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HARBOR CITY — A job with the Gardena Police Department wasn’t the only new landing spot for Lieutenant Patrick Goodpaster this year. The class of 2000 Narbonne graduate is also tasked with cleaning up his alma mater as the football program’s new coach. Last spring, the Gauchos were stripped of their 2024 CIF L.A. City Section championship and banned from the postseason for three years following an investigation that uncovered violations of eligibility and recruiting rules. Narbonne was punished for similar violations in 2018 and 2019. Narbonne is eligible to appeal the ruling this year. The most recent issue put the entire athletic department on probation, and Goodpaster, who was hired in February, is starting from scratch with a team that went from 20 to now 45 players since taking over. “I don’t really actually know all the particulars of the past, the trials and tribulations,” Goodpaster said at Sunday’s Marine League media day hosted at the school by South Bay Sports Radio. “I just know, going forward, all those people are gone, and I’m just going to work with what I have.” The Gauchos, who finished 0-10 last season, return an estimated 20% of the roster. Goodpaster added that roughly 70% of the team is made up of sophomores and freshmen, with minimal prior experience in youth sports for most of the players. Goodpaster said signs that things are going in the right direction will start with instilling discipline and accountability, both on the practice field and in the classroom. It’s not about just meeting a bare minimum, either. “It starts with GPA, going to classes,” Goodpaster said. “It’s not 2.0, I’m trying to tell my kids it’s 3.0. “When you’re not a deep football team, when you don’t have depth, I try to explain to them when a key player misses a day that’s a day gone for the team. “Last year, the 0-10 season, is behind us. It’s a new year, new look, and hard work and building a culture takes time but we have the right players and coaches to do so.” Defending champion Carson returns strong core The Colts, whose 10-4 record included an unbeaten run through the Marine League, capped coach William Lowe’s first season with the program’s first City title since 2003. No team has repeated as Marine League champions since Narbonne in 2016 and 2017, but Carson has the returning firepower to potentially end that drought. One of the bigger challenges will be internal. “Last year, I don’t want to say we were the underdogs — but we weren’t picked to win the City,” Lowe said. “So it kind of places a chip on your shoulder, like you had something to prove, and it gave you motivation throughout the year. “We talked a lot in the spring about (how) we felt some complacency. Kids thought we already arrived or maybe some entitlement ‘cause people were picking us to win again. I told the kids: The hardest thing about being able to sustain success is being able to consistently provide some motivation.” Carson will not be lacking upperclassmen leadership. Georgetown-bound senior quarterback Chris Fields III and junior defensive lineman Kingston Sula were last season’s Daily Breeze all-area offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, along with linebacker Preston Leomiti, running back Eric Myers, wide receiver Nate Williams and defensive back Darren Panton. Fields said the instant success under Lowe and his staff only leaves him wondering how much greater things can be in 2026. “We haven’t even scratched the surface of our potential,” Fields said, “so I know that this year is going to have a lot more in store for us.” Lowe will also have 41 freshmen on the roster as he looks to ensure a bright future foundation. A few could contribute immediately, too. “Despite the returners that we have, might see some time on Friday,” Lowe said. San Pedro seeks stronger finish The Pirates’ lone league blemish was a 41-21 loss to rival Carson in the last year’s regular-season finale that was followed by a 30-0 first-round playoff loss to Crenshaw in tough weather conditions. Entering his fifth season, coach Corey Walsh said his group has an “attack” mentality coming off a second-place league finish and 5-6 overall record. “Our guys are really motivated,” Walsh said. “I thought it was a tough way to end the year last year against Crenshaw in the playoffs in the rain game. … We weren’t really able to play our game on offense.” Walsh expects the offensive and defensive lines to be a strength of the team, and the likes of David Medina and Joaquin Fernandez playing both ways. There’s also returning senior quarterback Seth Solorio. Solorio, a one-time Bellflower-St. John Bosco transfer, will have dual-sport track speedster Jaxon Brown as one of his top receivers. “I’m just excited to show everybody what we’re about,” Brown said. “We’re getting doubted a lot, people don’t believe in us, so we’re just excited to prove everyone wrong.” Banning looks for better fortunes The Pilots have produced just one league win over the last two seasons, but second-year coach Nate Hollister is encouraged about having a healthier roster entering the season. Among those players is senior defensive end/tight end Kody Galloway, whose family history with the school includes some brothers and cousins who dealt with their own share of injuries. Galloway was limited to just four games last season. “Our front seven is the strength of our defense,” Hollister said. “Happy to have Kody back. That was a big loss for us last season.” Hollister, an alum whose nine years with the program includes time coaching the junior varsity team, is setting the expectations high after getting some of his younger players experience as freshmen last season. Among the keys, Hollister added, will be the need for better balance from a run-heavy offense that struggled in 2025. The Pilots scored 13 points or fewer in five consecutive games — including three league contests. Gardena turns to new QB Coach Terrence Williams sees a group “learning from the ground up” coming off last season’s 4-7 record and 2-2 league mark. After finishing under .500 for the first time since 2021, the Panthers will turn to senior quarterback and first-time starter Omar Figueroa. Figueroa said his “goldfish memory” is something he will lean on when it comes time to face some of the tougher defenses on the schedule. “Also, learning from the mistakes I do make, just making sure the team knows that I trust in myself and them,” Figueroa said. Defensively, Williams said, an undersized group looks to use its speed. “That works into our advantage,” Williams said, “being able to knife through the offensive players and being able to make tackles.”