North County football

North County (5-5, 3-3)

 Surpassing their win total from the last two years combined provided a feeling that the Condors are headed in the right direction.

 Owners of the second most league football banners in the county over the last 30 years, a once proud program has seen its numbers dwindle over the last decade.

 While the turnouts, particularly at the lower levels, remains an issue coming into this fall, chasing a league title in the Cypress Division is not a pipe dream.

 "Guys have a little more confidence coming into the season," North County coach Sean Gomes said. "We lost a couple of games we could have won. It's a process."

 The barriers in their path, which included essentially two years on the road while their stadium and field was renovated, no longer exists. Stability has been established.

 "We're seeing it come to fruition," said Gomes, who begins his fifth season. "Now it's about how do we get over the hump? That's what we preached in the off-season."

 Gomes, who gave up part of his liver in the off-season to safe the live of a relative, brought in a new offensive coordinator to tinker with North County's style of play.

 Last fall North County looked like world beaters between the 20's. But once it reached the red zone, the offense went AWOL, leaving them searching for answers.

 "We couldn't put a finger on it," Gomes said. "You wonder after a while if it was a mental block. We would be our own worst enemy, either with a penalty or mental mistake. We'd lose focus."

 That was evident when it failed to hold a lead against King City, falling 21-16. In between  that gut wrenching loss were a pair of impressive offensive performances in wins.

 "I believe in this team," quarterback Brandon Ducusin said. "I grew up playing with a lot of these guys since our Bulldog (youth football) days. It's not hope. It's an expectation."

 A flickering flame has been re-lite behind Ducusin, who threw for nearly 800 yards and rushed for 425 yards in earning all-league honors last fall for the Condors.

 In the teams new offense, the expectation is North County will be more balanced, taking advantage of Ducusin's arm and the athleticism of its receivers.

 "We can still spread and run the H-back," Gomes said. "We want to be 50-50. We have backs that we like and Brandon is a threat. If one thing is working better than the other, we'll lean on that."

 Ducusin either rushed or threw for 15 touchdowns last season. He provides the team a dimension it hasn't seen in a while in the ability to throw the ball down field.

 "I'm very comfortable in the position," said Ducusin, who also starts at linebacker. "In this offense, the routes our coaches are giving us are pretty clean. There's a nice flow to it."

 Ducusin has a trio of receivers back that he's built chemistry with in Cyrus Coffelt, Juan Cruz and Jason Mellin, all of which have showed flashes of their potential.

 Make no mistake, the Condors want to run the ball with tailback Francisco Guevera, chew up the clock and wear opponents down behind an offensive line that includes Benito Gomez and Marcos Calderon.

 "Looking in the room, we have enough athletes to compete in this league," Gomes said. "Preparation breaths confidence."

 An argument can be made that the heart of the Condors last year was their defense, which held four teams to 14 points or less, recording a shutout in the process.

 Riley Anderson put together a record breaking season last fall for North County, finishing among the nations leaders in tackles, averaging 15 per game as a safety.

 "He's got talent and has a nose for the football," Gomes said. "He doesn't shy away from contact. He is a leader out there. He's always around the ball."

 Anderson also intercepted three passes and recorded a handful of pass deflections. Because of his athleticism, the senior may see more time on offense as well.

 The secondary will also include Kody Hatten, who picked off a pair of passes at a recent practice, grounding the offense.

 "This senior class realizes the potential of this team," Gomes said. "They can feel it. It is a positive atmosphere out here. How you practice can often constitute how you play in a game."