Welch Suspended for One Year : Prep football: Southern Section rules that Canyon conducted an illegal practice.

Canyon High’s Harry Welch, one of Southern California’s most successful football coaches, was suspended from coaching for one year after the Southern Section executive committee ruled Friday that he conducted an illegal off-season practice last month.

Canyon High has 10 days to appeal the decision and Welch can continue to coach during that time. Welch said that he will coach the team in today’s opening round of the L.A. Watts Summer Games passing-league tournament.

The 15-member executive committee made its ruling after Commissioner Stan Thomas recommended the one-year suspension. Neither Welch nor a Canyon representative was present at the meeting.

A photograph in the May 19 issue of the Newhall Signal showed a Canyon football player in shorts hitting a blocking dummy with several teammates and assistant Brian Stiman watching. The photograph was taken May 7.

Southern Section rules state that a football team cannot practice longer than one class period a day from the end of the season until May 20 and that sleds, blocking dummies and other football equipment are expressly prohibited.

“The integrity of our rules is the key issue,” said Thomas, who conducted an investigation of Welch and the Canyon program last week. “We can’t compromise any part of the rules for any program.”

Welch, who has posted a 100-19-1 record and led Canyon to three Southern Section titles in nine years, questioned the severity of the penalty.

“No one deceived me but I didn’t think it would be 12 months,” he said. “I always thought of 10 games or a season. If I’m removed from what I do well, I’ll miss that incredibly. I’ll miss the opportunity to be with the kids.”

Thomas said he has handed down similar penalties for a variety of offenses in his five years as commissioner. If Canyon rejects the penalty, Principal Bill White must explain the reasons to the executive committee, which can impose further penalties if the school refuses to comply.

Canyon supporters attacked the decision as too strict and held out hope that Welch would win reinstatement through an appeal. Welch said he would meet with Canyon supporters before deciding on his options, saying he needed to see strong response before choosing to pursue an appeal.

“I feel really sad for him, but this is utterly ridiculous,” said Stiman, a Welch assistant for nine years. “I felt the whole process was unfair. They never heard both sides of the story. What makes me nervous about the (Southern Section) is that they made a decision to suspend Harry and didn’t think about what’s going to happen to the kids. Those kids live and die for Harry Welch.”

Jim Zopelis, an All-Golden League wide receiver as a junior last season, said the team has had trouble concentrating on football.

“This is all we’ve been talking about and the team is shaken up,” he said. “The team is concentrating on getting our coach to coach rather than about the season.”

John Zopelis, Jim’s father and a member of the football booster club, predicted that the community would rally behind Welch. “This community will be totally supportive to get a little more reasonable judgment,” he said. “I feel this ruling is a little overzealous.”

In the meantime, Welch has difficulty seeing himself as a villain. “If there was a violation, it was inadvertent,” he said. “I never admitted to ordering a coach to violate (Southern Section) rules.

“It seems strange that (the executive committee) would take this action before they speak to me.”

Harry Welch’s Career at Canyon

1982: 8-4, Golden League champion; lost to Lompoc, 27-17, in second round of Northwestern Conference playoffs.

1983: 13-1, Golden League champion; beat Bishop Montgomery, 40-24, in Northwestern Conference championship game.

1984: 14-0, Golden League champion; beat Santa Maria, 33-6, in Northwestern Conference championship game.

1985: 14-0, Golden League champion; beat Antelope Valley, 9-7, in Northwestern Conference championship game.

1986: 11-2; Golden League runner-up; lost to Muir, 22-14, in Coastal Conference semifinals.

1987: 10-3, Golden League champion; lost to Channel Islands, 42-6, in Coastal Conference semifinals.

1988: 11-3, Golden League champion; lost to Antelope Valley, 28-22, in Division II championship game.

1989: 8-4-1, Golden League champion; lost to Santa Barbara, 28-27, in Division II semifinals.

1990: 11-2; Golden League runner-up; lost to Loyola, 10-3, in Division I semifinals.

Career record: (nine seasons) 100-19-1