Shawnee's Mike Welsh fires TD pass to himself

Shawnee senior Mike Welsh has been a quarterback for nine years.

He has thrown touchdown passes to dozens of receivers.

In Friday night's stunning victory over Cherokee, Welsh discovered a new target: Himself.

"I've never done that before," said Welsh, who caught his own deflected pass and raced 9 yards for a touchdown in Shawnee's 35-14 victory over its school district rival. "I didn't even know what was happening at first.

"I thought about trying to run out of bounds, then I turned the corner and saw the pylon, and I thought: 'I might be able to do this.' "

Welsh threw four other touchdown passes as Shawnee shocked a Cherokee team that was No. 4 in The Inquirer Top 25 and coming off consecutive victories over previously undefeated Williamstown and Lenape.

Welsh said the victory was a "huge confidence builder" for Shawnee, which improved to 4-2 and rose to No. 11 in the rankings.

Welsh said the Renegades are a long way from the team that lost, 49-17, to Williamstown on opening night and also dropped a 19-17 decision to Washington Township.

"I thought it was going to be 21-14 or something like that," said Welsh, who was 26 for 36 passing for 352 yards. "For us to win that way, it really helps our confidence."

Welsh said the Renegades have to get their feet back on the ground in a hurry as they face another school district rival in resurgent Seneca on Friday night. The Golden Eagles have won four in a row.

"We showed we could handle adversity," Welsh said. "Now we have to show we can handle success."

Wilson rolls. Woodrow Wilson (5-2) won its fourth game in a row, beating Cumberland, 36-0, on Friday.

The Tigers have outscored their last two opponents by a combined 76-0. They can lock up a berth in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament with a victory at Willingboro on Friday.

"So many of our kids are so far removed from the rich tradition we have here," said Woodrow Wilson's first-year coach, Preston Brown, a former star player for the Tigers. "It was my duty to bring back the love and the pride and the passion.

"Our kids are starting to believe. They are expecting to perform well. I couldn't be happier with these young men who have made a commitment."

Brown said senior all-purpose Adrian Clark has been a team leader. Clark recently picked up a scholarship offer from Monmouth.

Junior backs Tyler Parsons and Edwin Lopez and junior linebacker Anthony Ramos have led the Woodrow Wilson defense.

"He's our unsung hero," Brown said of Ramos.

Big night. Timber Creek sophomore Devin Leary had the biggest statistical night of his young career at quarterback in the Chargers' 34-6 win over Clearview on Friday.

Leary was 21-for-29 passing for 317 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

Timber Creek coach Rob Hinson said Leary "easily" could have passed for more than 400 yards but for a few dropped passes. "He's really improving," Hinson said. "I have to remind myself that he's only a sophomore."

Honors. The Brook-Irvine Memorial Football Club will honor eight players at a luncheon Monday at the Crown Plaza hotel in Cherry Hill.

The players are Kelvin Harmon of Palmyra, Frank Fortino of Haddonfield, Brandon Cunningham of Gloucester Catholic, Taro Gaither of Pemberton, Marquay Richmond of Cumberland, Jacob Gruber of Eastern, Ethan Collins of Schalick, and Ryan Harper of Collingswood.

This and that. Paul VI (5-1) has scored 90 points in its last two games. . . . Seneca (4-2) has won four in a row for the first time since the 2009 team won five straight. Burlington Township (5-1) has allowed just 33 points in its last four games, all victories.

Cedar Creek (5-1) junior Bo Melton has scored 15 touchdowns. . . . Gateway (3-3) has won two in a row. The Gators are eyeing their first winning season since the 2006 team went 6-4. . . . Haddon Heights quarterback Matt DiOrio has 11 touchdown passes in the last four games, eight of them to wide receiver Nick Smith.

Paul VI quarterback Matt Vitale has thrown two or more touchdown passes in four straight games. . . . Deptford (2-4) has lost three games by a combined seven points. . . . Gloucester (5-1) has won three in a row as Vinny DiGiacomo has scored two touchdowns in all three games.

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