Canyon Wins Title but Little Praise, 29-0

You can please some coaches some of the time. But you can not, it seems, ever please Harry Welch.

Not with five consecutive wins, not with a third consecutive Golden League championship--and seventh in eight years--and certainly not with a 29-0 whipping of cross-town rival Saugus in the regular-season finale on Thursday night at Canyon High.

And so Welch, the Canyon coach, stood, seemingly disgusted after accomplishing all of the above--not to mention a 39-1 league record in his eight-year tenure.

“We didn’t execute real sharply and we were a little out of rhythm on offense and defense,” Welch said.

Like it or not, Harry, the Cowboys (6-3-1, 5-0 in league play), who take kindly to the postseason, are rolling again. For the third consecutive year, Canyon, after losing two of its first three games, has rallied to make the playoffs.

But such things can easily be forgotten, especially on a night when, believe it or not, the game was closer than the score. Canyon, which outgained Saugus, 321 yards to 270, rallied from a lackluster scoreless first quarter to take a 14-0 halftime lead on a pair of seven-yard touchdown runs by tailback Chris Peery.

“To be honest,” Welch said. “I wasn’t impressed with our play. And I think if you talk with some of our players--before I get in their ear--they’ll tell you the same thing.”

Peery came close, though, rushing for a game-high 135 yards--his fifth consecutive 100-plus performance--and scoring three touchdowns.

“I’m just confused right now,” the 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior said. “No doubt about it, we were taking them lightly and it showed. It showed in the first half and it showed in the second half.”

Said Welch: “Maybe the credit should go to Saugus for us not executing.”

That makes sense. The game was do-or-die for the fired-up Centurions, who needed a victory to clinch the league’s third playoff spot. And Saugus (4-6, 1-4) moved the ball successfully in the first half, twice punching deep into Canyon real estate before turnovers thwarted the drives.

“We moved the ball well between the 20s,” Coach Dick Flaherty said. “But I guess we’re not used to being down there.”

Peery gained 80 yards in 10 carries in the first half. Quarterback Tim Beidle, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 165 yards, completed seven passes to senior Clint Beauer, the leading receiver in the Valley area.