Welch brothers spark CdM

Patrick Laverty

Costa Mesa High dominated possession Friday night in its season

opener against Corona del Mar, but the Sea Kings came up with the big

plays.

Junior quarterback Tom Welch, making his first start under center,

came up with three touchdown passes, including two to his twin

brother, Kevin, as Corona del Mar rallied for a 19-14 victory at Newport Harbor High.

Corona del Mar’s longest drive of the evening was 1:51 and that

came on the game’s opening drive, which was quickly highlighted by a

44-yard touchdown pass from Tom Welch to Shane Collins to give the

Sea Kings an early 7-0 lead.

Incredibly, the Sea Kings never ran more than five plays on any

drive. But it was the fourth play of CdM’s first drive of the second

half that hurt the Mustangs the most.

Faced with a fourth-and-10 at the Costa Mesa 20-yard line and

trailing, 14-7, Tom Welch lofted the ball to the corner of the end

zone for his brother, who was running a fade route. Kevin Welch cut

in between two Costa Mesa defenders and leaped high into the air to

bring down the touchdown catch.

“If we stop them there, we win the game,” Costa Mesa Coach Dave

Perkins said.

The Mustangs maintained the lead, 14-13, when Gary Gonzalez

blocked David Del Fante’s extra-point attempt.

But with 10:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, Corona del Mar

needed just a one-play drive to take the lead.

Again using the fade route to perfection, the Welch brothers

hooked up for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Kevin again out jumped the

defenders, then sped downfield toward the end zone.

“My philosophy is, if the ball’s thrown to me, I’m going to catch

it,” Kevin Welch said.

His twin brother was throwing it perfectly most of the night. He

finished 7 of 11 with no interceptions, and at least three of his

incompletions should have been caught.

“[Tom’s] a good athlete,” Corona del Mar Coach Dick Freeman said.

“We’re trying to call some stuff that he can do.”

The Mustangs, who had scored their only touchdown on their opening

6:01, 12-play drive when Omar Ruiz slipped down the sideline for a

21-yard score, then added two Ryan Bagwell field goals in the second

half, put together another long drive in the closing minutes of the

fourth quarter.

Starting on their own 20-yard line with 6:19 remaining in the

game, Ruiz and Junior Epenesa carried Costa Mesa down field, looking

for the go-ahead score.

Mustangs quarterback Bruce Wilkinson showed extreme poise and

confidence on a fourth-and-six, with 2:35 remaining, completing a

15-yard pass over the middle to Jorge Quiroz to sustain the drive.

But on second-and-10 from the Sea Kings’ 34-yard line, Wilkinson

was sacked, for the sixth time on the night, by Shaun Mohler, Zach

Wishengrad and John Shanahan with 1:57 remaining.

On the ensuing play, Mohler and Wishengrad nearly got to Wilkinson

again before the Mustangs’ quarterback threw the ball away.

On fourth down, the Sea Kings again put pressure on Wilkinson,

forcing him to run, and he was stopped by Andy Lujan, John Fairbanks

and a host of other Corona del Mar defenders, with 1:44 remaining in

the game.

“We didn’t have protection because we had to throw the ball at the

end of the game to catch up,” Perkins said.

Mistakes, which Costa Mesa took advantage of in the first half,

were the Mustangs’ downfall.

Bagwell’s two field goals came after fumble recoveries by Tony

Krikorian and Jeff Waldron, the latter after defensive end Qualic

Vargas sacked Tom Welch with a vicious hit.

But the Mustangs gave those turnovers right back in the second

half.

John Shanahan recovered a Wilkinson fumble at the Mustangs’

20-yard line, setting up Kevin Welch’s first touchdown reception. In

the fourth quarter, after Costa Mesa, trailing 19-14, had driven into

Sea Kings’ territory, Tyler Lance hit Chris Ricci, who coughed up the

ball and it was recovered by Kevin Welch.