If the weather holds, chances are you will be able to leave your cardigan sweaters, stadium blankets and hot chocolate at home. And, according to head coach Kelly Blake, things should be just as hot on the field.

"Once we get our running backs fired up, I expect things to heat up," Blake said. "We've still got a lot of size and muscle out there, but we've really got a lot more speed than we've had in previous years."

Blake got the chance to get a good look at his offensive and defensive sets last Saturday as the team traveled north for the Soldotna Jamboree. Six teams participated in the event, in which each team's offense is given the ball on the 40-yard line and allowed to run 20 consecutive plays against the others team's defense. Then the two teams switch.

The Homer defense faced Seward in game one and all but completely shut down Seward's assault on goal.

"I don't think we ever let them any farther than 10 yards down the field," Blake said. "Our guys were pretty fired up and hitting hard."

The Mariner's offensive execution also dominated the field, scoring three touchdowns on a combination of strong running and passing plays.

However, in game two, the Soldotna Stars turned the tables on the Mariners and handed the Homer team a taste of its own medicine. The Stars opened on offense with three touchdowns of their own as the Mariner defense had trouble settling into a good pass-coverage zone.

"We got burned a few times on the long pass," said defensive coordinator Cameron Wyatt. "But it's all about learning. We looked at what we needed to fix, and we're fixing it."

Unfortunately, Homer's offense didn't look much better, picking up little yardage on a series of hard-hitting, run-up-the-middle plays.

"We weren't executing plays the way we need to," Blake said. "Then, when we did, our holes collapsed on us. It wasn't very pretty."

Although Blake found some aspects of the day a little disappointing, he said he felt the event was helpful in getting problems out in the open where they could be dealt with.

"It was a pretty informal setting and just a way for teams to get a game-type practice against someone else," Blake said. "It gave us a good opportunity to look at what we're doing and whether or not certain things are working."

As to whether he was happy with what he saw on Saturday, Blake didn't offer too many details.

"There were things I liked and things I didn't like," he said. "The things I didn't like, we'll change. The things I did like, we'll just fine-tune."

Looking ahead to the Mariner's season-opener against Nikiski, Blake hopes to open up the field a bit more for his running backs. Burning things up in the backfield for this year's Mariner running game are seniors Bryan Smith and Devion Hagen, along with junior Jason West.

According to Blake, Smith exhibits a good sense of focus and strong work ethic, and it was his strength that helped him powerhouse his way through the line against Soldotna's defense.

"We didn't get too many yards against SoHi," Blake said. "But what we did get was mostly from Bryan muscling his way up field."

According to Blake, Hagen and West are smaller, but faster and have the ability to turn it up field if given the open hole.

In the passing game, Blake hopes to capitalize on sophomore quarterback Canyon McKinstry's quick feet and good field sense to connect with junior receivers Joe Hoanin and Brandon Moffet.

"Canyon's got a good understanding of the game," Blake said. "He went to a football camp this summer and I think it really helped him to build up some confidence under center."

Blake said he is also counting on using sophomore Justin Adams in the quarterback position, as well as a wide out. Junior Nate Brown and sophomore Justin Smith finish out the varsity receiver positions.

On the line, seniors Adam Hediger, Jared Weaver and Daniel Rainwater join juniors Cody Crum and Josh Blanchard to create a good-sized, solid pass protection, as well as a powerful front to open holes for their running backs.

"These guys all have good size and are quick on their feet," Blake said. "We're just working on getting them in excellent shape, getting them to react quickly and keeping them healthy."

Rounding out the offensive squad is senior tight end Jake Fraley.

"Fraley is one of those guys you can just count on being in the middle of things," Blake said. "He's got size, speed and good hands. He's probably one of the most versatile players we have."

In true "Ironman Football" form, most of Blake's offensive players head across to the other side of the ball to guard against the opposition's offensive assault. And Wyatt said he is more than happy to have them on his side.

"These guys are tough," Wyatt said. "They are a 'mix-it-up, in-your-face,' aggressive group of guys. Just the kind of guys I like to have on defense."

Another 29 players help to round out the junior varsity and C-team squads, led by new coaches Sean Pearson and Chris Swanson. Blake said he was pleasantly surprised by the number of players who turned out to play this year, and even more impressed with their tenacity.

"Every year we have to weed out the players who really just aren't into it," Blake said. "This year we've kept a pretty good number of guys."

The core that has remained is one Blake feels he can count on, after having put them through three-a-day practices last week totaling more than seven hours each day.

"All of these guys made it through 'hell week,'" Blake said. "I know it wasn't easy, and I make sure I let each one of them know they have earned my respect by making it through."

The Mariner JV team opens plays at Homer High School at noon Saturday against Nikiski. The varsity will follow at 3 p.m.