Prep Review : Caught in the Middle: Tustin Coach Breaks Leg During Practice

After 28 years of coaching, Marijon Ancich of Tustin High School figured that he had experienced nearly anything and everything that can happen on a football field.

Ancich is the winningest active coach in the Southern Section with a career record of 218-60-8. He also built a perennial power at St. Paul in Santa Fe Springs where he coached for 19 seasons.

Ancich moved on to Tustin in 1984 where he revived a program that had a 3-17 record in two previous seasons. Tustin won six games in Ancich’s first season and a league title in his third year.

But last Thursday, the game in which Ancich has been so successful caught him off guard. During practice for the season opener against Foothill, Ancich was hit by one of his running backs and suffered a fractured right tibia. He will undergo surgery on Tuesday morning at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, and hopes to return for Friday night’s game against Mater Dei. During his absence, assistant Vince Brown will coach the team.

“It was kind of an oddball deal,” Ancich said. “We were imitating Foothill’s defense and I got a little too close. The running back ended up behind me and I got caught in the play. I can’t tell you how it happened.”

Brown, who also is the school’s baseball coach, had a simple explanation for the mishap.

“Marijon was watching the front side of the play and the back side of it got him,” Brown said.

Ancich, who said he hasn’t missed a game in 28 years, was notably absent from the sidelines during Tustin’s 17-6 victory over Foothill, opting to call the plays from a coaching tower.

“Hopefully, I’ll be back for the game Friday night,” he said. “But I don’t know. The doctors won’t know how bad it (fracture) is. They’ll know more after surgery. It’s very frustrating.”

There was some consolation for Ancich, however. Tustin’s freshman, sophomore, junior varsity and varsity teams beat Foothill for the first time in the same season.

Add Injuries: Chris Singletary, Rancho Alamitos quarterback-linebacker, will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a broken left tibia in a 21-0 loss to Troy on Friday night.

Singletary underwent surgery on Sunday at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Anaheim. The junior broke his leg while playing outside linebacker. Singletary was blocking for teammate Malcolm Tracy, who had an interception, when he got caught in a pileup.

“It was a break similar to the one that ended Joe Theismann’s career,” said Mark Miller, Rancho Alamitos coach. “We only have 30 players and this happens in our very first game. Ironically, the guy (Tracy) he was blocking for may replace him.”

Notes and Numbers: Ten coaches made their varsity debut during the weekend with only four--Larry Toner (Servite), Tom Meiss (Orange), Howard Isom (Ocean View) and Loren Shumer (Canyon)--gaining victories.

Four schools--Canyon, Garden Grove, Cypress and Sonora--equaled or surpassed their 1988 victory total with opening-night triumphs. Canyon and Garden Grove were 0-10 last year; Cypress was 1-7-2 and Sonora 1-9.

Pacifica and Santa Ana Valley seem fit to be tied. For the second consecutive year, the schools opened the season with a tie, 14-14, on Friday night. Last year, they played to a 7-7 tie.

Members of the Freeway and South Coast leagues posted 5-1 records on opening night while the Sea View, Empire, Pacific Coast and Sunset leagues were 4-2. Surprisingly, members of the traditionally strong Angelus League were 1-4 with Servite the only victor.

Leftovers Dept.: Look for Southern Section administrators to announce that the semifinal round of the football playoffs in each division will be staggered this fall following a recommendation by the advisory committee.

One semifinal game will be scheduled on Friday night with the other to be played on Saturday night. The plan follows a successful format adopted two years ago for the basketball playoffs that has boosted attendance and alleviated problems securing game sites.

Fans attending football games at Santa Ana Stadium will find the main parking lot closed beginning the second week in October. The lot will be closed for the rest of the football season because a three-level parking garage is being constructed.

Big Hitter: Western linebacker Kevin Byun, 5-foot-3, 135 pounds, had a sack on Thursday night in a 29-19 loss to Loara. Byun chased opposing quarterback Sean Conner (5-11, 160) out of the pocket, then wrestled him to the ground for a 14-yard loss in the third quarter.

Prep Notes

Newport Harbor alumni have scheduled a reunion of football coaches and players who competed at the school from 1931-55. The players and coaches will be honored during halftime of the Newport Harbor-Tustin game on Oct. 20. Former players and coaches who plan to attend should contact Les Miller at 549-2186. . . . Trabuco Hills football boosters will host a golf tournament on Wednesday at the Anaheim Hills Country Club. For information, call Bob Caputo at 951-3320.