OGDEN — Alex Salvo was selected as the National Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High School Association (NFHS) Jan. 9. Salvo is Saint Joseph Catholic High School’s athletic director and girls’ soccer coach. The Utah High School Activities Association named Salvo the Utah Soccer Coach of the Year in 2010. As a result, he was selected as the regional coach of the year before receiving the national honor. "Alex was selected from over 100 coaches in Utah and thousands throughout the nation," said Tim Carr, a professor from the School of Education at Westminster College, who has chaired NFHS committees. He also is the only referee from Utah in the NFHS Hall of Fame, and served as principal of St. Joseph Elementary School from 1988 to 1992. "I broke the news to Alex by congratulating him after receiving a press release," said Carr. "Alex is such an extremely dedicated and honest human being, and a tremendous person of character. A lot of times coaches lose perspective. Alex keeps in mind that working hard and winning are important, but he also understands the importance of forming the students’ character. He teaches them sportsmanship, teamwork, how to work toward a common goal and to honor each other." Salvo said he couldn’t believe the news when Carr first told him. "This is such an honor and I am especially happy for our school. I couldn’t have done the work without the support of my colleagues; they have all been so understanding of the athletic programs and their support is great." "It’s a nice honor for the school, the state and Alex," said Carr. "Alex has done a lot of work for the State High School Activities Association and as a regional representative. I know the NFHS thinks highly of him." Salvo started the St. Joseph girls’ soccer program in 1992. "I received support from Father John Norman, who was principal of the school at the time," he said. "I had been coaching soccer for the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade girls, but there wasn’t a team at the high school level." In the beginning, Salvo’s soccer teams played in Region 17 against 1A and 2A schools. "The Utah High School Association hadn’t yet sanctioned soccer in the smaller high schools, so we weren’t eligible to play in the state championship tournaments," he said. Salvo thought girls’ soccer should be handled differently, so in 2000 he had his teams compete against 3A teams. "We wanted the prestige of participating in a state tournament," he said. Salvo was elected to the Utah High School Activities Association Board of Trustees in 2003. As a member, he began working to get 1A and 2A girls’ soccer teams sanctioned by the State of Utah. It was approved in 2005. St. Joseph won the girls’ soccer state championship in 2008 and 2010, and placed second in state in 2009 and 2011. There are now 24 high schools in the 1A-2A league. "Being sanctioned gives the girls an opportunity to win championship titles, but more importantly, they come together as a family," Salvo said. "All the students know and support each other in a small high school." St. Joseph girls’ soccer has grown since it began 20 years ago. "We used to have about 12 girls on the team and today we have about 30," said Salvo. "They are all excited to participate in a program that has had as much success as we have had. We play 1A and 2A schools during region play and the state championship. In pre-season games we also play 3A to 5A high schools, and we do very well against them. St. Joseph has the reputation of being a winning team."
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