State Championships Running in the Family

Skating towards a dog-pile and jumping on as the clock hits zero, the team had just won a state championship in hockey. Senior Andy Grasso watched the celebration but is now a part of it.

The Grasso family are very familiar with the hockey program, brother and HSE graduate Nick Grasso played from 2012-2016 while Andy has been playing since 2016. The family has been playing for HSE for eight years straight. Throughout those eight years they have both had success in the state tournament. Nick won a state championship in 2015 and Andy won in 2018. Although both teams won a championship, the teams were very different. The 2018 team had a rocky start before going on a late run deep into the post season.

“We set our egos aside to reach a goal,” Andy says, “we bought into the system late in the year.”

Before winning the state championship Andy played hockey in the Fishers Youth Hockey Association at the Fuel Tank. Andy played recreational and travel hockey through FYHA up until playing for the high school hockey team. He grew up watching HSE hockey while his brother played. “Andy and Nick would always support each other at any game they went to,” said teammate and close friend, Grant Compton.

“I started watching my brother play hockey at a really young age and saw right away that I liked the sport,” Grasso said.

But the Grasso brothers’ bond is bigger than hockey, as Nick is at Purdue University, he likes to stay in touch. He is constantly checking scores and texting Andy how the games went and lending advice. With Andy now playing in his last season and the “Grasso Era” comes in an end, he hopes to end on a high note and add to the family’s legacy. Story by David DeSplinter.