GRAND AMERICAN: Welch wins trophy; Final Four dogs came from SC

His young son Rowan, who was turning five-years-old Saturday, smiled with his father and their dog “Wip3out 3Sum JailC3ll.” Before leaving the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds, Rowan got a look at the overall first-place trophy for winning the Grand American Coon Hunt.

“Daddy, that’s the one I want…It’s the biggest one in here,” Rowan said to his father.

Welch posted a score of 375 during Saturday Night’s Hunt of the Grand American. He placed 15th overall but secured his spot in the Final Four.

“The scores really depend on what the dogs do,” Welch said. “We hunted the same area (as Friday), but the dogs were never together. We spent a lot of time walking because they were so split up.”

During the Final Four, Welch waited with anticipation as all four dogs treed right from the start.

“We knew what we had,” Welch said. “(JailC3ll) took off to the right of the other three dogs, so we just waited to hear to what the other hunters had. The final hunt is just an hour, and we probably only hunted for 10 minutes.”

Welch finished with 225 points, just enough to beat out Joshua Deloach and his dog “Mafia’s Slinging Sister.”

After a tough hunt Friday night, Deloach and “Mafia’s Slinging Sister,” put up a big number Saturday night to take first overall in the Saturday Night Hunt of the Grand American.

“We cut loose (Saturday) and scored right away,” Deloach said. “(The coons) were not moving well for Friday night, but that rain we had Saturday morning got them moving for the second hunt.”

Deloach posted a score of 1325 Saturday night and rode the momentum into his Final Four appearance. He finished sixth overall in the Friday Nite Hunt with a score of 550.

“This is my fourth year hunting the Grand American,” Deloach said. “It felt good to be able to crack that Final Four (Sunday morning).”

Stephen Shinaberry with dog “Little Swamp’s Mad Max,” and Dylan Cox with dog “Bust ‘Em Up Buster” were the other dogs in the Final Four. All four dogs in this year’s final were from South Carolina.

For Welch, winning the Grand American means a lot to him and his dog.

“My uncle hunted this event, I’ve had friends hunt this event, it’s the most prestigious hunt in South Carolina,” Welch said. “It’s overwhelming to win the thing, especially in my first time. For (JailC3ll) this proves that he can be a champion in the UKC (United Kennel Club). He’s already won some championships at the PKC (Professional Kennel Club) level, so this win hopefully will help him get his breed up, and we definitely want to try and breed him.”

After the event, Welch headed home to Bonneau, SC where he pulled up at his house about 9 a.m. He entered with the first-place trophy and told Rowan that C3ll had a birthday present for him.

“It was overwhelming,” Welch said when he returned to his family. “They were getting ready for church, so I got cleaned up and joined them so I could give the Lord blessings for a great weekend.”