‘This is a very different team.’ Bigger Bulldogs optimistic after chaotic 2017 season.

Aaron Martinez didn’t have a great deal of time to think a season ago.

The Le Grand head coach inherited the program one week into the 2017 campaign, after then head coach Raul Alvarez was fired. A crazy season opener in which the Bulldogs played a good portion of the second half with only 10 healthy bodies prompted the change.

Martinez was forced to read and react as he attempted to keep the ship afloat while learning how to run his own program. But little galvanizes a team together like extreme adversity and Martinez believes a young Le Grand team began to find its footing the last month of the season.

“It definitely wasn’t ideal how everything happened, but it forced the rest of us coaches to step up our games,” Martinez said. “I learned to delegate as the season went on and the rest of the coaches really responded.

“I felt like we had momentum at the end of the year and that enthusiasm carried over into this season.”

The Bulldogs’ numbers still aren’t anywhere near where they were during their run of four consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI titles, but 26 players on the roster will give Martinez some margin for error. Martinez also feels it’s the most talented group of players Le Grand has had since it last made the playoffs in 2014.

“We’re still going to be very young this year, but the main difference is we’re big,” Martinez said. “We haven’t had this kind of size since we were winning championships. The offensive and defensive lines are definitely going to be this team’s strength.”

With a year’s experience under his belt, junior tackle Antonio Puente will lead that young offensive line. In addition to having the big line to work with, Martinez said Le Grand has added a pair of bruising backs in juniors Tony Garcia and fullback Cesar Villegas.

While the Bulldogs intend to get back to the ground-and-pound attack that the program is known for, they still have one of the Southern League’s most electric players (Michael Dinkins) to utilize in the passing game. First-year quarterback Ivan Perez will be called upon to keep defenses honest in the passing game.

With guys like Villegas, Garcia and Joshua Maldonado leading the way, the defense is expected to be every bit as physical.

“I think we’re going to catch a lot of people by surprise,” Puente said. “I don’t think the expectations are real high coming off of last year, but this is a very different team. We still don’t have a ton of guys, but we have enough that we can platoon our lines. None of us are going to have to play both ways, which should keep us fresh.

“The defense is playing lights out and this is the best offensive line I’ve ever been a part of. We’re very physical and if teams aren’t ready, we’re going to punch them in the mouth.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 7:06 PM.