SPORTS
followingin
his father’ s footsteps
DWIGHT-ENGLEWOOD HEAD COACH FRANK SALVANO JR. HOPES TO CHANGE BASEBALL CULTURE
Talk to Frank Salvano, the winningest high school coach in Bergen County history, and he’ ll go on about baseball as long as you let him. The same is as true with his son, Dwight-Englewood School head coach Frank Salvano Jr.
Frank Salvano Sr. guided St. Joseph RegionalinMontvale for 28 seasons, amassing a630-184 record with seven county titles and six North Non-Public sectional crowns – including in 1999, when his son was asophomore catcher.
After playing collegiately at St. Peter’ s, Salvano Jr. returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach alongside his fatherfor eightyears. He also stayed on for the 2016 season after the elder Salvano retired.
“ Probablysix out of thoseyears, we were No. 1inthe state,” Salvano Jr. says.“ So Itook alot of what Ilearned there from my dad, and even my year with coach [ Mark ] Cieslak, and tried to bring that into Dwight-Englewood.”
While the Bulldogs have reachedthe state playoffs every year this decade, they have not qualified for the Bergen County tournament since the 1990s. Now, the coach with more Bergen titles to his credit than any other is at their disposal as an assistant.
“ He volunteers and helps out when he can,” Salvano Jr. says of his father.“ He’ s usuallywatchinghis grandkids and enjoying retirement.”
“ Now Iknow what it feels like to be an assistant,” Salvano Sr. says with a laugh.“ Theemotions are stillpretty muchthe same, the only thing is, there’ s no pressure on me. He has to make all the moves and decisions.”
That’ s not to say the two eschew baseball talkentirely. They’ ll go over plays and situations after games, occasionallywith some disagreement, but SalvanoSr. assures,“ It’ s agood backand forth banter. There’ snosecond-guessing though... he’ sthe head coach.”
In that role, Salvano Jr. guided Dwight-Englewood to a. 500 mark in
BECOMING A BULLDOG Coach Frank Salvano Jr.( above, far right) is leading the Dwight-Englewood baseball program after years of serving as an assistant at his alma mater, St. Joseph. the regularseason – although aforfeit for violating the state’ s stringent new pitch-count rules dropped the Bulldogs to 8-10entering the North Non-Public Atournament.
The infraction occurred duringa span of five games in six days from April 28 to May 3, which truly put the coach’ s managerialskills to the test.
“ We play Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with all the rain,” he said justprior to the stretch, speaking via phone from
PORTRAIT: ANNE-MARIE CARUSO; TEAM: COURTESY OF DWIGHT-ENGLEWOOD ATHLETICS
32 AUGUST 2017 |( 201) FAMILY