59ERS’ ‘FOUNDATION’
Former ball boy Nate Hovsepian develops into starting guard for Andrean: ‘He committed himself to the program’
Andrean senior Nate Hovsepian has been living a dream.
Going back to his days as a ball boy in eighth grade, Hovsepian always knew he wanted to play for the 59ers.
Now he’s doing it as a starting guard as Andrean pursues its second straight Class 2A state championship.
“I’ve been really grinding this season,” he said. “I’ve been a strong puller for us, for Drayk (Bowen) and the rest of the line. We’ve built a strong offensive line this whole season. I’ve just developed as a pulling guard for coach (Chris) Skinner.”
The 5-foot-10, 250-pound Hovsepian will take his position on the offensive line when Andrean (9-3) hosts Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (8-5) in a semistate game Friday night.
It’s been a process for Hovsepian to reach this point. In addition to serving as the team’s ball boy while he was attending Aquinas in Merrillville, he also helped out at practice two days a week. His father would take him, and he would spot the ball and film different segments.
“Me and my dad reached out to coach Skinner,” Hovsepian said. “I already knew I wanted to come to Andrean to continue my faithbased education coming from a Catholic grade school. I already knew I was coming here, and I really wanted to play football for a successful program.
“Coach Skinner and that team that year was very accepting of me. I remember Nicky Flesher, Cam Williams and a few other guys really welcomed me into the Andrean family that year.”
Skinner fondly recalled a younger Hovsepian.
“He just wanted to be around it,” Skinner said. “His parents wanted him to be around it. It worked out really well.”
Hovsepian started on the junior varsity team during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Last year, he was in line for a prominent varsity role. But he fractured his right ankle in a practice ahead of their opener against Merrillville.
“I heard and felt a pop,” Hovsepian said. “There was swelling immediately in my ankle to, like, the size of a grapefruit. It was pretty dramatic. It was my first major injury. I was worried about that.”
When he returned some five weeks later, he had slid down the depth chart. He played sparingly as what Skinner called the team’s sixth offensive lineman.
“The season was kind of a wash,” Hovsepian said.
This season, though, he has been a mainstay.
“Each year he’s gotten better and stronger,” Skinner said. “He wasn’t particularly strong as a freshman, but he’s ended up becoming somebody who technique-wise in the weight room has come a long way. He’s very fundamentally sound. He’s really developed in strength and agility.
“He’s committed himself to the program. These are the types of kids that are really the foundation of Andrean football, even though some of those statistical leaders, that collegiate talent, get most of the notoriety. We have a good handful of players like that, and Nate kind of exemplifies that. He does what we ask him to do, and here we are as a senior, he’s turned himself into an all-conference lineman.”
Hovsepian said he realizes how far he’s progressed.
“The personal growth has been big,” he said. “After last season, I was very dedicated in the weight room. All my lifting numbers skyrocketed. And as a player, my game sense and knowledge rose a lot. Having time to watch film and study film, it really helped a lot. I’m really understanding the game at a better pace.”