SGV/WHITTIER PREP SPORTS ZONE - End Zone to End Zone Part Two - Champions Edition
We take a look back at West Covina's game against Torrance. 5 Things That I Think I Think and much more.
Torrance team photo after defeating West Covina for a CIF-SS Div. 10 title. (Escarcega)
WEST COVINA.- A huge party was scheduled for Saturday night at 9:30 pm at West Covina HS.
The way everyone in the area was talking, it was only a matter of time before West Covina would defeat Torrance in a CIF-SS Div. 10 final, an overflow crowd (which included West Covina High alums, young and old) would rush the field, coach Mike Maggiore would walk off a conquering hero and become the latest coach to have the word “legendary” tagged to his name.
It was easy to feel that way because Maggiore was 3 for 3 in championship games. His first title came in 2004 against South Hills at Mt. SAC. In 2010, he was the architect of a terrific team that overwhelmed La Serna and in 2011, he led the Bulldogs to a thrilling win over Bonita.
He was making winning championships easier than it should be. After leaving for a short time, he returned to the school as coach of the football in 2020 to prove to himself once more that he could do it.
“It means a lot when you go to a school in the city and working to bring the program back to respectability,” Maggiore said earlier in the week. “The challenge was there for me to come back and see what I can do. The three years that I was away, I still felt that urge to still be in coaching.”
Yes, there was a complicated element that he had to consider and that was his son (Nate) who was a student at the school and was on the football team. Mike didn’t want to coach if his son didn’t want him there. A funny thing happened along the way when he considered returning to the sidelines… Nate gave the green light.
“He was all in because he thought that it would give us a better opportunity to be successful early and he believed in me,” Maggiore said. “His belief in me pushed me to actually do it and I didn’t know what was going to happen when I got back in. The demographics have changed a little bit, the enrollment is lower, there is a different type of kid compared to 2010.”
That first year that Maggiore things were complicated. COVID-19 forced the state to shut down high school athletics until the spring of 2021 and Maggiore, much like the coaches in the area, was forced to coach on the fly.
He only coached in five games and won just one - a 21-7 win over city rival South Hills. After the win, Maggiore on the outside was smiling, but inside he knew that the ball on the field was not good. “We’re out here because of the kids,” Maggiore said after the game. It was almost as if he was apologetic for the product that he had out on the field.
But he did have 60 freshmen go out for the football team and asked his former player Brian Ibarra to come help him coach. Ibarra, who was playing a key role in a family-run business, didn’t want to work at the varsity level because of the time commitment. But he was more than willing to coach the freshman team. Ibarra was not the type of coach who wanted to be associated with “soft” teams. As a former player who was on Maggiore’s first CIF championship football team, he knew exactly what West Covina football was all about – toughness with grit.
“We had 60 players that first week, but we got those kids that were there just for the jersey to be weeded out of the program,” Ibarra said, who is now the offensive coordinator on the varsity level. “Those were tough times, but we told those players that they were going to be the ones that brought West Covina back to respectability. There were no guarantees and guess what, 26 of those players are here (Saturday) night.”
When you look at it from that point of view, the 2021 season was Maggiore’s first true season back at West Covina. The season was more than a success as they won the San Antonio League title and posted a 6-5 record. Last season, West Covina finished second in the league standings and made another appearance in the playoffs.
They say in the coaching circle that once you are into your third year as a coach, things should be changing, and the culture of the program should be reflective of the coach. If we count 2021 as Maggiore’s first year back at West Covina, guess what makes 2023… you got it, his third year back in the program.
As is always the case, the theory has once again held up as West Covina is beginning to look like the West Covina of old. Offensive and defensive linemen look the part and have a little bit of nastiness in them. Mean and nasty linemen like junior Erik Ramos and freshman Owen Reid. Throw in some running backs like Zach Requena (who has rushed for over 1,500 yards) and Angel Murillo and you can understand why the Bulldogs had posted their first ten-win season since 2011.
You can’t blame anyone from Bulldog Nation who felt that Saturday was going to be a coronation. All the elements were there – an overflow sold-out crowd, a packed sideline of former West Covina players and coaches (that included the one and only Jeff Platt – Mr. West Covina football).
Funny thing happened along the way… someone forgot to tell Torrance.
They were the party crashers. They were the ones who arrived on the scene and had no idea what it was like to play in a championship game. And it’s easy to see why West Covina fans were more than a little confident. Torrance usually resided at the bottom of the Pioneer League standings. They had won no more than seven games in more than three decades.
They did earn an automatic qualifier in the playoffs and thanks to a light Calpreps rating, they were slotted in Division 10 and were the top-seeded team. However, in today’s age of Competitive Equity, there are no easy wins even if you are a #1 seed. Just ask Rancho Cucamonga, San Juan Hills, Loyola, Ontario Christian, and Chino who were top-seeded teams that didn’t make it to championship weekend.
That was the narrative that was laid out as fans and football insiders made their way to West Covina HS for a historical event, a CIF-SS championship event being held at West Covina for the first time.
Unfortunately for West Covina fans, there was little to cheer about.
West Covina’s offense, which had propelled them to this point in the season, was missing in action. The longest play that West Covina produced in the first half was a ten-yard run in the second quarter. One look at Maggiore’s face late in the second quarter was all that was needed to see that things were not going the way he envisioned.
Torrance was beating West Covina at their own game. They were the team that was winning the battles at the line of scrimmage. If it hadn’t been for Robert Rodriguez’s 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after Torrance had scored on its previous drive for a 7-6 lead, West Covina fans would have been extremely worried.
Torrance did score late in the second quarter for a 9-7 lead, but there were signs that West Covina was in deep trouble. West Covina had rushed for 62 yards and averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Those are not numbers that are acceptable to Maggiore and his crew.
Meanwhile, Torrance had rushed for 150 yards with a 9.3 yards per carry average. The message was clear, Torrance was beating West Covina at its own game.
This is like a wrestler who is dominating his opponent in a match and knows that he can do whatever he wants for the entire match. It’s painful to watch and you are helpless in trying to do anything.
Unfortunately for West Covina fans, things only got worse in the second half. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on their first possession and Torrance cashed it in for a touchdown and a 15-7 lead.
Those West Covina faithful that was hoping for some of that Mike Maggiore magic to be sprinkled onto their players were left disappointed. West Covina’s offense never seemed in rhythm and punting the ball (which became a major task in its own right) was the norm rather than the exception.
In the end, there was no party at West Covina – unless you were a part of the Torrance party crashers. The Tartans won their first CIF-SS championship with a 23-7 victory. There was only one stat that told the entire story of the game in a nutshell.
Total Rushing Yards: Torrance 227, West Covina 85.
The scene had the end of the game felt a bit strange if you were a West Covina fan. For the first time in program history, they had to settle for the silver runners-up plaque. “I didn’t know where to go or what to do,” Maggiore said. “This was a bit foreign to me.”
West Covina coach Mike Maggiore and senior Daniel Carrillo Jr embrace each other after Saturday’s CIF-SS Div. 10 final. (Escarcega)
As is always the case at the end of the season, West Covina players let out their emotions for everyone to see. Tears were cascading down their cheeks, sadness filled the air. Maggiore did his best to try and keep their heads up, but when you are on the doorstep of greatness, and you get the “Access Denied” message – it hurts.
After 15 minutes, the tears were gone, and the players started to understand that Friday’s loss was only a game. As we mentioned in last week’s column, sports psychologist Brett Ledbetter said it the best, “It’s not what you can get from the sport, it’s who you become.”
And for the 26 seniors who played it out to the end, they deserve a hug and a standing ovation. They are an example of playing the long game, taking the long route with no guarantees, and showing everyone what toughness and grit are all about. They can tell their kids what it’s like to do the right thing when no one is watching.
One thing we learned this year is that West Covina is back and it won’t be long until Maggiore and his players win another CIF championship very soon.
They may just want to do it on the road.
FOOTBALL COACHING UPDATE
It’s that time of year when coaching spots suddenly start popping up. Of the 25 coaching spots that are available in Southern California, four are from the area – Whittier, Pasadena, California, and Azusa.
The job that is a sleeping giant that could be turned into a consistent winner is California. They have the facilities, the resources, and the kids to get the job done. Yes – we know that La Serna looms over the league like a black cloud, but, as Santa Fe proved, you can carve your own path and make a nice playoff run.
We were told that the Pasadena job is pretty much a done deal and whoever takes over has a major rebuilding job on their hands and it becomes even more difficult when you consider the lack of support the program gets from Pasadena Unified.
Will there be more changes? I don’t think so. It appears as if the majority of principals in the area are happy with the job their football coaches are doing. However, there is always a surprise or two in January, let’s not get all that excited.
FIVE THINGS I THINK I THINK I WILL BE WATCHING THIS OFFSEASON
1. I think that you will see a lot of action with players transferring all over the place thanks to the new league realignment. The ball game changes in 2024 with the shuffling of the deck when it comes to the new leagues. With Bonita, Charter Oak, and Glendora all part of a new six-team league, the hunt for talent will be at an all-time high. And keeping that talent at their schools also going to be paramount. It’s how the game is currently being played at the high school level.
2. I think that the most interesting league next year is the all-new “Valle Vista League” which includes Alta Loma, Baldwin Park, Diamond Ranch, Northview, San Dimas, and West Covina. It is a tremendous league and earning one of those precious automatic qualifiers from the league into the playoffs is going to be fascinating. The names of the coaches in the league are off the charts: Perri, Maxie, Martinez, Perez, Holman, and Maggiore. It doesn’t get any better than that. Let the games begin.
3. I think that St. Paul is going to be just fine in 2024. You know that coach Mike Moschetti never sits on the job and players will be transferring into the program. The biggest thing that he needs to do is start building his freshman program. Rumor has it that the numbers were a little light this year, but you can be sure that some of the top talent in the Whittier area will be heading over to St. Paul next summer. They’re still in the Angelus League, which makes their games against St. Francis and Cathedral next year even more compelling.
4. I think that while many have knocked the new playoff division format, it’s here to stay. Until there are changes to the transfer system, this is CIF’s answer to the transfer issue and section officials are more than happy with the way things are going. And it appears as if the membership schools are changing their tune as well as many areas are using the Calpreps ratings to shuffle the deck with releaguing. And remember, we are one CIF-SS Federation Council vote away from having all sports move into this playoff format. For those who would like to see the section go to a geography-based format, sorry – that’s not happening. As the Marines love to say, “Deal with It.”
5. I think that it’s time for the NFHS to tighten the screws with the targeting call and add the element of an ejection to the rule. Currently, high school and the NFL have the rule that a targeting penalty is 15 yards and an automatic first down. In college, they’ve added the ejection and it’s time for high school football to go down the same road. Remember, the NFL can hurt players where it hurts the most – the pocketbook. Since that can’t happen at the high school level, it’s inexcusable not having the ejection element brought into the penalty.
FINALLY
What a football season it has been for everyone involved. We’ve seen great games, great players and great teams come to the forefront in 2023. From the inspiring run of Rio Hondo Prep to La Serna’s ultra-impressive run to a sectional title.
The one thing that I hope no one forgets is that football is still king in high school sports. Yeah, guys like me can get caught up in the heat of a tremendous basketball and baseball season. However, if the eyeball test still matters, the attendance numbers still show that football remains the passion of high school fans in the area.
It's why people go on Spaces and yell/scream like crazy. It’s why me and Tony Moskal (from the CIF-SS Game of the Week) do a weekly podcast. Football is still king and will be that way for a long time to come.
The season has come to an end (except for La Serna and Rio Hondo Prep) and the offseason will bring its usual madness of transfers and coaching changes. For now, to all the players, coaches, administrators, ticket takers, snack bar volunteers and fans, thank you for a tremendous 2023 season. Without all of you, there is no high school football. Your passion and excitement could be felt throughout the season.
This was the most challenging season for yours truly, but we became the better for it on the other side and it was thanks to all your support.
Let’s do this again in 2024.
Thanks, and Happy Holidays.