North County football

North County Condors (4-6, 4-2)
Stability has been a sticking point of late for a program with the second most playoff appearances in the county over the last three decades.
 Yet, for the first time in eight years, the Condors weren’t searching for a head coach in the off-season as Sean Gomes is back. Better yet, that interim tag from his first tour of duty six years ago has been removed.
 "Definitely there's a better comfort level, hearing the same terminology instead of a new year of something new,'' Gomes said. "Having a full spring and summer, I think the kids are more comfortable.''
 North County was one of the most improved teams in the second half of last season, erasing an 0-4 start by rattling off four straight wins.
 Don’t put too much stock in the Condors final two games, in which they were outscored 73-13. Not having their starting quarterback crippled their postseason chances.
 "I think we as coaches felt we could have done a better job,'' Gomes said.
 Digesting Gomes’ system last fall with no off-season was work in progress. North County went 11 quarters before producing its first points of the season.
 Then again having a full year to grasp a system instead of five weeks has made it less complicated coming into this fall for North County.
 "The difference is the whole team is taking everything series,'' North County guard Roger Rodriguez said. "I'm not sure that was the case last year, dealing with another new head coach.''
 The reigns of the offense will be turned over to Steven Flores, who rushed for two touchdowns as a backup quarterback when pressed into duty late last season.
 "I wasn't ready mentally for the job last year,'' Flores said. "I've grown into it. Having played safety last year, it has helped me read defenses better.''
  Rebooting the ground game starts with Joseph Barrios, who will look to create some running lanes behind returning offensive linemen Ricardo Alfaro and Rodriguez.
 The Condors offense struggled last year, producing just 134 points, the lowest total in the county. In their six losses, they were outscored 211-33.
 That has to change for this team to put itself into the conversation of postseason talk, something that has eluded North County since 2010.
 This is a playoff caliber defense with the return of Barrios, an all-league defensive back, and multi-talented pass rushing defensive end Jeremy Heitzman and Andrew Torres.
 One more obstacle in the Condors path this year is they will be forced to play 10 road games as their field is being replaced and won't be ready until next year.