For the past eight West Branch Football seasons, Steven Grace has been the play-by-play announcer of the BearCast, the team's live internet radio broadcast of games. Alongside color commentator Mike Quinlan and Jerry Fleagle/Jarod Tylee roaming the sidelines, the crew pioneered a new way for West Branch Football fans anywhere in the world to keep up with games on Friday nights. And it sparked the concept of live streaming games for many teams across the state of Iowa.

The BearCast has amassed tens of thousands of listens from not just eastern Iowa, but from fans scattered throughout the United States and various parts of the world. Thanks in large part to Steven Grace and his incredible skill in doing play-by-play for sporting events, the BearCast has become an indispensable part of the West Branch Football program.

For the 2022 season, however, Grace is looking to apply his knowledge of the game to a different position within the program: head coach of the Fresh/Soph squad.

A few weeks after the Bears' 2021 season ended, Grace was approached by head coach Butch Pedersen about the idea of coaching, something he had never done before but was something always in the back of his mind. He knew he would enjoy coaching and thought he'd be good at it. The only problem, Grace says, is that he didn't want to give up the BearCast.

Knowing the success the BearCast has had and how important it is to the program, Pedersen understood the dilemma he was putting Grace in by asking him to consider joining the coaching staff. Grace took the rest of the fall and much of the winter to think on it.

Initially, I said I wasn't quite ready to make the decision, so [Coach Pedersen] gave me some time, and some more time, until he said he really needed a decision. So, I decided to make the leap and say “Sure, I'll give it a go.”

In the middle of February, Grace accepted the offer to join the coaching staff and was propelled straight into the role of head coach for the Fresh/Soph squad. The decision was largely rooted in furthering learning, both for the kids and himself.

I think a lot of it is just kind of learning the game from a different perspective, but also taking some of the knowledge I have and helping pass that on to the kids. Teaching was always something others have considered a skill of mine. I realized I enjoy helping people understand how to accomplish things, and putting that together with my love of the game, it was something that I couldn't pass up.

While teaching others, he sees this as an opportunity to further his knowledge of the game.

At the same time, learning myself so that instead of being up in the press box and watching and saying “Oh yeah, here's the formation”, it's “This is the name of the formation , this is what they're doing, this is the play call, and this is the mindset behind that play call." Just getting a little deeper that way.

The learnings Grace has acquired in his time as an on-air announcer, even before the BearCast when he was at KXIC in Iowa City, is something that he feels is going to be a tremendous help as he transitions into his first experience with coaching.

I think it gave me a good idea about how games flow. Obviously, a big part of the broadcast is reacting to things, seeing what's happening, knowing how to anticipate some things. And so I think that will help in coaching, being able to see things and recognize some things that are coming up.

It's not just in-game events that are going to be of help, it's all the preparation involved with having a successful on-air product that he feels is going to translate well to coaching. With the BearCast, preparation for a game began just 48 hours after the last game, as Grace would study film and review opponent rosters and stats. Speaking on his pre-game preparation, Grace says:

I think that kind of set a good foundation, and now, hopefully, I can take that another step further and do a lot of the same things, but just look at it through a different lens.

West Branch Football has a long history of former players coming back and being on the coaching staff, and Grace is continuing that trend. A 1998 graduate of West Branch High School and center for the football team in 1997, Grace is going to use his playing experience to help his coaching. Despite last playing nearly 25 years ago, he recognizes the game has changed a lot but knows the fundamentals are the same.

It all comes down to can you block, can you tackle? Can a quarterback make a read? Can a running back see the hole and make the cut? Can a kicker be able to make the kick? And so I think there's a lot of those things that I learned 25 plus years ago that for the most part are the same. It's just adapting them to some of the current state of how the game is and how players react to different things.

Despite his confidence in teaching and knowledge of the game from the angles of a former player and broadcaster, Grace recognizes there are going to be some bumps in the road and some difficult moments. He will be the offensive coordinator, responsible for knowing the entire offense and calling plays, in addition to his head coaching duties. Grace, a former offensive lineman, knows that his experience in an offensive was focused primarily on blocking schemes. Now, he needs to broaden that out to the entire field and every position.

I need to understand the entire offense. I need to help the quarterbacks, I need to help the receivers, help the running backs. If we hear a play called, instead of me saying this is how I pass block now, I say, okay, this is what the quarterback has to look for. These are the routes that the receivers have to run. And just having a broader knowledge of all of the offense, being able to understand it and then make sure the kids understand what's the concept behind it at the same time.

As a broadcaster, Grace was able to react to and analyze the play that just happened. Now as a coach, he needs to do all of that while also thinking one or two plays ahead.

How easy will it be for me to recognize I just called a run play to the right on first down, and I have to be thinking if we get six or seven yards, this is what I want to do. If we lose three or four yards this is what I want to do and be planning ahead two or three players at a time, rather than with broadcasting, you're anticipating, but you're also reacting to what you're seeing out there. So how can I be reactive but also be planning ahead at the same time?

On the football field, Grace wants to ensure he is furthering his players' understanding of the game and continue what they've already learned from their time with the Red Buffalos 5th and 6th grade programs, as well as junior high. The transition to high school football is a big one and Grace knows there is a lot to do to get the players ready for Varsity football.

Off the field, however, Grace knows the importance that organized activities play in the development of young adults.

I think there's a lot to be said for football and for sports. It's a great way to learn how to be a better human being. You can learn a lot about how to deal with adversity, how to communicate, and how to work as a team. But at the same time, just having that accountability and being able to be responsible, being able to have a commitment to a team. Those are things that, yes, help on the football field, but it'll help these kids in the classroom, and it will help them in a few years when they're off on their own in the real world, too.

Not only does the Fresh/Soph squad have a new head coach, they have an entirely new staff. Joining Grace is returning-coach Kevin Crosthwaite, DJ Hobbs, and Shane Staker.

I'm really excited with this group that we've got. It's a completely new staff, so we've got four new individuals, and I think all of us bring something unique to the table, but it's something complimentary. I know that Coach Crosthwaite has the defense under control. Coach Staker is going to handle the special teams. Coach Hobbs is working with the offensive line. And so really, just knowing that they're there, trusting that they are able to do what they're supposed to do, and just kind of bouncing ideas off of each other, too, communicating with each other.

Grace says that the entire Fresh/Soph recognizes that as great as it would be to win all eight games, the overall goal is to grow as football players and get better each week. The mindset is regardless of game outcomes, did the team do the things needed to learn and grow, not just the following week but throughout the next several years.

There may be times we lose a game, but did we do the things that we needed to learn from it and get better so that whether it's the following week or next year, when they're at the varsity level, they're able to succeed too?

Grace and the Fresh/Soph squad begin their 2022 season on Thursday, August 25th, at the Little Rose Bowl against Lisbon. The game will kick off at 6pm. The full Fresh/Soph schedule can be viewed on the schedules page.

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With Grace leaving the BearCast booth, long time Voice of the Bears Mike Quinlan will step back into the play-by-play chair for the 2022 season. Quinlan will be joined by Jarod Tylee, who returns for his second season to roam the sidelines where he can provide a unique perspective of the action. Quinlan won't be alone in the booth, however, as he will bring in a guest commentator for each home game. The guests have strong ties to the West Branch Football program and will offer unique voices and perspectives on the game.