It takes only a quick glance at the list of local high school football teams that have started the season 0-2 before some pretty surprising names begin to pop up.
West Covina, Muir, El Rancho, Rosemead, Monrovia, to name a few, haven’t tasted victory in 2015 despite being some of the most successful programs around.
“There’s no panic,” West Covina head coach Mike Maggiore said. “Obviously, it’s not a great week when you lose a close game against a team you think you had a chance to beat. But at the same time, the first two games of the season are not going to make our season.”
For West Covina, the opponents have been reigning CIF-Southern Section Division Central Division champion Colony and perennial power St. Francis. Both games were competitive and Maggiore is hopeful his team gets over the top on Saturday night when it plays rival South Hills.
Close games haven’t been the case for Muir. The Mustangs have been blown out by Salesian and Cathedral, thus making the debut season of first-year head coach Antyone Sims a rocky road. Things don’t get any easier next week with a road trip to Santa Clarita to play Hart at College of the Canyons.
But like West Covina and other programs who have started 0-2, there’s no panic in Sims or his team.
“We’re in transition and we’ve got a lot of young guys playing right now,” Sims said. “We definitely knew the schedule wasn’t a cake walk. All three of these teams are playoff teams, year in and year out. It’s a good exposure for our kids when we do get into league. We’ll already know what needs to be done.
“Right now, the final scores aren’t looking too good for us, but the schedule has been tough.”
Like Muir, El Rancho is breaking in a new head coach in Roddy Hiatt. The Dons have played Claremont and Capistrano Valley, which are both 2-0, respectively.
Rosemead scheduled up when it put Diamond Ranch on the schedule and the Panthers found that out the hard way in last week’s 49-0 loss. It’s possible the Panthers won’t win a nonleague game with San Dimas and Burroughs still to come on the schedule. But Rosemead will surely be battle tested by the time it defends its Mission Valley League title.
Monrovia is accustomed to strong nonleague performances. This year, that hasn’t been the case. The Wildcats saw a late rally by Bonita turn an improved effort compared to Week 0 turn into a loss. The futility may not last much longer, though, as Monrovia will be a big favorite against nearby rival Arcadia on Friday.