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The Alta community needed reassurance following the worst season in the school's 36-year history in 2014. Success of newly-established Corner Canyon in nearby Draper exasperated the decline of the storied program, and the Hawks desperately needed the right coach to revitalize confidence among the faithful.

They found that coach.

Alema Te'o, the primary founder of the All-Poly football camp, was officially named the fifth coach in program history Wednesday.

"I'm very excited to be a part of the Alta family and football tradition," Te'o told The Salt Lake Tribune. "I look forward to getting our kids ready for the challenge."

Alta recently unveiled a new training facility that first-year principal Brian McGill referred to as "the most premier weight training facility in the state of Utah." Coupled with the impending transition to Class 4A, the Hawks are expecting to compete for state championships once again with Te'o in charge.

"That weight room, I tell you right now, if we're not pumping out athletes within in the next couple years, then I'm not a good coach," Te'o said. "It is awesome. We're going to get maximum use out of that puppy."

The Sandy school is not typically known for housing Polynesian athletes, which has become a staple of successful programs Bingham and Timpview. That may no longer be the case with the powerful influence Te'o has with the Poly community.

"You know how the village goes. That's kind of the norm with our people," Te'o said. "There's no doubt, I'm sure, there's going to be some guys out there that are connected to me that are going to want to work their way over."

The Hawks advanced to five consecutive Class 5A semifinals from 2005-09, including capturing back-to-back titles in '07 and '08. They haven't returned to the big stage since, leading to the whispers of the program falling from its elite status.

"I disagree. If it wasn't the job I thought it could be, I wouldn't have put out for this position," Te'o said. "I've been very selective over the years. To me, I think it has a tremendous upside. It's just a matter of putting together a good staff so we can build that team back up to where it needs to be."

-Trevor Phibbs

Twitter: @trevorphibbs