ADAMS TWP — All Vince Grieco wanted was to give his son and other Mars youths the opportunity to experience lacrosse.

He never saw what was coming.

Grieco had played college lacrosse at Saint Vincent “and it's such a great sport that I wanted (his son) Anthony to get to know the game.”

So Anthony Grieco got in on the ground floor of Mars lacrosse. Thanks to the organizing efforts of his father, Anthony was a member of the first lacrosse team in the school district — as a third-grader.

“We wanted to form an elementary school team first and let those kids become Mars' first junior high team, then high school team as they got older,” Vince Grieco said.

“When he was in first and second grade, Anthony started playing (lacrosse) in the backyard for the first time. Honestly, I didn't think he'd be very good at it.”

He was wrong.

In early May of this his senior season, Anthony Grieco became the Planets' all-time leading scorer, breaking 2016 graduate Blake Thompson's record of 273 career points.

Grieco went on to finish the regular season and WPIAL Class 2A tournament with 286 career points — 201 goals and 85 assists. He has added five goals in two PIAA playoff games thus far.

Thompson was on hand the night his points record was broken and handed a ceremonial lacrosse ball to Grieco.

“That meant a lot,” Anthony said. “Blake was like a mentor to me. He was always that older guy on the team I looked up to.

“We were teammates for two years. He helped develop me as a player.”

Grieco has 62 goals so far this season, He had 21 assists through the WPIAL playoffs. Mars plays in the PIAA 2A semifinals against Strath Haven at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

It is seemingly fitting that Grieco hold the Mars scoring record. His father said Anthony was instrumental in the growth of the program in its early stages.

“That first year, we were hoping to get 16 to 18 kids,” Vince Grieco said. “Anthony kept asking all of his friends to play and we wound up with 43 that initial season.

“By the second year, we had 90 kids and the program was well on its way.”

So was Anthony. He was a four-year starter at the varsity level. He was also a middle linebacker and guard in football, becoming an all-conference player. He wrestled at 195 pounds and went 7-1 with four pins last season.

But lacrosse was his game.

“Just coming up through the system with the same guys, we all grew comfortable with each other,” Grieco said. “Without guys like Cade Hetzler and Andrew Moyer playing out there with me ... There's no way I'd have close to the amount of points I have.

“They've been every bit as key in building that total as I have.”

Grieco added that the points record means more to him than scoring 200 goals.

“Getting assists, ground balls, helping other players score is how you win games,” he said.

Mars has won 19 of the 20 games it has played this season. The Planets are three-time WPIAL champions as well.

“It's an incredible achievement,” Mars coach Bob Marcoux said of Grieco's scoring record. “We've been such a balanced team in scoring that you wouldn't think one guy would get that record now.

“Anthony is such an unselfish player. He cares about winning a lot more than he cares about scoring.”

Marcoux said Grieco “had no idea” he was breaking the school record.

“He is such a humble, team-oriented kid,” the coach said.

Grieco will be attending the University of South Carolina, but will not play lacrosse there.

“I'll miss playing ... I can't imagine not playing,” he said. “But I want to focus on academics.”

Marcoux said Grieco could be a quality Division I collegiate player.

“He definitely has the ability to play big-time college lacrosse,” the coach said. “He's also left-handed and that's rare. The left-handed shot has helped him.

“He has an incredible shot, well over 95 miles per hour. Anthony is very strong. His career here will be remembered for a long time.”