In the distance, the infra-structure of the new Lakes High School is beginning to form.

But the Lancers' football practice field is still something out of the 1940s.

It is a grass field. The topography is uneven. Running a pass route, a receiver can step into two potholes, and over a knoll the size of an anthill in just a matter of steps.

That is how Lakes, the No. 1 team in Class 3A much of last season, wants to treat teams in its new league, the SPSL 3A – like bugs to a windshield.

"Kids are kids, and they play how you tell them to play," Lakes coach Dave Miller said. "As a coach, I'm trying to tell them it's going to be a better league, better competition.

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Midway through the Rogers Rams' first football practice Wednesday, a dark cloud loomed over Sparks Stadium, dimming the daylight.

So much, one assistant groused, "Can't we get the lights? I can't almost see."

There were low snaps and dropped passes, typical of a first day of camp. A few of the 90 players fell on the slippery turf, which was just installed a few days prior to practice.

One thing is for certain these days. These Rams are animated. Winners of their first SPSL South championship since 1982, they are also determined to prove last season was no fluke, led by all-everything quarterback Tyler Van Sligtenhorst, a senior who is being courted by a few Big Sky Conference programs.

"I love being in the position where everyone is looking at me," Van Sligtenhorst said. "Nothing cocky. I've done some camps with Jason Gesser (ex-WSU quarterback), and he's talked about that swagger you have to have, and let the (team) know … 'Hey, I'm the guy,' and have them believe in you."

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Wilson's Desmond Trufant outruns two defensive backs at practice on Wednesday.

I left Wilson High School looking forward to seeing exactly how coach Don Clegg plans to use the super-talented Desmond Trufant in a game.

After playing receiver, defensive back and returning kicks and punts last season, Trufant will also see time at quarterback and running back. He admitted that he's still learning quarterback and last played the position for "a couple games" during his freshman season.

"It's cool," said Trufant, 5-11, 170 pounds. "I like it."

Clegg hopes opponents won't be so pleased trying to keep track of the South Sound's top recruit.

"I used to be a defensive coordinator and I hated it when they moved kids around on offense," he said.

Trufant, the younger brother of Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Marcus Trufant, has scholarship offers from six schools: Washington State, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona State and Colorado. He said he will likely wait until after the season to take official visits.

I'll probably wait until after," he said, "so it won’t get in the way of my season."

Here we go. Another season of high school football has arrived.

I visited Fife High School earlier this afternoon. The Trojans are coming off season that saw them advance to the Class 2A state quarterfinals for the first time since 1988. Despite losing touchdown machine Tyler Cardin -- he scored 42 TDs and ran for 2,254 yards -- coach Kent Nevin is confident his team will be competitive.

"Our strength is our offensive and defensive lines," he said. "We've got some big kids there."

Fife coach Kent Nevin addresses his team on the first day of practice Wednesday.

Like other leagues in the South Sound and around the state, the 2A Nisqually League will take on a new look. Eatonville, Fife, Steilacoom and Washington will be joined by the Olympic League's 2A teams -- Kingston, Klahowya, North Mason and Sequim -- and have formed the Nisqually Olympic League.

"There are some good teams in that league," Nevin said. "This is going to be good for us, good for the Nisqually League."

I'll be back later tonight with updates from a few more schools. In the meantime, I've traversed the interwebs to bring you some first-day-of-football reports from around the state. Here's what I gathered:

Up north in Whatcom County, Joe Sunner of The Bellingham Herald visited practice at Lynden, Bellingham and Ferndale high schools. Lynden and Ferndale are perennial playoff contenders. It seems as if the Lions have a solid linebacking corps -- Lynden's defense has been overshadowed the last couple seasons by its spread offense -- and again will be one of 2A's top teams. Ferndale has Jake's cousin, Casey Locker, at quaterback for the third straight season. He's been offered scholarships by UW and WSU as a defensive back.

The Olympian has no practice updates. But this blog post is worth checking out if only for the photos of the electric football players. The Thurston County newspaper will run a team preview every day, beginning on Friday.

Here's a story from the Vancouver Columbian. Adam Mathieson has taken over the program at Mountain View. Mathieson coached Ferndale to a league title in 2003 in his first year as a head coach before joining the staff at Western Washington University.

Finally, Tom Wrywich of The Seattle Times reported that Evergreen High School of White Center had its own version of midnight madness last night/this morning. Wonder if Dick Vitale was there?

By the way, is it really August? Or did I sleep through the first few weeks of the football season and wake up in November? This rain is killing me -- what a day to forget a jacket -- and my gear.

Such are the hardships we sports writers struggle through to bring you the news. Rain, sleet, heat, snow? Mail carriers have nothing on me.