The voice of Riverview Rams football hopes this is just the start

SARASOTA – Seventeen-year-old Riverview High student Addison Ruscoe can talk the talk.

This ability, coupled with a love of sports, has Ruscoe dreaming of becoming the next Kevin Harlan. The next Gus Johnson. The next Sean McDonough.

"I've wanted to be a broadcaster," Ruscoe said, "since I was 8 years old."

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If he succeeds, the Ram senior will have his own hook, courtesy of his sports-crazy dad. Ruscoe will be the only broadcaster named after the street location of an MLB ballpark.

Chicago Cub fans need not another clue.

The diehards know the address like their own name: 1060 West Addison Street, the home of Wrigley Field. Ruscoe's fortunate the park wasn't built on Wabash Avenue. Perhaps his inspiration should be Harry Caray.

He has a dog named Wrigley, a sister with Grace, for former Cub first baseman Mark Grace, as a middle name. And every Friday night, Ruscoe sows the seeds of his future announcing career by broadcasting Riverview football games via YouTube.

It's the second season he's served as the football voice of the Rams. Last year, along with color commentator Raul Diago, Ruscoe did the games equipped only with a camera and scoreboard app. This season, he has three cameras at his disposal, but without Diago in the press box with him, Ruscoe handles the broadcasts solo. And after doing only home games last season, this year, he goes on the road with Riverview.

When Rams head coach Josh Smithers solicited help via Facebook in building a YouTube channel, Ruscoe responded, saying he could. Besides the three on-field cameras for Ram games, in the press box Rescoe uses a laptop equipped with a camera, so his face may be visible to viewers.

He has it all mapped out. After graduating from Riverview, Ruscoe plans to attend State College of Florida for two years. "I'll be able to save money and keep doing the Rams games," he said.

Then, if the dream follows the script, Ruscoe will spend the next two years at the prestigious Newhouse School, the communications and journalism school at Syracuse University, which has graduated the likes of Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Dick Stockton, and Mike Tirico.

The second-grader who would call games while on his PlayStation uses every opportunity possible to improve. "It's important to get that repetition in," Ruscoe said. "I try to practice, even if it's a random game on television. I take it as an opportunity. I'd run through my head what I would say here. I like Gus Johnson. I love the energy he uses."

His dad a native of Michigan, Addison grew up a fan of the University of Michigan basketball team. His favorite player was Trey Burke, so before the 2013 draft, Ruscoe vowed to follow whichever NBA team drafted him. That was the Minnesota Timberwolves, who immediately traded Burke to the Utah Jazz.

With that, Ruscoe became a Jazz fan, perhaps the only one in Florida. But Addison did more than merely follow the Jazz. With a friend, he began broadcasting their games on YouTube. Utah fans could watch the game on their televisions while listening to Ruscoe provide the play-by-play. And with Utah's home games starting around 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, Addison has become accustomed to late nights/early mornings.

"We average around 100 fans," he said. "People said they like the enthusiasm that I bring. It's a good opportunity to get practice."

As for the Rams, Ruscoe said more than 300 people tuned in earlier this month for Riverview's 17-14 double-overtime loss to Palmetto High. "The thing I try to focus on most is just doing the best I can," he said. "It doesn't matter if there's one person watching, or 300 people watching."

He's 17 and smart, meaning Ruscoe knows he has a lot to learn. He doesn't mind getting critiqued, actually, looks forward to it. He knows he can't use the excitement of a game as an excuse for rushing his delivery. He knows he shouldn't use his "A" voice (game-winning TD) on a "C" play (8-yard gain). He knows the cardinal rule of football broadcasting is that you cannot too often give the listener the score, down-and-distance, and time remaining.

If things at SCF work out, Addison Ruscoe will have two more years as the Ram broadcaster to iron out the wrinkles. And he will.

He won't just talk about it.

"I take it seriously," he said. "It's something I've wanted to do since I was 8 years old, and it's something I want to continue to do until I'm 80."

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRIDAY

Parrish Community at Braden River, 7

Community School of Naples at Bradenton Christian, 7:30

Booker at DeSoto County, 7 

Cardinal Mooney at John Carroll, 7

Lakewood Ranch at Palmetto, 7:30

Cocoa Beach at Out-of-Door Academy, 7

Venice at Sarasota, 7:30

Charlotte at Lehigh, 7

Lemon Bay at Bayshore, 7:30

Foundation Christian at The Classical Academy of Sarasota, 7:30

Four Corners at Sarasota Christian, 7  

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The voice of Rams' football hopes it's a start to broadcasting career