Former St. Paul football coach Marijon Ancich, right, with Former Nogales High School baseball coach John Romano after being inducted into the CIF-SS Hall of Fame at the Grand Long Beach Event Center in Long Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/ Pasadena Star-News)

By Stephen Ramirez
LONG BEACH — Very few high school coaches have won like St. Paul’s Marijon Ancich and Nogales’ John Romano.

Both received their just rewards Wednesday for their accomplishments.
Ancich, the face of St. Paul football for more than 30 years, and Romano, Nogales’ baseball coach for 34 seasons, were inducted into the CIF-Southern Section Hall of Fame in a ceremony at The Grand Long Beach Event Center.
Former Diamond Bar athletics director Ray Moore, who is now at Vista Murrieta, and former Arcadia athletic director Doug Speck, who died in 2010, were honored with Distinguished Service awards.
“It’s fitting I’m (being inducted) with coach Ancich,” Romano said. “When I got into coaching, I wanted to be like (him). I wanted to share that.”
There’s a good reason to emulate Ancich, who retired in 2012. He is the winningest football coach in the section with a record of 360-134-4 and ranks second in the state behind De La Salle’s Bob Ladouceur (399-25-3).
Ancich won three section titles at St. Paul in 1968, ‘72 and ‘81. He also won two state titles and one mythical national championship. He also coached eight seasons at Tustin, before finishing with two stints at St. Paul, from 1993-2005 and then in 2009-12.
“I’m happy I’ve been able to obtain (the honor),” Ancich said. “I hope I can carry it on for anyone else who comes through.
“I would have liked to have had a few more victories at the right time, but just being out there was special for me. We had a great time, with great people. I was there at the right time.”
Romano, who spent one season at Yucca Valley before spending his last 34 seasons at Nogales, retired in 2014 with a record of 635-334-9. He guided his teams to six league titles and 30 CIF playoff appearances.
He was inducted into the California Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006 and the San Gabriel Valley Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014. He is a member of the CIF baseball coaches advisory committee.
Romano’s legacy is with his players, 18 of which were drafted by Major League teams and 29 received scholarships to four-year universities or colleges.
“This is an accumulation of an athletic department and a group of friends that are here today to celebrate with me that made it possible,” Romano said. “It could have easily been somebody else, but I was always fortunate to have enough people around me that made me look good.
“That’s basically what it was. A lot of people covered for me at Nogales. I had a lot of people helping me. This award should be shared by everybody.”
Romano said he will always be linked with Nogales alum and former Major Leaguer Cecil Fielder, but his legacy was obtained due to Paul Togneri, his first star.
“In 1982, I was asked to start winning, or sell insurance,” he said. “Togneri got me over the hump. Then in 1994, he came back (as a coach) and we won a (league) championship.”