Welches: Nurse Katie, Will, Josh.
By Mike London
Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE — Ashton Hassan handles the updates on “X” for the Salisbury Athletics account and possesses thumbs nearly as fast as Jayl’lin Johnson’s feet.
Hassan, a former Salisbury athlete, is the ultimate Hornet homer, so she feels physical pain whenever SHS is struggling in any sport, but she squeezed a few smiles out of an ironic situation in Friday’s 41-20 loss to Carson after the son of Salisbury’s school nurse made a sack for the Cougars.
“Nurse Welch’s son, Will Welch, with a sack for a big loss,” Hassan dutifully reported.
“We love you Nurse Welch!” she quickly added.
“My mom knows some of the Salisbury players, but there’s no bad blood there or anything,” Will Welch said cheerfully. “Everything was all in good fun all week. I’m always looking for a chance to make a play, and I got around a big lineman and was able to make one. It was a good feeling to make a sack against Salisbury.”
Salisbury and Carson, now South Piedmont Conference rivals, were playing for the first time since 2019.
Welch’s school-nurse mom was Katie Corriher back in the day. She married into a family of tall redheaded, South Rowan Welches. The three Welch brothers — Jamey, John and Josh — were sons of Stan Welch, who served as an unusually tall, red-haired senior pastor to the flock at Blackwelder Baptist Church in Kannapolis for 23 years. Stan is white-haired now, but he still towers.
Will Welch is obviously a Welch, 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, and with hair that looks like it might burst into flame at any moment. Put a hat on him to cover his head and Welch might be mistaken for Salisbury’s 2024 kicker/quarterback Hank Webb.
Friday’s key sack was one of the highlights of Welch’s football career because he’s normally just a guy quietly doing his job out of the spotlight. He wears the No. 88 jersey because he plays some offense as a tight end, but Carson tight ends in the veer offense are blockers, not receivers. Welch has had many different roles for the Cougars over the years, including toiling as an offensive tackle. He’s tackled each assignment with lots of energy and no complaints.
Welch is unusually active and agile for such a tall football player. He has nimble feet as an all-county tennis player. He’s good enough at tennis that he and partner Karson Sloop qualified for the state tournament back in the spring. So it makes sense that the Cougars (3-1) are giving Welch opportunities to make plays at defensive end. Right now, he’s defense first, offense second.
“I really do like defensive end,” said Welch, who has been in on 17 tackles in the Cougars’ first four games. “I feel like I’ve found a home there.”
Carson head coach Jonathan Lowe is pleased with what he’s seen.
“Will has always done everything we’ve asked and he’s always given 100 percent to the program wherever we’ve put him,” Lowe said. “He’s aggressive, he’s experienced, and he’s smart. He’s one of our 20 seniors, and a lot of them played a really good game on Friday. We beat a tough, very athletic Salisbury team.”
