The High Schools : Canyon Not Shy About Gambling

It was only Sunday morning, but Monday morning quarterbacks already were taking their shots at Canyon Coach Harry Welch.

“A lot of people have asked me about it,” Welch said.

Inquiring minds wanted to know why Welch opted to run the ball on 2 fourth-down situations inside Canyon territory during the Southern Section Division II final Saturday night against Antelope Valley. Both times Canyon failed. Both times, Antelope Valley marched for a touchdown.

Whether it was the result of Welch’s ill-fated decisions, Antelope Valley defeated Canyon, 28-22.

With Canyon trailing, 8-7, in the first quarter, fullback Robert Leary was stacked up on fourth and 1 at the 29-yard line. With Canyon trailing, 22-10, on its first possession of the third quarter, tailback Chris Peery came up short on fourth and 3 at the 38.

Welch defended the calls.

“That’s just the way I do it,” said Welch, this season’s Times Valley Coach of the Year. “That’s my style. That’s the way I’ll do it next year. We had a couple of young men just flat out miss blocks. We don’t normally miss blocks.”

Welch, instead, blamed himself for not motivating the players.

“I should have done a better job,” he said. “I didn’t make the players as intense as they needed to be. We didn’t play with the tenacity or explosiveness we often do.”

There’s a signpost up ahead. . . . Burbank Coach John Downum is still in a fog about the Bulldogs’ embarrassing, 59-14, loss to Crescenta Valley on Friday.

“It was like the Twilight Zone,” Downum said. “I don’t think Rod Serling could have written a better script.”

Submitted for your approval: Burbank shot 9% from the field in the first half and scored 7 points in each half.

“I’m not sure how far our records go back,” Downum said, “but I’m pretty sure that’s a modern-day record. I didn’t want to set these kinds of records at Burbank High.”

The red-eye: Come basketball season, Rio Mesa Coach Steve Wolf and forward Eric Thomas just can’t get enough.

Shortly after the Spartans’ 88-54 win over Agoura on Friday, Wolf and Thomas flew to Tucson, Ariz., to take in the Arizona-UNLV basketball game, which the Wildcats won, 86-75. “We sat right next to (former Arizona guard) Steve Kerr,” Wolf said.

Thomas, a junior, is being recruited by Arizona.

Injury report: Dana Jones of North Hollywood might not play in the Huskies’ own tournament this week because of a severely sprained left wrist. Jones, a 6-6 junior center, was injured Friday and has worn a hard cast since.

“We’re not going to sacrifice the rest of the season for one tournament,” Coach Steve Miller said.

FOOTBALL TOP 10

Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Final

Rk Team League Record 1 Canyon Golden 11-3 2 San Fernando North Valley 8-4 3 Channel Islands Marmonte 8-3 4 Crespi Del Rey 6-6 5 Granada Hills North Valley 8-3 6 Monroe Mid-Valley 9-2 7 Reseda Mid-Valley 9-2 8 Notre Dame S.F. Valley 8-3 9 Thousand Oaks Marmonte 6-4-1 10 Taft West Valley 6-4

BASKETBALL TOP 10

Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Last Rk Wk Team League Record 1 1 Cleveland North Valley 4-2 2 3 Taft North Valley 4-0 3 4 Bell-Jeff S.F. Valley 5-0 4 5 El Camino Real West Valley 3-1 5 2 Notre Dame S.F. Valley 3-3 6 6 Granada Hills North Valley 3-1 7 7 Grant East Valley 3-1 8 8 North Hollywood Mid-Valley 3-1 9 NR Rio Mesa Channel 2-0 10 10 Newbury Park Marmonte 4-0

NR--Not ranked.

Through Tuesday’s games.