Three current high school coaches one retired coach have been honored by their state associations this year.

Ray Ferro, a retired football coach at South Hadley High School, was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 30.

“Obviously it’s an honor that I never expected,” Ferro said. “I was always envious of other coaches who received the award. I never thought it would be me.”

Scott Savino, an assistant coach for the Northampton baseball team since 2009, received the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award in January.

“It was a surprise to me but it was great,” Savino said. “I have played all my life and started coaching when I had kids. From T-ball to Little League and on through high school.”

The MBCA holds a yearly coaches clinic that involves an award ceremony, and unbeknownst to Savino, Northampton coach Mark Baldwin nominated him for the award.

“The main job as an assistant is to support the head coach and be there for the kids,” Savino said. “The love of the game is also important.”

Savino’s son, Casey, became coach of Northampton’s freshman team this season. He is installing his own style of baseball, but not without the influences of previous coaches from his playing career.

“I think whenever you become a coach you take things from previous coaches,” Scott Savino said. “But everyone has their own personal style and beliefs.”

Northampton will have two winners at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Awards Banquet on June 4, in Randolph.

Ryan Davis, the Northampton girls cross country coach, and Brandon Palmer, the boys indoor track and field coach, will receive coach of the year awards.

Davis was a first-year coach for the Blue Devils, who won the Western Massachusetts Division 1 championship.

“It’s a big honor to be chosen by my fellow coaches,” Davis said. “All the merit goes to the girls.”

Palmer’s award came after the Blue Devils won the PVIAC and state Division 4 championships.

“It puts the cherry on top of our season,” Palmer said. You have a season where the guys do that and you take a moment to reflect on the work that you did. It feels pretty good.”

After 15 years as an assistant, Ferro took over a small South Hadley football program in 2000. He went on to lead the Tigers to two Super Bowl championships in four appearances. The titles came in 2005 and 2010.

Former players and family come from as far away as Arizona to attend the induction.

“You know you coach the right way when you have a positive impact on a young person’s life,” Ferro said. “When they come to join you getting honored it is humbling.”

To build numbers at South Hadley, Ferro guaranteed that every player would play at least half of every game.

“Kids want to play,” Ferro said. “Knowing they would play helped spread the word. We built a program.”

The roster had doubled by 2005 and the Tigers upset favorite Milford, 18-0, for Ferro’s first Super Bowl championship.

In 2010, South Hadley beat Putnam, 16-14, on a late 23-yard field goal by Joe D’Alessandro, who was a first-year football player.

Prior to the season, Ferro encouraged D’Alessandro, a lifelong soccer player, to join the team as a kicker.

“He told me he just wanted to play,” Ferro said. “It just made sense to have him kick.”

D’Alessandro made 37 of 41 extra points during the season, but saved his first field goal for the kick that sent Ferro into retirement as a Super Bowl champion.

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