By Aram Tolegian, staff writer
It’s his strongest team ever. It’s his fastest team ever. So why won’t West Covina High School football coach Mike Maggiore call next season’s Bulldogs his best team ever?
“There’s a little thing called football skill,” Maggiore said. “This is the strongest and fastest team I’ve had, but that doesn’t make a football team great. But it should help us out. When the Bulldogs begin spring practice next week, Maggiore will have more than 50 players on the roster who can clean 200 pounds in the weight room. He’ll also have 10 who can bench more than 300 pounds.
When you combine that kind of power with the type of speed the Bulldogs have in track star and running back B.J. Lee, it’s easy to see why West Covina is expecting big things in the fall.

“This team, it’s just a lot of guys who are stronger than we’ve ever had,” Maggiore said. “We should be pretty physical.”
The Bulldogs are one of the favorites in the Southeast Division now that Charter Oak has moved on. But before Maggiore and Co. can even entertain the thought of a CIF title, they have to figure out a way to win the new Hacienda League, which features Diamond Ranch and Rowland, among others.
That process starts next week when the Bulldogs will work out Monday through Thursday for spring preparations.
Maggiore has also added a spring passing game against powerful Monrovia, which is one of the favorites in the Mid-Valley Division.