Ed Johnson, one of the longest-tenured and most respected high school baseball coaches in the county, died over the weekend. He was 58.

In 29 years at Marian Catholic High School and Mater Dei Catholic, Johnson had a career 435-438-1 record. His Marian Catholic teams played in seven CIF San Diego Section championship games, winning the Division 3 title in 1998 and 1999 and the Division 4 crown in 2000 and 2002.

Rev. Joaquin Martinez, president of the Mater Dei Catholic, wrote that Johnson’s “passion, encouragement and care touched countless lives in our community.”

Martinez said principal Aaron Gonzalez and staff members John Joyner and Jared Izidoro visited Johnson’s home Monday after not hearing from the coach him over the weekend. They discovered he had passed away.

While the cause

See Full Page