Nipomo High school senior quarterback Josh Correia seems to take everything in stride — and he has a lot to take in stride.

The 6-1, 210-pounder was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 12 years old. He has a tick that a doctor said is “probably a mild form of Tourette’s Syndrome,” Correia said.

Then there was the emergency appendectomy.

It was a Wednesday, two days before the Titans played unbeaten St. Joseph on Oct. 16. “My stomach hurt,” Correia recalled. “I thought it was the stomach flu.”

Josh’s mother, Kim, took him to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria. Josh described his symptoms to a doctor. The doctor told him he did not have the stomach flu.

“He said, ‘Your appendix has to come out,’” Correia said.

“He gave me a choice of two different surgeries. I chose the one where the recovery time was the quickest.”

Even so, “It was a week-and-a-half to two weeks before I was 100 percent,” Correia said. He missed two games, then the 2009 area passing yardage leader (1,536 yards, 15 touchdown passes, just seven interceptions) came back strong the next week.

Now the two-year varsity starter has the playoffs to look forward to. Nipomo, 7-3 and the Los Padres League’s third-place team, takes on Camino Real League champion Los Angeles Verbum Dei (6-4) in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Northwest Division Playoffs.

Kickoff time is 7 p.m. Saturday at Pious X St. Matthias High School in Downey.

The Titans will make their second playoff appearance. Their first was in 2007, but Correia is a post-season first-timer. “I’m real excited about it,” he said.   

Looking back, Nipomo coach Russ Edwards said, “(Correia) was probably playing in pain for two weeks,” before the appendectomy.

“Our goal before the season started was for him to average 200 yards a game passing, so he’s right there.”

Correia has thrived behind an all-senior offensive line that returned all five starters from last year. He’s thrown deep mainly to Kevin Britt (47 catches, 699 yards) and also to Eric Penningroth (25 catches, 347 yards) coming out of the backfield. Akeem King is another Titans deep threat.

Penningroth has bolstered Nipomo’s attack with his 1,346 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.   

Correia describes his various ordeals — the diabetes, the nervous tick, the appendectomy — the way he might describe his symptoms if he had a common cold.

Regarding his diabetes, “I’ve had it since I was 12,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about diabetes when I first found out I had it.

“I went down to the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. I learned all I could about it during the week I was there, and it really hasn’t been much of a problem.

“I wear a pump right up until kickoff on game nights,” said Correia. “I take it off during the game and check it during halftime.”

Has his blood sugar count ever been low at intermission?

“Oh, yes,” Correia said with a chuckle. “I always bring (some form of) sugar.”

Edwards said that Correia’s nervous tick, “hasn’t been an issue at all,” as time has gone on.

“He threw for 900 yards last year, but about 600 of that came the last three or four weeks of the season,” said Edwards.

“With five junior linemen, that was a problem for him last year. He wasn’t getting the protection most of the year.”

With the good protection Correia’s line has given him this year, “The game’s just slowed down for him a lot,” said Edwards. “That’s helped him as far as the (nervous) symptoms. He used to know what one or two guys were supposed to be doing. Now he knows what everyone’s supposed to be doing.

“He goes through his progressions (reading the defensive coverage as he looks for receivers) very quickly. He never locks on to one receiver as a lot of high school quarterbacks do.”

Correia is a member of a quarterback club whose numbers seem to decline every year — the classic dropback passer club.

“Unfortunately, that may hurt him as far as his recruiting prospects for college ball,” Edwards said. “He’s not that 6-5 dropback passer, or one of those quarterbacks that move around a lot that more colleges seem to be looking at.”

Edwards did say Correia’s goal before the season started was to play for Monterey Peninsula Junior College next year.  

Correia said he hasn’t talked to any colleges or universities yet. “I’ll go wherever an offer comes along,” he said.

Edwards said, “We’re going to put together film on him and send it out there.” Meanwhile, Correia has overcome adversity that’s stronger than any pass rush.