Advertisement

Panel to Hear Case Against Canyon High : Southern Section: Commissioner authorized to further investigate charges of illegal practices.

Share
TIMES STAFF WRITER

In the wake of a legal ruling this week that enabled Canyon High football Coach Harry Welch to retain his job, the Southern Section announced plans by its executive committee to convene an extensive investigatory hearing to consider possible rules violations in the Canyon football program.

At its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, the executive committee mandated Commissioner Stan Thomas to schedule a hearing that will be held before the full executive committee, a 14-member group consisting of school principals, administrators and athletic directors.

The open hearing will feature witnesses and the presentation of evidence on both sides and will be convened in the next four to six weeks, Thomas said. The hearing will focus on charges that Canyon staged off-season football practices in violation of section rules.

Advertisement

The executive committee has the authority to recommend penalties against Canyon and its football program, but no penalties will be leveled against Welch, Thomas said.

“What we’re not going to do, the committee will not deal with personnel matters,” Thomas said. “This is not an attack on Harry Welch. We will attempt to bring to closure something that is not finished. All we want to do is have an open forum where all information as to what transpired at Canyon can be viewed.”

However, Welch’s attorney, Stephen J. Tully, characterized the decision as one more attempt to discredit his client. Welch won a court battle Monday when San Fernando Superior Court Judge Haig Kehiayan granted him a preliminary injunction that stayed a 5 1/2-month suspension.

Welch, who has compiled a 100-19-1 record in nine seasons at Canyon, was accused of conducting an off-season practice. Welch admits that rules were broken but not by him. Canyon Principal Bill White also admits that violations occurred.

Welch filed suit against the section, Canyon High and the William S. Hart Union High School District to regain his job. Tully vows to return to court in an attempt to prevent the Southern Section from convening the hearing.

“If some other investigation is directed at the school and not Welch, it’s a clear end run around the injunction,” he said. “They have to wait until the court decides Welch’s case. They’re trying to cut the ground out from under him by destroying the football program. I think that violates the injunction.”

Advertisement

The injunction prohibits “any act designed to and having the effect of discouraging, inhibiting or interfering with Welch’s position as football coach.”

Welch also viewed the hearing as a violation of the injunction and said the announcement strained his respect for the executive committee to the breaking point.

“It’s apparent to me that the executive committee has violated its own rules and procedures and it seems that now they have violated the court order,” he said. “It’s hard to respect that behavior.”

White, the Canyon principal, greeted the news of the impending hearing with weariness.

“This has drawn so much attention to our school and I’m personally tired of the whole thing,” he said. “I’ve got a school to run that has more important things to do than run extracurricular activities. I’m anxious to bring closure to this thing one way or another.”

The Southern Section originally investigated the Canyon program in June after the Newhall Signal published a photograph on May 19 of a Canyon player hitting a blocking dummy with teammates and assistant coach Brian Stiman watching. Southern Section rules prohibit the use of blocking sleds in the off-season.

After the executive committee endorsed Thomas’ recommendation that Welch serve a one-year suspension, the Canyon coach appealed July 9 to a three-member panel that called for a full investigation.

Advertisement

Less than a week later, White accepted a recommendation to suspend Welch until Dec. 31 rather than face the investigation.

Welch served two weeks of that suspension before Kehiayan granted him a temporary restraining order July 31 that allowed him to return as coach. The injunction remains in effect until the civil case comes to trial, which could take as long as two years.

Welch is seeking legal costs and damages in his suit, claiming the Southern Section has treated him unfairly and denied him due process.

Advertisement