Hermantown Best Friend Super Fans Make Trek To State

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The Hermantown Hawks are back for blood at the boys' high school hockey tournament. The Duluth suburb lost a close one to Breck last year in the Class A title game.

But the team advanced on Wednesday beating Alexandria 5-1.

They've got a winning combination of a great team, great coach and great fans. And of all the loyal fans for the Hermantown Hawks -- two really stand out -- Josh and Ben.

The two seniors are best friends and go to all the games together.

"No matter win or lose, they're always there to cheer 'em on," said Josh's mother, Sharon Black.

She and Tim Gross, Ben's father, make sure their sons, who were both born with Down Syndrome, always get front row seats.

And the team can find the boys up close to the glass, waving their poster boards.

"They just enjoy being here," said Tim Gross. "It really doesn't matter if they win or lose."

"They'll always be the first ones here and the last ones to leave," said Hermantown High School Principal John Muenich.

Muenich knows all about the passion for hockey. He's got more than 500 of his total 680 Hermantown students at the Xcel Energy Center for the tournament.

Loudest and proudest -- Josh and Ben.

"Yeah, Josh and Ben huge fans," said some of the students. "They come to every game."

"They cheer the loudest," said another classmate. "They're the biggest fans we have."

"They inspire a lot of us," said another.

"We're number one fans and we celebrate after we win," said Josh.

"The peers are the important thing in this," said Tim Gross. "Without their acceptance this wouldn't happen. Without that it would be hard for them to be sitting in the group like that without their acceptance. Great times we live in."

The student body voted just this year that Ben is the student with the biggest heart.

As for hockey, the last time Hermantown won the state title was 2007.

Joan Gilbertson, Producer
Contact Joan