Canyon Hopes Second Coming Is as Good as First

Forget about whether Harry Welch will have a positive impact as the new football coach at Canyon High. Of course he will. The real fun is going to be gauging the reaction of other coaches to Welch’s comments and tactics.

Welch said, “You know people are going to have an opinion [about me]. But I think it’s great. . . . I think the rest of the coaches in this valley will work harder because Welch is back.”

Asked if he’s losing any sleep over Welch’s hiring, Hart Coach Mike Herrington quipped, “I was more worried about blackouts occurring.”

Much has changed since Canyon’s glory days under Welch in the 1980s. The once-grassy hills around the Santa Clarita Valley are filled with rows of houses as far as the eye can see. Hart and the newest high school, Valencia, have become the football powerhouses of the region.

Welch’s record against the Herrington brothers was 1-4. When he resigned after the 1993 season, Canyon was already headed downward. Just showing up won’t suddenly make Canyon the team to beat in the Foothill League.

No one will work harder or prepare his team better for the battles ahead than Welch. He is a master teacher and motivator.

But there are adjustments to make because it’s 2001, not 1983.

Grabbing a player’s facemask in a moment of anger won’t be tolerated. Long, demanding practices might be unacceptable in this era of “academics comes first.”

Welch understands he’ll be coaching in a different era. He has adjusted before. When he started coaching at Crespi in 1965 as an assistant, disciplinary swats on the behind by a priest or teacher were common.

“I haven’t swatted a kid in 30 years, but I did back then,” he said.

Former Crespi students presented Welch with a paddle at their 25-year reunion.

Welch, 55, has always called the offensive and defensive signals, something few head coaches choose to do in an era of sophisticated attacks and increasing responsibilities. Welch insists he can do both again.

“God blessed me with a brain,” he said. “I’m not stupid. I’m not going to do everything exactly the way I did 10 years ago.”

Welch’s three Southern Section championship teams at Canyon in the 1980s made it clear his coaching techniques were effective. There’s no reason he can’t be successful again, just like Bill Redell and Darryl Stroh, two respected football coaches who came out of retirement at St. Francis and Granada Hills, respectively.

“I realize the myriad of challenges I face,” he said. “Times have changed and I have changed with them. I came back because something was missing in my life--a passion to give something back to my community.”

It hasn’t taken long for Welch to show his special qualities. A few weeks ago, Andy Rees, a senior defensive end, asked Welch to help him contact college recruiters. On Thursday night, a recruiter was at Rees’ house.

“All it took was one call from Coach Welch,” Rees said. “I wish he was back two years ago.”

There was a time Canyon football players used to answer sportswriters’ questions by constantly saying, “We played Cowboy football.”

It was annoying but demonstrated the level of influence Welch had on his players.

He’s a good coach and players will surely learn what commitment means if they decide to play for him.

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When the junior college baseball season begins in two weeks, many scouts will be keeping an eye on Kurt Birkins, a former El Camino Real pitcher who is a sophomore left-hander at Pierce.

He hasn’t pitched since he was a freshman at UCLA in 1999. He spent last year as pitching coach at El Camino Real and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.

The time off has worked to Birkins’ advantage. His arm is stronger than ever, with his fastball approaching 93 mph.

“The year off has helped a great deal,” he said. “My command has improved 1,000%.”

Birkins signed in November with UC Irvine, but if he’s throwing anywhere near his current velocity by the time of the June draft, he could be a high pick.

“He’s as good a prospect at this level in Southern California,” Pierce Coach Bob Lofrano said.

Perhaps Birkins will one day get to face left-hander Randy Wolf of the Philadelphia Phillies, also from El Camino Real. Each pitched the Conquistadores to City Championships.

“That would be a very interesting matchup,” Birkins said. . . .

Gary Bernardi, a UCLA assistant football coach who lives in Valencia and coaches tight ends, got a commitment last week from 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end Keith Carter of Downington, Pa. . . .

Watch out for the little brothers of Chaminade athletes. Kevin Hufford, a seventh-grader and brother of basketball player Jeff Hufford, helped Chaminade Middle School win the Paul Muff Catholic Grammar School championship on Monday. Another key contributor was eighth-grader Matt Milkovich, brother of catcher Jim Milkovich. . . .

Former girls’ basketball standouts don’t always end up in the WNBA. Renee Intlekofer, who played at Newbury Park High has become a professional wrestler known as “Beckie the Farmer’s Daughter.”

She wears pigtails and knows how to gouge eyeballs. . . .

The most impressive fastbreak at Friday night’s Grant-North Hollywood boys’ basketball game was the sprint to the concession stand in the fourth quarter after the price of hot dogs was dropped from $2 to $1. Public address announcer Steve Miller gave a play-by-play of the 22 hot dogs left for purchase.

“There’s 13, 12, 11, 10 . . . ,” Miller said. . . .

Hart quarterback Matt Moore underwent an emergency appendectomy Friday night. He could be sidelined a month, which would delay his baseball season. . . .

Defending City champion Kennedy, which returns All-City pitcher Adam Geery, has another potential standout, junior left-hander Eric Moore. Moore has been the Golden Cougars’ best pitcher in winter ball because of his exceptional curveball.

Eric Sondheimer’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.