Gavin Henry Bicher ^{1 2}

   FamilySearch ID: GY8T-L34.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Newspaper: Lebanon Daily News: Births: BICHER, Travis and Angela (Challenger), Myerstown, a boy, Gavin Henry, on Dec. 7, 2006 In Good Samaritan Hosptial., 17 Dec 2006, Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ²

2. Newspaper: Daily News: Gavin Bicher Student of the Month, 29 Apr 2018, Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ¹ Elco Intermediate School has named its student of the month for April. They are from Kathy Shappell's class.
Gavin Bicher, 11, is the son of Travis and Angela Bicher. Siblings are Haley and Gabby. He participates in band, chorus, safety patrol and is student announcer. He plays youth baseball, basketball and soccer. His favorite class is Social Studies. (photo).

3. Newspaper: LNP Always Lancaster, 24 Nov 2024, Lancaster, Lancaster, PA. ³ Lebanon County Football All-Stars: Inside Linebacker: Gavin Bicher, senior, Elco High School.

4. Newspaper: LNP Lancaster Online, 12 Mar 2025, Lancaster, Lancaster, PA. ⁴ Headline: Elco senior, Mr. Everything for the baseball team, remembers 5 magical minutes when he was king

It was the best five minutes of Gavin Bicher's high school life. At least that's how long he thinks it took. It's all kind of a blur.

Prior to the game, word had spread to Elco's student section that the football team was ready to unleash a trick play. Bicher, a former quarterback who moved to running back, was the key figure.

Quarterback Steven Rosado handed the ball to Ellis Gensamer, who pitched it to Griffin Kreider, who tossed it to Bicher. Bicher dodged one tackle and took a huge hit as he fired a 43-yard strike to Justin Smucker.

Touchdown. Just how Elco drew it up.

"We only practiced it a couple of times," Bicher said. "I was not really expecting it to happen. We got the opportunity to use it and it worked out."

Austin Smith, Bicher's baseball teammate, watched the craziness unfold from the stands.

"I saw him release the ball," Smith said. "Then he got trucked. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, he got destroyed.' Then he got the touchdown. I was jumping up and down. It was cool."

This wasn't any old football game. It was homecoming against Donegal. The trick play was used in the closing seconds of the first half.

Bicher went to the locker room, took off his helmet and returned to the field, where the senior was named homecoming king.

Braden Gettle, a junior who hit .300 for Elco last season, wasn't part of the electorate that pushed Bicher over the top. Gettle still gave his teammate an endorsement.

"Only seniors can vote," Gettle said. "I would have voted for him, though."

While fall was for football heroics and winter was spent shooting hoops, baseball is Bicher's No. 1 sport. He's Elco's Mr. Everything on the diamond. No tricks are required.

The 6-0, 180-pound senior was a Section Three all-star last season. He can play infield, outfield and is part of Elco's 1-2 pitching tandem with Smith.

Bicher, pronounced like beaker, hit .384 with 20 RBIs to help Elco qualify for the PIAA tournament. The right-hander went 6-1 with a 3.40 ERA on the mound.

"Gavin is definitely the spark in our lineup," Elco coach Brad Kreiser said. "He puts the ball in play. Good things happen when you do that."

Elco has pitchers with different approaches at the top of its rotation. Smith, who posted a 2.87 ERA, throws harder and piles up strikeouts. Bicher hits his spots and lets his fielders work behind him.

Smith said deception is Bicher's secret weapon.

"I love the pitches he throws," Smith said. "He's got a funky windup. He falls forward and his head does something crazy. I don't know what he does."

Elco is in a rebuilding phase. The Raiders lost 10 seniors, including all-section picks Morgan Shanaman, Bryant Auker and Kyle McDonnell.

Four returning starters will look to hold a youthful roster together and find another trip to the postseason.

"It's gonna be tougher," Kreiser said. "With the run we had and the core of guys we have coming back, I think we'll be competitive."

Bicher will be at the center of Elco's success both on the mound and at the plate. It'll be hard for him to beat what happened last fall.

For about five magical minutes, Bicher was king.