Canyon High Turns Again to Welch

Harry Welch, one of the Southern Section’s most successful and controversial football coaches, has been rehired at Canyon Country Canyon High.

Welch said he was informed of the school’s decision by Principal Vicki Engbrecht. The William S. Hart Union High School District Board of Education must approve the hiring.

Welch’s teams were 120-31-2 from 1982-93 and won consecutive section titles from 1983-85.

“I have a great deal of my life invested in this program,” said Welch, 55, who has continued to teach at the school. “Canyon High School is a big part of my life.”

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 in the region.

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

Welch, who was selected over Ted Amorosi, Canyon’s defensive coordinator, and Karl Zierhut, offensive coordinator at Valencia, will succeed Jack Bowman, who resigned after posting an 8-14 record in two seasons. Canyon failed to qualify for the playoffs last season.

Welch’s tenure was not always smooth. He was suspended by the Southern Section in 1991 after his team held an illegal practice. Welch won a court decision barring the suspension and settled a lawsuit out of court. He missed no games.

Two other traditional football powers also are searching for new coaches.

Diamond Bar’s Terry Roche resigned this week after compiling a 133-37-5 record and winning four Southern Section championships. Diamond Bar finished 11-2 this past season and advanced to the Division II semifinals.

Richard Smith resigned after one season at Fontana.

Smith won consecutive Division VIII titles at Bloomington before taking the Fontana job. The Steelers finished 6-4 last season. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 1973 when they lost a three-way coin flip.

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Staff writers Eric Sondheimer and Gary Klein contributed to this story.