Americas High School appointed longtime assistant coach Gil Romo as its new head softball coach on Aug. 6.
Romo has been part of the high school for 12 years and has previously served as an assistant coach in softball, baseball, football and basketball.
Students from Blazer Nation’s athletic programs filled the school’s rotunda to congratulate Romo on his promotion.
Romo was honored to accept the position and said his goal was to lead the program toward greater achievements.
“Obviously, we want to bring some hardware,” Romo said. “Coach (Roxanne) Luna took this program to a final four in 2022. And that's going to be one of my goals to get us back there.”
He also looks forward to helping student-athletes grow both on and off the field.
“We've built a relationship over the last several years, and that relationship is built out of trust and respect,” Romo said. “They know that I have their best interests at heart, and they know that I'm going to do everything I can to make them not just better players, but better students and better citizens,” Romo said.
Senior utility player Kayla Escajeda said after working with Romo for years, he has already earned the trust of the team.
“He listens to us and understands us in a way that no other coach has,” Escajeda said. “I'm really excited. I think he'll help us improve a lot.”
Escajeda said she has high expectations for the team this season.
“I'm looking forward to hopefully going farther in the playoffs this year and actually winning area,” Escajeda said.