.

Since the late 80s, the Ashland High School football team has been meeting with Japanese high school football players for the Pacific Rim Bowl.

2019 marks the 31^st year of the bowl, with a kick-off planned for Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Ashland. However, smoke from the Milepost 97 Fire burning near Canyonville has the potential to change that.

Ashland High’s head football coach said they’re doing everything they can to play in Ashland. He said the Air Quality Index needs to be 100 or less. As of 12:18 p.m. Friday, the AQI was 158 in Ashland, reaching “unhealthy” levels.

Organizers still hope the game takes place Friday, but they have contingency plans in place. They said the game will take place “no matter what” with all safety measures taken into consideration.

A decision on whether or not to move the game to another day will be made by 2:00 p.m. Friday. You can check for updates on the Pacific Rim Bowl Facebook page.