Welches connect at CdM

BARRY FAULKNER

A quarterback set in the pocket has but a few seconds to decipher the

defense, choose a receiver, perhaps evade a threatening pass rusher,

then deliver the ball. In these instinctive instants, the intuitive

bond between passer and pass catcher can be the difference between a

big gain, an incompletion or even an interception.

In this football flash point, Corona del Mar High quarterback Tom

Welch often relies upon a familiarity few teammates enjoy. It is

during these split seconds that all the weekday afternoons spent on

the Sea Kings’ practice field pale in comparison to years of weekend

sessions spent throwing the ball to twin brother Kevin Welch, who,

conveniently, happens to be CdM’s star junior wideout.

“We have a connection that’s pretty hard to beat,” said Tom, who

teamed with Kevin on four completions for 109 yards, including

touchdowns of 20 and 65, the latter the difference in a 19-14

nonleague season-opening victory over district rival Costa Mesa

Friday night.

“They started throwing the football around when they were pretty

young,” said Barbara Welch, the twins’ mother who, until this season,

had never seen them connect so dramatically on the playing field.

Tom and Kevin, who also play basketball and volleyball for the Sea

Kings, grew up playing organized football together. But, as dual

receivers and defensive backs, their teamwork was less obvious.

Toward the end of last season, however, Tom realized that

classmate Wess Presson, who quarterbacked the 2001 CdM freshman team

and backed up then-senior Jonathan Hubbard last fall, had become too

valuable at tailback, creating a void at quarterback this season.

Tom, who had been a backup quarterback in Junior All-American

Football and who completed a double pass for 28 yards as a sophomore,

decided he could best help the 2003 Sea Kings by calling signals and

hurling spirals.

His Sunday passing sessions with Kevin took on a new intensity and

he also sought personal instruction from former USC and NFL

quarterback Paul McDonald, whose son Michael threw for 1,820 yards

and 15 TDs as the starter at Newport Harbor last fall, before walking

on at USC this season.

“I started preparing myself to play quarterback,” said Tom, who

also began conversing with Kevin about the possibility of turning

their unspoken communicative bond into passing productivity on game

nights.

“I know we have a huge advantage because of our connection,” said

Tom, who recalls awaking in the middle of the night and speaking,

only to hear Kevin, also wide awake, answer from the other bunk bed.

“To be as close as we are and to take that on the field, is

extraordinary.”

Kevin concurred.

“We’re closer than just sports,” Kevin said. “It’s everything.”

Added Tom, “We do finish each other’s sentences and, it’s kind of

weird, but I’ll be thinking about something and he’s thinking about

the same thing at the same time.”

This twin telepathy, as well as years of competitive camaraderie,

often translate to on-field knowledge that can, both agree, bridge a

communicative gap spanning 20-40 yards down the field.

There is another luxury of brotherhood, according to Kevin, who

was a second-team All-Pacific Coast receiver last fall when he caught

27 passes for 646 yards (a 23.9-yard average) and seven TDs.

“When someone makes a mistake, it’s a lot easier to yell at the

other guy,” Kevin said. “If it’s just a friend, you’re not going to

yell. But you can yell at your brother and not worry about him taking

it personally.”

After their big first game, Tom and Kevin are admittedly excited

about their potential as a passing tandem this fall. They spent some

time after Friday’s victory relishing their success.

But, Kevin warned, they won’t use their affinity to exclude other

receivers.

“We’re not selfish people and we’re all about the team,” Kevin

said. “This is not about Tom and I.”

*

The Welch family connection to CdM football goes beyond Kevin and

Tom. Older brother Bart played for the Sea Kings’ varsity in 2000 and

‘01 and cousins Rob, Dennis and Charlie Alshuler, were also key

players for the program from 1991 through 2000.