1987 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEWS : GOLDEN : Canyon Finds a New Role as Challenger

Harry Welch has seen better times at Canyon.

“It’s been a disaster,” Welch said with a groan as he discussed the Cowboys’ summer. “I’ve never been in a position like this.”

Welch, who is beginning his sixth year with Canyon, applauds this year’s players for “working their tails off” and for having the finest attitude of any team he’s coached at the school. Welch also says that he is enjoying this year as much as ever.

So why the gloomy outlook?

“We’ve got a quarterback with his hand in a cast, an all-league linebacker with a separated shoulder and an outside linebacker with a broken foot,” Welch said. “It’s just terrible.”

It hasn’t been easy for Welch, who lost to graduation such key players as all-league quarterback Ken Sollom, running backs Lance Cross and Paul Chadwell, and receivers Chad Zeigler and Trevor Doyle. To compound matters, Canyon has been bombarded with injuries.

Quarterback Rod Baltau, the heir apparent to Sollom, broke a finger on his throwing hand and had in placed in a cast before he was ever in pads. Baltau’s cast has been removed, but he’s not yet ready to play, Welch said. Wide receiver-defensive back Chris Hauser is lost for the year with a cracked vertebra.

Canyon’s injury parade also includes linebackers Kevin Doss (separated shoulder) and Mark Castleberry (broken foot), tight end Ken Holsenbeck (cut forehead), tackle Dom Spainhower (sprained ankle) and guard Sean Wheeler (separated shoulder). But, with the exception of Doss, all are expected to be patched up and playing in the Cowboys’ season opener against Hart at 7:30 Friday night at College of the Canyons.

“We’re going to play our hearts out,” Welch said. “But we’re not going to be very skilled.”

Sorry, Harry, but nobody’s buying it.

“He says that every year,” Hart Coach Rick Scott said. “Then he goes out and clobbers everybody.”

Even Welch’s league opponents aren’t sending him any sympathy cards.

“If you know Harry, you know he’s a down-player,” said Saugus Coach Dick Flaherty, a former assistant to Welch at Canyon. “Some of it may be true, but if you go back and look in the old newspapers, you’ll see the same quotes from him every year.”

Said Quartz Hill Coach John Albee: “He sounds like a used-car salesman. I think he’ll have a very solid team.”

Scott, in fact, believes that Canyon will be as strong as ever this year.

“They’re always well-coached and they have their whole offensive line back,” Scott said. “He can run the ball down everybody’s throat.”

Indeed, Canyon’s strength is its offensive line. Four seniors--Spainhower, Wheeler, Willie Starks and Sean Sweetnam--and junior Rick McKeon all were part-time starters last season.

“I get really irritated when I hear people say that Harry Welch is just putting up a big smoke screen,” Welch said. “Ask them if they can name most of our starters. I’ll bet they can’t.

“Still, this is one of my favorite teams. And I loved the first five.”

Three of those teams were league and Northwestern Conference champions and, along with last year’s team, compiled a 46-game winning streak. But the days of Cowboy dominance may be gone.

“Everyone pointed to Canyon in the past,” Welch said. “This year, it’s going to be Antelope Valley and Palmdale.”

Antelope Valley, with quarterback Ron Wipple and receiver Shon Grimes returning, appears fit to defend its league title. Palmdale, which finished third behind Canyon last year, has players returning at several key positions.

“Man for man, Palmdale may have the best talent in the league,” Flaherty said.

With Quartz Hill and Burroughs (Ridgecrest) showing little change, this may be the year that Saugus climbs out of the league cellar. Returning as seniors for the Centurions are quarterback Jared Snyder and versatile tailback LaMark Allen, who caught 34 passes last year.