Welch Said to Consider Resignation

Amid speculation that Canyon High Coach Harry Welch is considering resignation, the Cowboys lost a nonleague game to Alemany on Friday night, 14-13, at Canyon High.

Red Fields, the father of Canyon nose guard Ben Fields, said his son told him that Welch told the team after the game he is thinking about quitting at the end of the season.

“He gave my son every indication that he would be making a big decision really quick,” Fields said.

Several Canyon parents talked about having a meeting to discuss the situation today.

When asked if he had announced his resignation to the team, Welch said, “I’m not making any decisions tonight. I’ve been through hell today.”

As Canyon High’s Ricky Engbrecht lined up for the potential winning field goal with 18 seconds remaining, the opposing Alemany players could only hope someone upstairs was on their side.

A parochial school against a public school? Guess what happened.

Engbrecht’s 33-yard attempt sailed wide right.

As Engbrecht lined up for the kick, Alemany players took a knee and held hands.

“We were just hoping God was on our side,” Alemany fullback Brian Van Holten said.

Of course, heavenly intervention probably had nothing to do with Canyon turning the ball over four times.

Or with Engbrecht missing an extra point in the third quarter that allowed Alemany to hang on to the lead.

After the game, Welch seemed despondent. Besides losing two games in a row, Welch has had to deal with the controversy of a booster allegedly assaulting him after the previous week’s loss.

“I think these kids tried hard,” Welch said.

“I love them and I am proud of them. I’m certainly not helping them the way I’ve always helped my teams in the past.”

Canyon (3-2) won a similar game against Alemany last year, when the Cowboys rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit and won, 24-21, on a field goal with 5:22 to play.

“That was a big memory,” Van Holten said. “That was on our minds.”

Like last year, Alemany jumped to a lead in the first half. The Indians (3-2), who were 1-8-1 last year, took advantage of three first-half turnovers to take a 14-0 second-quarter lead.

The Indians took the ball at the Canyon 21 late in the first quarter, when Ben Lovato recovered a punt fumbled by Ed Williams, who gained 123 yards and scored both Cowboy touchdowns.

Van Holten kept the short drive alive with a 15-yard run on fourth and four. He scored on a three-yard run on the next play, giving Alemany a 7-0 lead with 11:25 to play in the second quarter.

Alemany then held Canyon to three plays and a short punt. The Indians took over at the Canyon 45 and scored three plays later when David Eastham ran 39 yards down the right sideline with 8:33 on the clock.

Eastham, who lives in Canyon Country and knows most of the Cowboy players, led the Indians with 89 yards in 17 carries.

Canyon managed to cut the deficit in half when Williams’ nine-yard scoring run capped a 72-yard drive.