Tustin Teammates Learned to Play Together--and Win Together : Prep football: Running backs Ancich and Goods, who first put on the pads in eighth grade, have led : Tillers to 3-0 record.

Visko Ancich’s love for football can be traced to the most exciting game in Angelus League history. Ron Goods’ affection for the sport took root from neighborhood friends, including an offensive lineman named Visko Ancich, who urged him to play.

Their first meeting in pads was as eighth-graders playing Junior All-American football. Ancich was a sturdy guard. Goods was a speedy running back. Neither had played organized football before and both struggled to learn the ins and outs of the game.

Now seniors, they form Tustin High School’s starting backfield, one of the best in Orange County. Ancich, running inside, and Goods, running outside, have led Tustin to a 3-0 record, a No. 1 ranking in the Southern Section Division VI and the No. 3 spot in Orange County.

Tonight, Tustin tries for its fourth consecutive victory when it plays host to El Modena at 7:30 p.m.

Goods is the Tillers’ leading rusher with 281 yards in 45 carries, a 6.2 average. Ancich has gained 158 yards in 42 carries and scored five touchdowns.

Ancich, 5 feet 9, 182 pounds, is still the sturdy one. Goods, 5-10, 188, is still the faster runner despite a nagging hamstring injury.

“They really complement each other,” said Marijon Ancich, Tustin coach and Visko’s father. “We don’t know how fast Ron is because of his hamstring. He’s been coasting and running 4.6 (seconds for the 40-yard dash).”

Of his son, Ancich said: “I just felt he was going to live up to the standards of life. I knew he would always find some way to get the job done.”

Both backs have played on the varsity for the past three seasons and Ancich said their experience is one of the main reasons the Tillers are 3-0.

“If you get a tie on the blocks, those guys are smart enough to go the right way,” Ancich said. “This is by far the most experienced backfield we’ve had. That makes a big difference. Probably 90% of high school coaching headaches are getting guys to run the right direction.”

Visko Ancich was always sure the direction he would take once he entered high school.

“It was kind of accepted,” he said. “I never really questioned it.”

After all, his father was one of the most successful coaches in the Southern Section when he was growing up. Marijon coached at St. Paul in Santa Fe Springs from 1961 to 1981, and was an assistant at Northern Arizona in 1982 and at Cerritos College in 1983 before moving to Tustin in 1984.

At St. Paul, Ancich’s coaching took on near-legendary status. He was 188-31-5 in 19 seasons. The Swordsmen reached the Southern Section playoffs 14 consecutive seasons during that time for a Southern Section record.

He lived in the working-class city of San Pedro, adding to his, and St. Paul’s, rough-and-tumble image. Visko and his younger brother, Dusan, a sophomore linebacker and offensive lineman, grew up surrounded by football.

“If you had a piece of paper lying around, he’ll start drawing plays on it,” Visko said of his father. “Essays, newspapers--they turn up everywhere.”

One game--a St. Paul vs. Bishop Amat contest in 1981--still stands out in Visko’s mind.

The score was tied, 14-14, but in those days, Angelus League games went to California tiebreakers. Visko, along with several thousand others, spilled out of the stands to get a better view.

Finally, at 11:15 p.m., St. Paul pulled out a thrilling, 42-35 victory and went on to win the Big Five Conference championship with a 14-0 record.

“It was really emotional,” Visko said. “Half the field was covered with fans. I didn’t really understand the game, but that was my first real memory of football.”

Three years later, the Ancich family moved to Tustin. Visko met Goods, and knocked other kids out of the way so Goods could run with the football.

Goods was always faster, but doesn’t consider himself fast.

“I see myself with average speed,” he said.

Hearing that, Ancich said, “What does that make me, a slug?”

Goods would feel better if his hamstring felt better. He spends time before practice treating it with a heating pad.

Last spring, Goods felt his hamstring pull while running the 100 meters in a track and field meet. Doctors told him he had a muscle imbalance. His quadriceps was stronger than his hamstring.

It was another in a frustrating series of injuries for Goods. Last season, he separated his left and right shoulders and played only on a part-time basis.

His shoulders are in good shape and the hamstring is coming along.

“I should be OK,” Goods said. “They’re going to have to drag me off the field this year.”