Highland Rugby Club coach Larry Gelwix will be the first to tell you that his volunteer participation in youth rugby isn't about winning championships, it's about helping kids.
In his 29 years as the one and only head coach, Gelwix's teams have won more than 400 games and captured 15 of 19 USA Rugby High School National Championships.
"If this was only about rugby I would have retired a long time ago. We put a very big emphasis on ethics and moral values," Gelwix said. "We teach the boys a lot more than rugby. We teach them concepts rather than X's and O's and get the boys to play above their ability."
Highland will shoot for its fifth-consecutive national championship and 16th overall on May 21-22 in Dallas, Texas.
For the first 10 years of the program, Highland played mostly on the local and state level because there was no national high school tournament. Since the inception of the USA Rugby High School National Championships, Highland has never finished lower than third. Along with the 15 titles, Highland has finished second three times and third once.
"The program has never been about winning championships," said Larry Wilson, former Highland High football coach and 12-year assistant to Gelwix. "It has evolved out of the program Larry (Gelwix) runs and the kids we have. We have great kids that have great attitudes and work hard and coaches that have their hearts in the right place."
Over the years, the team has had as many as 140 players, but this year the numbers are a little lower at 60. But the mission statement remains the same — teach young people to be contributors in society through skills learned while playing rugby.
Highland is one of five high school boys rugby teams in the state along with Skyline, Alta, Murray and Lone Peak.
"Most programs are dependant on one or two people to keep going," said Gelwix, who doesn't receive payment for his services, nor do his assistants. "It's because it is a labor of love."
Currently, there are no girls high school teams, but there are five that participate on the college level. One is Utah State, which advanced to the Elite 8 of the Women's National Championships earlier this year.
Gelwix said there have been as many as 10 high-school aged teams, but the lack of funding, facilities and players in areas and dedicated coaches have trimmed the numbers to fewer than a half-dozen.
Many of Gelwix's players come from the Highland area, but since it's not a sanctioned high school sport, he can recruit players from all over the state.
However, if a player lives in the boundaries of one of the four other high schools, he encourages them to play there. This way the sport can grow in different areas.
"What we want to do is hopefully they'll tell their friends and then they have enough to spin off and make their own team," Gelwix said.
Highland operates without a starting budget, but receives donations from sponsors, its booster club and parents to earn the money needed for nationals. They also hold various fund-raisers.
Many of his players filter into the one of the four state university programs at BYU, Utah, Utah State and Weber State. Idaho State also fields a team.
Now, some of them can receive a scholarship provided by donors, not the university itself.
The success of Highland's program is also leaving its mark on the college level.
BYU has been a national power for the last 25 years despite not being able to participate in the national tournament except for the first time this year. In the past, USA Rugby played its championship game on Sunday. The rule was changed this year allowing BYU to enter. It lost to second-ranked Cal Poly in the first round of the Elite 8.
Just two years ago, Utah finished second behind Cal Berkeley.
Gelwix is hoping that the national exposure by Highland, BYU and Utah, and all the Utah teams for that matter, will let people know what Gelwix has known for years.
"Outside of Utah rugby has exploded in growth like soccer did," he said. "It hasn't caught on quite as much here. Yet, some of the greatest rugby in the country is played right here."
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com