CASTROVILLE — A 2-8 record left a sour taste in the North Monterey County High Condors’ mouths.
A strong summer of work has them confident they can wash away that taste.
N.M.C. doesn’t have the same size as last year’s team and its senior class is small — at just 13 — but third-year head coach Sean Gomes doesn’t see why his talented squad can’t surprise the Monterey Bay League Pacific division and make the playoffs.
Gomes said the 2017 Condors have several similarities to the 2009 team, which also had less than 15 seniors but battled its way to a 7-4 record and a Central Coast Section playoff berth.
“We were limited on seniors then too but the younger guys we had really stepped up for us,” said Gomes, who was the Condors’ interim head coach in 2009. “We have plenty of those guys this year, too. Our young guys are really working and our seniors understand that they have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.”
The Condors have had their hands full trying to replace last year’s three big offensive weapons, quarterback Steven Flores, running back Joseph Barrios and receiver Jose Esparza, and all but one of their starting offensive lineman.
Senior center Izzy Barragan is the lone returning offensive lineman and has tried to bring his teammates up to speed on both the playbook and the expectations of the varsity level.
Junior linemen Spencer Gonzalez, Hector Ponce, Jose Alvarez Zavala and Luis Gasca have all stepped in up front and several backs and receivers are teaming up to make up for the loss of Barrios and Esparza.
Seniors Alexis Ruiz, Sergio Chavarria and Diego Rios and junior Konan Vanlear will lineup behind the quarterback in the Condors’ fly offense, while small and speedy senior Jerry Perez and juniors Lupe Sanchez and Abel Ruiz will be major running threats on sweeps.
Barragan said it would be a group effort.
“Going 2-8 last year, we learned that we had to work more as a team and be more united,” Barragan said. “There were guys that would take plays off and that play would hurt us. That was usually the play that would break our backs. We’re trying to unite everyone this year and make sure everyone goes 100 percent.”
The quarterback position will also be filled by committee. Senior Gabe Miranda, junior Joseph Berato and sophomore Brandon Ducusin all have different skill sets and will all see time behind center. Miranda is a powerful runner, Berato has the most experience of the three and Ducusin is accurate with his tosses.
They’ll have a few solid targets, including 6-foot-2 senior wideout Taylor Blackmore, to throw the ball to.
“If we get someone who’s on a roll then we’ll roll with them,” Gomes said. “They all bring a little something different so we’ll have some flexibility in what we can do.”
The other side of the ball, however, has plenty of experience.
Linebackers Vanlear, Ruiz, Chavarria and Rios are all back and senior safety Jesus Avalos leads a diminutive but tough defensive backfield that includes Perez, Sanchez, Ruiz and junior Isaiah Solorio.
“We’re all small but use our speed and we’re not afraid to hit,” said Sanchez, who has added some bulk during the offseason. “There’s a lot of us like that.”
Since taking the reigns of the program, Gomes has not been able to find the same magic as his first coaching stint earlier this decade when he led the Condors to a 10-2 record and the CCS semifinals. Before last year’s 2-8 record the Condors went 4-6.
But that hasn’t changed Gomes’ approach. N.M.C. is playing arguably its toughest preseason schedule this decade with Alvarez High (Aug. 25), Monte Vista Christian (Sept. 1) and Carmel High (Sept. 8) on the docket. Alvarez missed the playoffs for the first time in four years last season, while M.V.C. and Carmel posted a combined 18-4 record in 2016.
In the MBL-P, the Condors will be considered the underdogs with Gilroy High and Watsonville High returning several key contributors from last year’s squads. But N.M.C. could very well send a message to the rest of the teams in the league by notching a road victory against Watsonville during its MBL-P opener on Sept. 22.
The Condors will also play Christopher High, Pajaro Valley High, Monterey High and Alisal High in the MBL-P.
N.M.C. showed flashes of brilliance several times last season during its league season, beating Monterey and holding a late lead against eventual league champion Seaside High, but was never able to find the consistency needed to make a run at the league title.
This year, they said, things will be different.
“We’re confident about this group,” Sanchez said. “Last year, we were the same but we let our guard down and went 2-8. We’re not trying to go 2-8 again. We’re trying to work hard. We look good this year.”
