Girls basketball preview with Lancaster area announcer Steve Rauch
LANCASTER, Ohio — It is fair to argue that few have witnessed more great sports moments in lady’s hoops in the Lancaster area than local announcer Steve Rauch. So we thought we would sit down with him and find out what to expect from the 21-22 season, the adversity as an announcer from last season, and some of his greatest moments as an announcer.
Last year being one of the oddest years in high school sports, maybe in history; besides the fans, what will you be most excited about broadcasting this upcoming season, and is there something you realized about broadcasting without full fan capacity that you may not have thought of before last year’s experience?
Steve Rauch: Having the fans in the stands and the crowd noise is a great asset to the players and to the listeners to the broadcast. It makes it significantly more exciting. In sports like football, where the band can be heard, or basketball, where the pep band plays, adds so much to the experience for everyone involved. As a broadcaster who interviews the coaches and players-of-the-game, it is super cool to see the fans excited about the people being interviewed. It is fun to see them taking pictures of them, posting them places, and sharing them with their family and friends. I am not sure I realized how much more exciting it was to have fans in the stands until last year’s situation. We also discovered how important our broadcasts were to those who were not able to attend, especially those from out of town or out of state. I also realize more now than ever, because of what transpired last year, how vital high school sports are to the mental health of student-athletes. I had several coaches tell me that their teams were significantly impacted by the lack of good mental health for some of their players. High school sports are not nearly as much about wins and losses, practices, or league victories, but a WHOLE lot more about relationships. I believe that the student-athlete this year is a LOT more excited about playing their sport because they lost the opportunity to grow and connect and celebrate with their teammates.
What are some of the girls’ basketball teams from the Lancaster area that you are excited to see, and is there one match-up on your calendar that you have circled as a must-see?
Rauch: There are several teams that I am excited about here in this area. One of those teams is Fisher Catholic. They have a pair of Bruce sisters who played volleyball this year and have great skills and size for the game of basketball. Coach Ben Bethel is also coaching his daughter, who made an impact last year as a freshman and is only getting better. It is also exciting when they take on their rivals from Sugar Grove, the Berne Union Rockets. Their all-time leading scorer, Bella Kline, has graduated, but her sister Sophia Kline may be better than Bella! She is taller and has a lot of great moves around the basket as well. There is a long-time coach in the area, Dwyane Hurst, who is a varsity assistant at Fairfield Union who had great success at Fisher Catholic and Berne Union in his career. He has several outstanding Lady Falcon players to work with, such as Hannah Rauch, who will be a lot of fun to watch this season. Abbie Riddle of Liberty Union has already committed to Bowling Green, so she will be a wonderful Lady Lion to watch this year.
Are there any storylines out there in local girls basketball that you are excited to cover or see how they unfold?
Rauch: It is always exciting to see what happens when a new coach comes into a program. There are always some freshmen who surprise us each year, so it will be fun to see who that might be this season. There are some kids that transfer to other schools that could make an impact in their new location, so it will be exciting to see how that unfolds. Some examples of programs that may be taking a step forward this year are Fairfield Christian Academy and Millersport High School. A transfer player from Fairfield Christian has moved to Lancaster High School and will be working on learning that system. Her name is Jenna Grabbans.
Which players are you expecting to step up this year and that you鈥檙e excited to see live and call their games?
Rauch: One of the most exciting players in the area, period, is Emily Bratton. She was a fabulous freshman past year, and I expect her to be a sensational sophomore this season! She plays for the Lady Bulldogs of Bloom Carroll. I told her she dribbles like Steph Curry, she passes like Steph Curry, she sees the floor like Steph Curry, she has moves like Steph Curry, and she shoots like Steph Curry. Other than that, she doesn’t have a lot going for her. I have found her to be a humble player as well.
Give me one surprise name of a player that people may not know much about in the Lancaster area, but you expect to call their name quite a bit come game time?
Rauch: Paige Gavin is a Fisher Catholic Lady Irish. She was injured during volleyball season, so I am hoping that she makes it back for basketball season. She is such a tenacious player with a motor that never stops. She has a great heart and is an excellent teammate.
Come tournament time, which schools should we be expecting to be in the mix?
Rauch: I expect Bloom Carroll to make a nice run. I believe Fisher Catholic will be even better than last year. I think we will see the Fairfield Union Lady Falcons make some noise come [their] second season [together] as well.
From a broadcaster perspective, has COVID-19 changed the game?
Rauch: Not a significant amount. We did see some changes in line-ups and schedules because of COVID. We set up an interview mic that they didn’t have to touch and was at least six-feet away from the broadcasters. We wore masks when talking to the coaches before the games, but not too challenging of an issue.
What is your fondest Lancaster area girls basketball moment that you got to experience as a broadcaster?
Rauch: It was several years ago in a tournament game. There was an outstanding player for the Amanda Clearcreek Lady Aces named Alyssa Evans. When I entered the gym and talked to Amanda Coach Carey James, he said, ‘Why are you here? Isn’t there another game you could be covering? They are better than us at every position.’ When I asked him who [their] 6th player was, first off the bench, he said, ‘Six?! Six?! I don’t have five good players that can match up, let alone six!’ And then Evans went out there and lit it up in the first half. She had about 15 points, and at halftime, I mentioned that they would most likely key on her in the second half. I was wrong. They let her do her work, and she kept pouring in the points. She had thirty-three points with about nine seconds to go in the game, and they were losing by one. They got her the ball and she made her move and shot a three. It did not go in because she was fouled and had to go to the free-throw line. She hit the first one to tie it, hit the second one to take the lead, and missed the third one. They drove down the court and got off a couple of shots, but none of them went in, and the Lady Aces were victorious. Her dad has told me many times that he has listened to that broadcast over and over and still enjoys reliving that moment.
And lastly, could you give a brief bio on your broadcasting career and where you work now?
Rauch: I started working for WFCO 90.9FM in Lancaster, Ohio, in September 1988. I was a volunteer. I became the Station Manager in 1997. In 2002, we changed formats and added high school sports to our line-up. This is my 19th year of covering high school sports in Fairfield County. We cover football, volleyball, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, and we have even done a few other sports like soccer, wrestling, field hockey, and track. I am currently the owner of the Fairfield County Sports Network, where we continue to cover all 12 high schools in Fairfield County in all of the major sports. In 2018-2019, I was honored to receive the Central District Media Service Award.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.