GAME DAY WITH CANYON HIGH'S FOOTBALL TEAM.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

What is it really like to be part of a high school football team? I spent the day with the Canyon High Cowboys for Friday's game at Simi Valley, and here's how things went:

1:45 p.m. - It's nearly six hours before kickoff, and defensive coordinator Scott Blade crams in one last film session with his linebackers, who gather in the campus football office to study footage of Simi Valley's last game, against Pacifica of Oxnard.

1:55 p.m. - Nearly halfway through what will be a 19-hour day, head coach Harry Welch pops a vitamin C supplement. ``I got here at six this morning,'' he says, ``and by the time we come back, I won't leave until after midnight.''

2:10 p.m. - While making last-minute preparations, Welch reminisces about his first coaching job, at Crespi High of Encino in the 1960s. It is revealed Welch moonlighted at the time as a ticket manager at the famed Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. ``It was quite an era back then,'' he says. ``We had the Mamas and The Papas, Tom Jones, Judy Garland, Andy Williams. They were the biggest pop stars of the day back then.''

2:30 p.m. - Lunchtime in the Canyon weight room. The players dine on homemade sloppy joes and side dishes while sitting at a long table. Welch, a stickler for timeliness, scans the room to make sure everyone is in place. ``Let me know if one guy comes in late - we'll string him up by his thumbs,'' he says with a smile.

2:35 p.m. - Aaron Gross, a lineman, already has his game face on. ``We normally don't mess around much at these team lunches,'' he says. ``When we all get together for the first time of the day, it's time to start focusing and thinking about what we have to do. It's about getting down to business and the task at hand.''

2:37 p.m. - Blade is a big believer about practicing like you play. Canyon had a good workout Wednesday evening, and Blade is hoping the team can carry things over. ``If we play like we practiced on Wednesday, it will be a good night for the Cowboys,'' he says.

2:40 p.m. - Glancing down at his game plan, Blade says he's particularly concerned about Simi Valley's 6-foot-5 tight end, Collin Franklin. Most of Canyon's defensive backs and linebackers are shorter than 6-foot, so Franklin presents matchup problems. ``You've got to worry anytime a tight end is that big,'' Blade says.

2:45 p.m. - ``Bag check in five minutes!'' Welch announces, and the team immediately clears their plates and puts away their folding chairs in an orderly fashion. ``Did you see how they cleaned the table without anyone saying anything?'' Welch says. ``You shouldn't have to ask. Being courteous and responsible, the little things like that, that's important. Sometimes life lessons transcend football.''

3:10 p.m. - Katie Jurado, Canyon's freshman team manager, hasn't stopped moving. She's spent the past couple of hours making sure all the equipment, ice, water and other supplies are packed and ready. She's also responsible for Welch's set of keys, a critical task. ``Oh, it's totally worth it,'' Jurado says. ``I love football, and this is just a great experience.''

3:20 p.m. - The only person who puts in a longer day than Welch on Fridays is special assistant Mike Civita, uncle of starting quarterback Austin Civita. After the game, he'll work into the late morning, breaking down game video. ``I put in 20 hours every Friday, but I don't mind because I still bleed Canyon green and gold,'' says Civita, a former Canyon player who graduated in 1981. ``I remember my senior year at Canyon, our big claim to fame was beating Hart.''

3:35 p.m. - Taking a seat in the front of one of the team's two buses, Welch looks at Canyon's campus with pride. ``It's a nice place,'' he says. ``In all these years, I've never heard of a kid carrying a gun or a knife or anything like that. I think the only time someone ever got caught with a knife was when he threw one in the back of his truck after a hunting trip during the weekend.''

3:50 p.m. - Welch is dedicated to Canyon football, but he knows his stuff when it comes to predicting the outcomes of other games. Looking through a list of games in the newspaper, Welch accurately predicts Birmingham will upset Crespi, and he'll be right about Hart defeating Westlake by a large margin - Hart won 38-7 - although many thought the game would be very close.

4:10 p.m. - The buses arrive at Simi Valley, and Welch promises Simi administrators his players will be well-behaved. ``We'll leave the locker room cleaner than we found it,'' he says.

4:20 p.m. - The players, uniformly dressed in Canyon polo shirts and jeans, march to the locker room. ``If you suit up, you must tuck your shirt in,'' Welch says.

4:30 p.m. - Austin Civita has been listening to the same two songs over and over again on his I-Pod for hours - the pounding hard rock song ``BYOB'' by System of a Down and the tribal ``Feel Good Inc.'' by Gorillaz. `` 'BYOB' is just a crazy song, and I love the rhythm of 'Feel Good,' '' Civita says. ``It gets me pumped up before I play. As soon as school started today, I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could could start getting ready for this game.''

4:35 p.m. - One of the first to greet the team is Civita's 11-year-old brother, Luke, who's wearing a youth-football jersey with his name on the back. ``I guess he looks up to me. He throws a pretty good pass, too,'' Austin says.

4:42 p.m. - Steven Wirthlin, brother of standout receiver Richie Wirthlin, is playing for the junior-varsity team instead of varsity today so he can get some work in. He scores on a 70-yard touchdown pass, zig-zagging through several defenders.

5:03 p.m. - After watching the JV game for a few minutes, Canyon is in the locker room, passing around a platter of bananas to stock up on potassium.

5:15 p.m. - An electrician working just outside Canyon's locker room asks defensive back Leon Henderson what school he's from. Then the worker asks Henderson if Canyon is any good. ``Yeah, we are,'' Henderson says.

5:40 p.m. - Dave Wallerstein, father of sophomore lineman A.J. Wallerstein, introduces himself while enjoying a pregame hamburger. ``We were happy to see A.J.'s name in the Daily News today,'' he says. ``Linemen don't make it very often.''

5:55 p.m. - Just a few minutes before Canyon will take the field, the defensive backs find a corner of the locker room to talk about final preparations. ``We need to come out with attitude and make a statement,'' assistant Tim Hollinger says. ``Even if they don't catch the ball, I want to see you guys lay someone out. Let's make a goal: If we keep Simi to under 100 yards passing, I'll buy everyone a steak dinner.''

5:57 p.m. - Away from the players, Hollinger says he's serious about the steak dinners. He also wants the backs to be more physical. ``We're a good-hitting team, but I'd like to bring a little more,'' he says.

6:10 p.m. - The clank of cleats against the pavement echoes through the twilight as Canyon marches to the field for warm-ups.

6:30 p.m. - As the players go through drills and cheerleaders stretch behind the near end zone, a beautiful sunset glows from the opposite end. The stands begin to fill on both sides, and the electricity mounts. Welch spends several minutes chatting with the opposing coach. It's a friendly exchange, but Welch concentrates on everything he hears, perhaps hoping to gain a small advantage.

6:40 p.m. - Phil Malinoski kicks 35-yard field goals through the uprights, one after the other. He's the latest kicking project for Welch, who loves finding unpolished gems from the soccer team and elsewhere and developing them into kickers and punters. ``Phil's an interesting story,'' Welch says. ``He's the nephew of Fresno State coach Pat Hill, and he's a converted high-jumper from the track team.''

6:45 p.m. - ``Come on, boys! Let's get it pumped up!'' screams linebacker Dillon Schelske, as the team heads back to the locker room.

6:55 p.m. - Five minutes to kickoff. Welch delivers an impassioned pregame speech: ``The Simi Valley coach told me he's got four or five players who've all received visiting invites from D-I schools, which means they're being recruited,'' he says. ``So before you go out there, you need to know the quality of the young men Simi Valley has. They've never made a statement like they're going to try to make tonight. Canyon needs to make their own statement. I don't mind if you come here at 5 or 5:30 and you're a little loose, but now it's time to go out and believe.

``I just talked to one of my (former) players who has a metal plate in his arm, and (lineman) Marc (Valdez) just had surgery, so you've got to know there's a battle to be played. There's a little war coming, so make no mistake about what we're going into. How good we do depends on you, and I'm ashamed if I don't put in the kind of effort that I can look in the mirror and be proud every day of my life. So support each other tonight, and help each other out. They call football a game, but it's a war, and you're warriors - and I'm proud of you tonight. We need to play our kind of football tonight, Cowboy football. So I want you to answer me one question in your own heart: Are all of you ready''

``Yes!' they scream, and we head out the door without another word.

7 p.m. - Kickoff. ``Here we go, boys! Come on!'' lineman Hakob Karaoglanian says.

7:01 p.m. - A good start for Canyon. J.J. DiLuigi returns the opening kickoff 50 yards, and Canyon scores six plays later on DiLugi's 3-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

7:10 p.m. - Welch's mood has changed. He's much more intense since the opening whistle. A missed tackle or block or a blown assignment enrages him. ``Do that again, and you're off the field!'' he tells one of his defenders.

7:25 p.m. - A receiver gets caught standing straight up on a block and gets overpowered. ``That's awful. He's done,'' Welch says, and the youngster is pulled. ``You block like that, you sit.''

7:33 p.m. - Simi quarterback Bryan Randolph has a hot hand. On the first play of the second quarter, he finds Lorne Bell on a long pass to Canyon's 17-yard line. Two plays later, Randolph hits Franklin for a 15-yard TD, and the score is tied 7-7.

7:40 p.m. - ``All I want for Christmas is a cornerback that can clog the middle,'' Blade says.

7:45 p.m. - Wirthlin, Canyon's top receiver and defensive back, catches a 40-yard pass to set up a go-ahead touchdown - but he hurts his hand in what appears to be a serious injury.

7:50 p.m. - DiLuigi replaces Wirthlin on defense. ``Keep that hand buried in ice,'' Welch tells Wirthlin, who grimaces in extreme pain.

7:53 p.m. - Simi Valley is moving again, and Welch is desperate to fire up the defense. ``If they run that slant again, break their neck!'' he screams.

7:55 p.m. - Canyon's Garrett Leary comes through with a key fourth-down sack with a little more than one minute remaining in the first half, and Civita responds with a 37-yard pass to Chris Kingsbury, followed by a 4-yard TD pass to Mike Loucks with 23 seconds left. Canyon leads 21-7 at the half.

8:07 p.m. - In the locker room at halftime, a 14-point lead doesn't feel like enough for Welch, who sees cracks and is concerned about Canyon's intensity level. Simi Valley sniffs an upset, and Welch expects better execution from his team. ``It's B.S. It's not my football, and it shouldn't be your football!'' Welch says. ``You're playing down with no focus.''

8:15 p.m. - Bad news. Wirthlin's hand looks terrible, and he can't move it. The team doctor, Phil Eddy, tells him it's broken, and Wirthlin kicks the locker - hard - in frustration.

8:18 p.m. - Welch addresses the team just before heading back to the field. ``You want to be a terrific team? It's up to you,'' he says. ``There's a Latin quote: 'Tu em est.' That means when your lives hit bottom, you get put in your own place. It's up to you. You want to be as good as God made you? It's up to you. This is B.S. Now put your helmets on, and let's play football.''

8:21 p.m. - Not a good start to the second half for Canyon. Bell intercepts a pass on the first play and returns it 55 yards for a TD to pull Simi Valley within one touchdown.

8:47 p.m. - After Canyon fails on a fake punt, Simi Valley scores again on a 25-yard touchdown pass, but Kingsbury blocks the extra point to preserve a 21-20 lead.

8:50 p.m. - The momentum shift continues for Canyon. DiLuigi returns the kickoff 99 yards for a TD. After a bad snap ruins the extra-point attempt, Canyon is up 27-20 with two minutes left in the third quarter.

8:57 p.m. - With Wirthlin out, Canyon is having problems defending the pass. A long completion sets up Devin Kelley's 1-yard TD run for a 27-27 tie.

9:06 p.m. - A tough break. A sure TD pass on third-and-long for Canyon is dropped at the goal line, and the Cowboys are forced to punt.

9:10 p.m. - Canyon's Blake McMartin comes through with the biggest hit of the game, sticking T.J. Washington as he attempts to catch a pass up the middle, and the ball deflects into the hands of Canyon's Michael Montano for an interception at the Simi 31 with a little more than seven minutes left.

9:15 p.m. - David Pyne is open near the end zone for what could be a winning TD, but Civita's fourth-down pass sails over his head. Things aren't looking good.

9:24 p.m. - A major turning point. Simi Valley goes three-and-out, but a roughing penalty on the punt extends the drive. Simi eventually scores on Kelley's 2-yard run with a little more than a minute to play. Simi Valley 34, Canyon 27.

9:30 p.m. - Canyon is exhausted. The team goes four-and-out on its final possession, and the Cowboys' streak of 19 consecutive nonleague victories, since 2001, is over in one of the biggest upset losses in program history.

9:38 p.m. - The team huddles. This time, there is no screaming. ``We made too many stupid mistakes and didn't deserve to win,'' Welch says. ``Somebody needs to find a way to focus from this game, and we need to find some leadership within ourselves. They wanted it more than us tonight. ... That's the way the game is played.''

9:44 p.m. - In the locker room, Kingsbury, sitting alone on a bench, barely has the strength to pull his jersey and pads over his shoulders as sweat drips from his brow. ``I don't know what to say,'' he says. ``We played hard, but we just didn't play the way we could. All we can do now is just keep pushing. Tonight shows us if we don't play our game, anything can happen.''

9:50 p.m. - It's been a long night. Welch, visibly drained, finds the strength to deliver a final impassioned speech, this one about overcoming adversity - a speech he obviously wasn't preparing for. ``We're going to focus, and all of you will be fine,'' he says. ``It's really easy to deal with the good times, but it's a real measure of a man to see how he lives through the tough times when there's no joy and celebration.''

You could have heard a pin drop.

``What's important now is for us to handle this like men and to refocus and ask ourselves, first, 'What I can do to help myself,' and second, 'What can I do to help the other people in this room.' We've got some inexperienced players on this team, but we're going to get better. We just need to find a way to help each other. I've got such an emptiness in my stomach. I feel like I've lost something I love, like something has been taken away from me. But we must go on like men. That's the classy thing to do. So it behooves all of you to focus on what you can do to make yourselves better and to make the team better. Keep your chin up and don't shed a tear, because that's what men do. You're all the same men you were three hours ago, and I'm proud of you.''

10:04 p.m. - On the bus ride home, we relive the key plays and the dramatic turning points, of which there were many. It seems like a long time before the bus finally rolled into Canyon's parking lot. ``The ride always seems longer after a loss, doesn't it, coach?'' Welch is asked. ``Yes,'' Welch says. ``It sure does.''

CAPTION(S):

6 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Canyon coach Harry Welch, pointing, gives his team some last-minute instruction before the game against Simi Valley.

(2 -- color) Canyon's Mike Loucks prepares his helmet for an equipment check before the Cowboys board the bus for Simi Valley.

(3) Nick Madia relaxes on the bus while waiting for the rest of his Canyon High teammates to board.

(4) Canyon players put on their uniforms, some listening to music through headphones, in the Simi Valley locker room.

(5 -- 6) Above, Canyon water boy Garrett Williams, left, sits next to Blake McMartin during Friday night's game against host Simi Valley. Below, Canyon players are despondent following a 34-27 loss at Simi Valley, one of the biggest upset losses in program history.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer