With only ten days remaining in 2011, we here at All Football thought we should use these last few days to honor the best moments in football from this past year. 2011 had its fair share of memorable moments that we will talk about for years and it seems fitting that we compile a list of the ten best moments from the world of football from 2011. Our list will feature the best moments from Southern California high school football, college football, and professional football. We hope you enjoy reliving the best moments and feel free to provide your own input on what you think ten best football moments from 2011 were. Thank you!
Over his 38-year coaching career, Santa Margarita head coach Harry Welch has proved that he knows how to win the big games. Whether at Canyon Country Canyon, San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's or Santa Margarita, Welch has created a culture of excellence and taken his teams to the highest level possible: CIF State Championships. Welch cemented his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in California high school football this past weekend after leading Santa Margarita to a 42-37 victory over San Jose Bellarmine Prep to win the Division 1 State Championship. Welch's Eagles finished the year 13-2, which included a CIF Pac-5 Division Championship and a second place finish in the tightly contested Trinity League. In a year when Santa Margarita was a questionable pick to make the playoffs, Welch guided the young Eagles through a difficult regular season schedule and close playoff duels to finish the season as state champions.
Welch is as true a winner as there has ever been. He was the head coach at Canyon for five seasons, where he won the Division 1 State Championship in 2006, five CIF titles, and a remarkable 46 games in a row. Welch left Canyon in 2007 to become the head football coach at St. Margaret's, where he was able to move closer to the rest of his family. Welch led the small private school to the Small School State Championship in 2008 and three CIF titles during his three year stay. Welch switched schools once again in 2010 when he took the head coaching job at Santa Margarita High School, a large Catholic school that competed in the difficult Trinity League and Pac-5 Division. The task was tall and the doubters were numerous, but it took Welch only two years to lead the Eagles to the promised land and claim the school's first state title.
An English teacher by day, Welch's games play out like true epics that would make Homer and Virgil proud. The Eagles came from behind in their Sectional semi-finals game against Mission Viejo and the State Championship contest against Bellarmine Prep. In both contests, the Eagles were either tied or losing with less than two minutes remaining and 80 yards to go. Welch, who also took over the role of quarterbacks coach this year, has built Junior quarterback Johnny Stanton into one of the premier high school quarterbacks in the nation and Welch's teachings were evident in these late game scenarios. In both contests, Stanton drove the Eagles down the field and ran the ball in for a touchdown to win the games. In the State Championship game, Welch even went for it on 4th and 1 on the 1 yardline. The play: a quarterback sneak with Stanton. The result: a State Championship. It's the "little" things like a 4th and 1 call with the state title on the line that make Welch a superior coach and strategist. He has faith in his players and believes they will execute when needed.
With three state titles in six years, it is surprising that Welch hasn't made the move to the college game. With numerous Division 1 jobs opening up over the past month, it seems hard to believe that a winner and class act like Harry Welch hasn't received a phone call or two from a big program looking to "reload" rather than "rebuild" (Welch's famous motto). UCLA's much discussed coaching vacancy was filled last week by former NFL coach Jim L. Mora, but the move has been criticized by many as the wrong one for the Bruins. In actuality, UCLA didn't have to turn to the NFL to find their head coaching solution. He was in their backyard, just down the 405 freeway, in an English classroom.
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