The glory of victory lives on for the Canyon High School Cowboy football team and it’s fans. After a stunning 27-13 win late last year over the heavily favored number one team in the country, Concord De La Salle, the Cowboys reign as the CIF Division I State Champions for the first time in nearly 80 years. In a recently released film, We Are Marshall, a coach played by Matthew McConaughey delivers a heart-wrenching pep speech to his team players.
What was it that the Canyon High School Cowboy’s Head Coach Harry Welch said to our young men that drove them to victory? The Magazine of Santa Clarita caught up with the coach who was vacationing with his wife in Maui who was remembering the moment the team won with great fondness.
“Incredible joy was what I felt for these young men, the assistant coaches and the entire community of Santa Clarita. These teammates played with courage and fortitude,” said Welch, “They were committed and made many sacrifices for not only the school but, all of Southern California, as well,” said Welch.
These dedicated players are already back into their weight training regime because they workout 12 months a year in order to stay in peak shape.
As far as how he motivated the team before they took the field, he deferred to the team’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ronald Karzel, who was in the locker room minutes before the players took the field.
“It was a big game and you could tell all the guys were nervous, but, with complete confidence, the coach told them, ‘We’re not here to win a football game, don’t worry about the scoreboard. Do your fundamentals and we’ll be fine,’” said Karzel.
“I don’t think he wanted to jinx the game,” said Karzel.
All that changed at half-time when Karzel said the coach, who had been offended by comments earlier in the week about the Cowboys not deserving to be where they were, said with pride, “You deserve to be out there.”
Of course they did, and winning the State championship title is a hard-earned well-respected testament to his words. Go Cowboys! Thank you Coach Welch, we love you and all you’ve done for Santa Clarita.
“The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle.” Anais Nin