Demetrick Welch, runner extraordinaire at Newport Central Catholic High School, has quite the distinctive name. He knows just one other person who has it. It’s his dad, Demetrick Welch Sr.
“They call me Little Metrick,” Welch said. “They started calling me that when I was little.”
The nickname is cute but it no longer fits. Welch stands 6-feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. Ask a linebacker if Welch is little.
“He is so physical and athletic,” Thoroughbreds coach Stephen Lickert said. “He put the work into the weight room to be as strong and fast as possible.”
In addition to his uncommon name, Welch also has a unique game. It stands to reason. The senior standout is a singular talent, that rare high-caliber two-way athlete who adds an extra dimension and impacts a contest in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams.
In Welch, the Thoroughbreds have a workhorse who is of his own kind. There’s no one else like him in the district. To rock a move that’s right on time is tricky and the wily Welch has a quick and artful way of getting results. For two years, the shifty runner has been one of the best small-school backs in Kentucky while spinning away from defenders, jumping over them, juking around them and often flat-out running through them.
“He is a threat because he can do it all, run inside, run outside, catch the ball out of the backfield and block for his teammates,” Lickert said. “You cannot just load the box to defend him. You have to be able to cover him as well. Defensively, he has been a dominant edge player for us. He makes it tough to run at him.”
The Thoroughbreds’ standout is unquestionably in a class by himself in Class A, District 3. Playing tailback, slot receiver, strong safety, linebacker, edge rusher, kick returner and punt returner, Welch is literally all over the football field, either churning up chunks of yardage with some trick moves or stopping opposing runners in their tracks while being special on special teams.
When it comes to bamboozling defenders, Welch has a knack for faking moves and shaking off would-be tacklers while often going the distance. For every play, he has a ploy. The end results: Welch has scored on rushing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery return for a touchdown this season. On defense, he was fourth on the team with 32 tackles. He was second with five tackles for loss and second with one interception. He had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown all on the same play.
“It’s a very close call,” Welch said of his two favorite things, being elusive on offense and being physical on defense. “I like making tacklers miss. But I like also like hitting and cleaning clocks.”
It is 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Welch has been at football practice for two hours. It’s time to go home. The Thoroughbreds have put in place a game plan for this week’s Thursday contest at Bellevue. Welch, a big part of the plan, envisions success as he closes another day with teammates on the practice field. He has to be part of the plan. The Thoroughbreds lost their starting quarterback and center due to injury and only recently saw the return of a key receiver and the left tackle. The inexperienced offensive line was already operating with just one returning starter, guard Mason Neff, so the injuries dealt massive blows on top of the loss of veteran QB Kolton Smith.
“We have a next-man-up mentality at NewCath,” coach Lickert said. “It is nice to have a player like Demetrick to lean on in the tough times. Demetrick is a worker. He has a never-go-down mentality. He’s been a reliable workhorse for us. He has carried us when he has needed to do so.”
Make no mistake, the Thoroughbreds are leaning on Welch, their catalyst. With 659 rushing yards, which ranked 15th in Class A, and 200 receiving yards after eight games, Welch accounted for nearly 40% of the Thoroughbreds’ offense. With 17 total touchdowns and 102 points, ranking third in Class A, he accounted for 45% of the scoring.
“It’s definitely been challenging. There’s been a lot to overcome,” Welch said. “But I feel like my effort has been up to par.”
Other numbers support him. Playing behind a banged-up offensive line with a second-string quarterback directing the offense against a tougher schedule against mostly much bigger schools, Welch is still dodging defenders. He was averaging nearly 7.0 yards per carry, 12.5 yards per catch and 13 points per game while using some tricky maneuvers. Many times, it seemed like Welch was there and then suddenly he disappeared behind a hoodwinked defense. Last year, playing with QB Smith behind a veteran line that was largely healthy, Welch averaged 9.5 yards per carry, 11 yards per catch and 9 points per game.
“With all the adversity, it means maximum effort every time this year,” Welch said.
He practices what he preaches. Welch suffered a chin injury Oct. 6 against Newport that required four stitches. He left the game only to return all sewn up. NewCath won, 22-6. Welch put in a yeoman’s effort, carrying 27 times for 105 yards with a score.
“Got those stitches put in and went right back out there,” Welch said. “It was for momentum. We had it. I believe they didn’t have a chance with me in there. I felt like they weren’t ready for me to come back in. They know for sure I was.”
Entering Thursday, Welch had four 100-yard rushing efforts on the season with a single-game high 135 yards on 10 carries with four touchdowns Oct. 12 against Dayton. He rambled for 101 yards on just eight carries against Conner. He had 120 yards on seven carries with three touchdowns against Scott. Averaging 10 yards per carry is a unique Welch trick going way back. He averaged 9.9 yards per carry as a freshman.
The Thoroughbreds played 14 games last season while advancing to the state semifinals and they played 13 games the season prior during what seems like an annual march deep into the playoffs. If the ‘Breds play at least 13 or 14 contests again this season, Welch, averaging 82.5 rushing yards per game, would put himself on pace to finish with his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season.
If NewCath makes it to the state final and contends for a sixth state championship, Welch would put himself within range of last year’s rushing total of 1,346 yards, which made him a Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association first-team selection at running back. With 2,801 career rushing yards after eight games this year, Welch was on pace for nearly 3,400 career rushing yards in a 13 or 14-game season. That would send him zooming up NewCath’s all-time rushing list. Welch was Northern Kentucky’s active career rushing yards leader and touchdowns leader entering the season.
“The state championship is the goal every year,” said Welch, who turns 18 on Nov. 29. “It’s the only goal in my mind. Individual stuff is nice, but not as nice as winning state. If we win state, that’ll be right around my birthday. That’d be nice.”
After four years of pulling rabbits out of hats for NewCath, Welch’s next trick will be performing at the next level. Among his handful of college offers are those from Thomas More University, Ohio Wesleyan and University of the Cumberlands.
“It has been really fun to watch Demetrick grow up over the past four years,” Lickert said. “He has a very high ceiling, and the sky is the limit for him.”