Commentary: The Beast of North County and other prep football stories to follow this fall

I may not yet be an expert on San Luis Obispo County’s high school football teams. But here’s what I do know: I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of Paso Robles running back Christian Erickson rumbling through the hole with a head of steam.

The guy is a beast, that much is easy to see.

He’ll also be dishing out punishment on the other side of the ball this year, too, as he takes on linebacking duties for his senior season. Erickson is just one of the numerous stories to follow as prep football gets underway — yes, it’s already that time of of year again; it seems to always sneak up out of nowhere — in earnest with a full slate of Week 1 games this Friday night.

In case you’ve missed it over the past two weeks, Tribune reporter Travis Gibson has been hard at work bringing you previews on all the area teams and delving into some interesting story lines set to play out this fall. In addition to The Beast of North County, here’s what else I’ll be looking for under the lights in the coming months:

How will Templeton bounce back from what was an extremely trying 2015 season? Isaac Lindsey’s injury undoubtedly shook up the Eagles, and who could blame them? Lindsey is back on the sidelines — though will never play again — and will be an inspirational presence. Lindsey’s good friend, Nate Avery, will be a leader on the field in what appears to be a group depleted by a number of key graduations, not to mention the departure of head coach Dan Loney.

But after witnessing firsthand what Lindsey has gone through to get back on his feet, any challenge on the field is sure to feel small for this group.

And what about Morro Bay? I’m a sucker for an underdog story, and how a team responds from going winless in a season is always intriguing. Head coach David Kelley scrapped his own offense, the wing-T, and turned over the reins to former offensive coordinator Paul Merkle, who will run a power-run play-action scheme. More importantly, it seems as though the players are motivated to turn things around, with senior running back turned quarterback Danny Koval leading an early morning players’ meeting in January.

That type of leadership and dedication goes a lot further than whatever plays are called.

Speaking of underdogs, it appears as though San Luis Obispo will fall under that label this season. At our last count, there were 24 players suited up for practice this week. That’s an ominous sign of what could be a long season for the Tigers.

Of course, there are plenty of other angles to keep tabs on. There are two elite-level quarterbacks gearing up for big things in Mission Prep’s Bryce Fledderman and Arroyo Grande’s Sawyer May. We have Arroyo Grande pegged as the top team in the county again after their PAC 5 championship and run to the semifinals of the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division playoffs. Is there a team that can challenge them?

Whatever the answers are, it should be fun finding out.

As for what you can expect from us? Well, sanluisobispo.com/sports is the place to be on Friday night. We’ll bring you score updates as the games happen and recaps from reporters in the field and the newsroom. Follow Gibson (@TravisDgibson), fellow reporter Scott Middlecamp (@sdmiddlecamp) and The Tribune sports department (@SLOTribSports) on Twitter for live updates. And as the night progresses, you’ll find photo galleries, highlight videos and in-depth coverage and analysis. Grab Sunday’s print edition for all of it wrapped up in a nice, neat package.

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Commentary: The Beast of North County and other prep football stories to follow this fall."