How Valley high school sports teams are coping with the extreme heat

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Despite the triple-digit heat in the Valley, a new season of high school football kicked off on Friday.

Some start times for certain games have been pushed back, but no cancellations just yet.

A heat advisory will remain in effect until late Saturday.

Coaches and officials say they are monitoring these temperatures closely.

"It seems like every year during this time, our heat goes seems to go further and further into fall. So we're getting pretty comfortable battling the heat. Fortunately, the air quality has been good enough for us to play when you have the combination, you have real issues. But I think technology gets better and better all the time," says Madera Unified School District Director of Athletics Marty Bitter.

Along with tracking the temperature, athletic directors and coaches are using some innovative tools to monitor the extreme heat and more.

"Playing a game is not worth risking somebody's life, so we take as many precautions as possible," says Bitter.

Some of those precautions include new technology and strategies to combat heat-related illnesses.

Using a tool the CIF provided called the wet globe...

"It measures several things, it measures temperature, it measures humidity, it measures wind speed, it measures the angle of the sun, it also measures cloud cover," says Bitter.

Trainers combine this tool with safe practices if temperatures reach a certain point.

Friday on the sidelines, players also had what they call 'quench tanks' on standby.