PREP PREVIEW: Football season kicks off Friday

For Poway and Rancho Bernardo, the goal this year is the same: The schools are out to do better this season than they did last year.

For Rancho Bernardo, that means finishing strong, a lesson the Broncos learned the hard way last year after they suffered a first-round exit from the playoffs in what many considered to be an upset.

“We want to try to finish the season better,” Coach Brad Elrod said. “We are concentrating on finishing strong in everything that we do. Every practice we’re focusing on finishing strong.”

Rancho Bernardo will play its first game of the season against Del Norte High School at 7 p.m. on Friday at Del Norte. The event will be the inaugural varsity football game for the 4S Ranch high school. The pregame ceremony is scheduled to include a parachute landing by U.S. Navy SEALs.

Poway’s primary goal for improvement is staying healthy, as the squad sets out to erase the memory of the injury-marred 2009 season that saw the Titans go 1-9 a year after they won the CIF San Diego Section crown.

If anything, Coach Damian Gonzalez said last year’s season gave a lot of the returning players experience at the varsity level, serving as preparation for this season.

“Last year made the kids very resilient,” Gonzalez said.

He noted that in the off-season, the team worked hard and as a result, the players are coming back stronger and faster.

Poway will kick off its season by traveling to Scripps Ranch High School for a 6:30 p.m. game.

For Del Norte High School and the private Maranatha Christian School in 4S Ranch, this a season of growth, as the young squads play at a more competitive level.

After fielding a junior varsity team in its first year last season, Del Norte High School is transitioning to playing varsity ball.

For its part, Maranatha Christian, which has been playing 8-man football for three years (and varsity for two) is going to start playing 11-man football midway through this season. The Eagles have their first game of the season at Eastlake today (Thursday, Sept. 2).

The start of the season also marks the launch of a new league configuration, which sees the Palomar League closer to what it was two years ago, with most of Poway Unified School District schools playing in the same league.

In addition to Poway and Rancho Bernardo, the new Palomar League — which also marks the first time that the North County Conference has football-only leagues — features Westview, Torrey Pines, Ramona and Carlsbad.

Del Norte is in the Valley League, and it will play its league scheduled against San Marcos, Orange Glen, Valley Center and Mt. Carmel.

Here’s a closer look at the local teams:

• POWAY

Coach: Damian Gonzalez
Last season: The Titans went 1-9 overall (1-4 in the Palomar League) and did not advance to the CIF San Diego Section playoffs.
This season: Gonzalez notes that despite having a young team, a lot of his returners got playing experience last year as they filled in for injured starters.
Key Players: Wide receiver, safety Nick Sharpe (Sr.); tight end, linebacker Zach McDonnell (Sr.); halfback, strong safety Chris Verne (Sr.); offensive and defensive lineman Tyler Kasl.
Up-and-coming: Tight end, linebacker Alec Moreno (Soph.) and offensive lineman, linebacker Jonathan Petersen (Soph.) who were brought up from junior varsity.
Strengths: The team has a strong roster of inside linebackers and defenders, which will help Poway establish the running game.
“That sets up the passing game for us,” Gonzalez said, adding that the Titans also have wide receivers who are improving from last season.
Challenges: “Remaining healthy,” Gonzalez said, pointing to the rough year the Titans had last season after a series of injuries.
The team has now added in-season strength training, which was abandoned in past years, to make sure that the players stay strong during the season.

• RANCHO BERNARDO

Coach: Brad Elrod
Last season: The Broncos finished in second place in the Palomar League with a record of 8-3 overall, 4-1 in the league. They made a first-round exit from the playoffs after falling to Ramona in a 7-6 upset.
This season: With a roster with many star returners, the Broncos are looking to have a strong finish to their season, Elrod said.
Key Players: Quarterback Devin Saunders (Sr.); running backs Tyler Gomogda (Sr.) and David Jones (Sr.); wide receivers Evan Mattern (Sr.), Tanner Lipe (Sr.) and Mike Monis (Sr.); Offensive linemen Troy Tarr (Sr.); Hassan Khalil (Sr.), and Sinjin Gibson (Sr.); defensive linebackers David Atoe (Sr.); Justin Adams (Sr.); Zachary Velasquez (Sr.) and Aaron Wallace (Sr.).
Up-and-coming: Linemen Zachary Andrews-Worline (Jr.) and Michael Uyematsu (Jr.) who played junior varsity last year.
Strengths: The Broncos will have a roster full of experienced guys who proved themselves on the field last year.
“I think having a lot of kids who have had varsity experience is an advantage at the beginning,” Elrod said. “It won’t be three or four weeks down the road, but right now it is.”
He added that with the experience, the squad’s players are now bigger, stronger and faster than they were last year.
Challenges: One of the biggest challenges for the Broncos will be keeping the defensive line as strong as it was last year with some of the seniors that graduated.
Maintaining focus throughout the season is something that Elrod also said the team is focusing on this year, especially with the strength of the team’s schedule.

• DEL NORTE.

Coach: Jerry Ralph
Last season: The Nighthawks were 1-9 in junior varsity competition.
This year: The young squad makes the transition to varsity play.
Key players: Linebacker, running back George Laing (Soph.); linebacker Garrett Reese (Jr.); center Alex Gonzales (Jr.); wide receivers Brian Carpowich (Jr.), Jordan Silva (Jr.) and Wayne Ganan (Jr.); quarterback Mac Vail (Fr.); linemen Mike DiPrima (Jr.) and Kevin McGlone (Jr); receiver Patrick Zeller (Fr.) and defensive back Tevin Malone (Soph).
Strengths: Team speed.
Challenges: Ralph said the team depth is a challenge, considering the young team’s strong schedule.

• MARANATHA CHRISTIAN:

Coach: Rle Nichols
Last season: Maranatha had an 8-2 record, 4-1 in the Frontier League, in second place behind the Christian Life Academy.
This season: Maranatha, which played 8-man football last season, is taking its first step toward playing an 11-man game. The team will play 8-man varsity half of the season and 11-man junior varsity football the second half.
Key players: Quarterback Jake Kirby (Soph.) and tailback Michael Trent (Soph) and tackle Derek Olson (Jr.).
Up-and-coming: Defensive end Jacob Secrist (Soph.) and linebackers Josiah Rubia (Fr.) and Brandon Yamaguchi (Fr.).
Strengths: Nichols said the team is extremely coachable.
“They’re an intelligent group of kids and they’re really dedicated to working hard.”
Challenges: With a 16-player roster, the Eagles’ depth will be a challenge, as will experience, with only one player returning who was on the team last year.