North Salinas football

 Seven straight wins by an average of 30 points would not suggest that the Vikings have battled from behind often.
 Yet, in four of those games -- including Friday's playoff opener against Santa Clara -- North Salinas has trailed in the first half.
 Being down by 13 in the first quarter didn't seem to rattle the Vikings, who responded by running off 34 unanswered points in winning their first playoff game in eight years.
 When you're averaging 39.8 points a game over the last seven weeks, it gets your attention. But how do you not talk about North Salinas' defense?
 Three more turnovers were created on Friday, resulting in 21 points. This is a defense that's allowing 10 points a game during its seven game winning streak.
 North Salinas has intercepted 18 passes this season. Armando Armenta came up one yard short after a pick of producing the teams seventh defensive touchdown this year.
 There's nothing flamboyant in how the Vikings do things, although Joseph Gutierrez made one of the nicest catches this year to set up a touchdown.
 You can learn a lot looking at expressions when a team is facing adversity. North Salinas is one of expectation.