Find Team Wrestling, Cheer on MHSAA TV
February 24, 2016
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
The first of two weekends of Wrestling Finals action headlines the live content available on a subscription basis on MHSAA.tv in the coming week.
Thirty-two schools from across the state will take part in the Team Dual Wrestling Finals at McGuirk Arena in Mt. Pleasant on Friday and Saturday, and all 32 matches will be streamed live. On Saturday, the Division 3 Regionals in the Girls Competitive Cheer Tournament will be broadcast.
On Monday (Feb. 29), the first-ever live coverage of skiing will take place when the Student Broadcast Program at Marquette High School streams the Division 1 Boys & Girls Skiing Finals at Marquette Mountain. Later that day, Girls Basketball Tournament action grabs the spotlight with two games from a Class C District at Laingsburg High School, with an SBP crew from Montrose High School providing the coverage.
All sporting events – Live or On-Demand – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. The best deal is to purchase the Month Pass for $14.95, which allows live viewing of all MHSAA Tournament action to be covered over the next five weekends – including Individual Wrestling, Girls Competitive Cheer, Ice Hockey, Girls Gymnastics, Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming & Diving, and Girls and Boys Basketball. A Day Pass also is available for $9.95. All events become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.
Here is the schedule for the coming week of winter MHSAA Tournaments on MHSAA.tv (as of Feb. 22, subject to change):
Friday, February 26
Team Dual Wrestling at Mt. Pleasant – With seed numbers
• Division 4 Quarterfinals @ Noon
#1 New Lothrop (21-5) vs. #8 Munising (19-5)
#4 Hesperia (36-6) vs. #5 Springport (28-6)
#3 Hudson (16-14) vs. #6 Manchester (23-6)
#2 Decatur (27-3) vs. #7 Leroy Pine River (25-4)
• Division 1 Quarterfinals @ 2 p.m.
#1 Hartland (31-1) vs. #8 Temperance Bedford (21-4)
#4 Oxford (23-8) vs. #5 Hudsonville (26-5)
#3 Detroit Catholic Central (15-5) vs. #6 Macomb Dakota (27-11)
#2 Davison (22-4) vs. #7 Grand Ledge (19-7)
• Division 3 Quarterfinals @ 4 p.m.
#1 Dundee (18-0) vs. #8 Delton Kellogg (18-3)
#4 Richmond (24-10) vs. #5 Whitehall (25-1)
#3 Lake Fenton (38-3) vs. #6 Birch Run (26-4)
#2 Remus Chippewa Hills (39-1) vs. #7 Gladstone (16-1)
• Division 2 Quarterfinals @ 6 p.m.
#1 Lowell (19-3) vs. #8 Sturgis (27-7)
#4 Goodrich (33-4) vs. #5 Allegan (29-5)
#3 Gaylord (41-1) vs. #6 Warren Woods-Tower (26-6)
#2 St. Johns (26-4) vs. #7 Dearborn Heights Annapolis (38-3)
Saturday, February 27
Team Dual Wrestling at Mt. Pleasant
• Division 1 Semifinals @ 10 a.m.
Hartland/Temperance Bedford winner vs. Oxford/Hudsonville winner
Detroit Catholic Central/Macomb Dakota winner vs. Davison/Grand Ledge winner
• Division 4 Semifinals @ 10 a.m.
New Lothrop/Munising winner vs. Hesperia/Springport winner
Hudson/Manchester winner vs. Decatur/Leroy Pine River winner
• Division 2 Semifinals @ Noon
Lowell/Sturgis winner vs. Goodrich/Allegan winner
Gaylord/Warren Woods-Tower winner vs. St. Johns/Dearborn Heights Annapolis winner
• Division 3 Semifinals @ Noon
Dundee/Delton Kellogg winner vs. Richmond/Whitehall winner
Lake Fenton/Birch Run winner vs. Remus Chippewa Hills/Gladstone winner
• Finals – All Divisions – 3:30 p.m.
Competitive Cheer Division 3 Regionals at Rockford - 6 p.m.
Competitive Cheer Division 3 Regionals at Flint Kearsley - 6 p.m.
Monday, February 29
Division 1 Skiing Finals at Marquette – 10 a.m.
Class C Girls Basketball District First Round at Laingsburg
Byron v. Saranac – 5:30 p.m.
Laingsburg v. Carson City-Crystal – 7 p.m.
In its seventh year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics.
The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
Here is the schedule for winter MHSAA Tournaments on MHSAA.TV (As of Feb. 22, subject to change):
Wednesday, February 24
- Oxford at Lake Orion – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Gaylord St. Mary’s at Onaway – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – On-Demand
- Vicksburg at Dowagiac – Boys Basketball – 67 p.m. – LIVE
Thursday, February 25
- Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park – Freshman Boys Basketball – 4 p.m.
- Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park – JV Boys Basketball – 5:30 p.m.
- Romeo at Lake Orion – Ice Hockey – 7:45 p.m.
Friday, February 26
- Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park – Girls Basketball – 6 p.m.
- Lansing Waverly at Haslett – Girls Basketball – 6 p.m. - LIVE
- Fairview at Rogers City – JV Boys Basketball – 6 p.m. – On-Demand
- Gaylord at Alpena – Ice Hockey – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Lapeer at Lake Orion – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Trenton at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – 7:15 p.m. – LIVE
- Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet – Boys Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
- Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park – Boys Basketball – 7:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Lansing Waverly at Haslett – Boys Basketball – 7:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Fairview at Rogers City – Boys Basketball – 7:30 p.m. – LIVE
Monday, February 29
- Posen vs. Hillman @ Rogers City – Class D Girls Basketball District – 7:30 p.m. – LIVE
Tuesday, March 1
- Traverse City West at Alpena – JV Boys Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Traverse City West at Alpena – Boys Basketball – 7p.m. – LIVE
- Eaton Rapids at Haslett – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Comstock at Plainwell – Boys Basketball – 7:15 p.m. – LIVE
Wednesday, March 2
- Onaway at Rogers City – Class D Girls Basketball District – 6 p.m. – LIVE
- Waterford Mott/Oxford winner at Lake Orion – Class A Girls Basketball District – 7 p.m. - LIVE
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
Ford Field Trip Gives Students Taste of Football Finals Broadcasting
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 7, 2021
Four levels above them, in the press box, a group of prospective broadcasters were touring the facilities. The high school students had spent the Fall sports season streaming games to the NFHS Network and now were learning about a career in broadcasting from Eric Vandefifer, a Montrose High grad currently serving as the radio voice of Saginaw Valley State University basketball and as a contributor to a variety of high school broadcast channels including the MHSAA Network.
Seven years ago, Vandefifer was in a similar situation. He was part of a field trip to Ford Field for the Finals that helped him realize sports broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue. Those field trips were headed by Tom Skinner and Thom Lengyel, who became mentors to Vandefifer. As a high school junior in 2017, Vandefifer was named Best Student Broadcaster nationally by the NFHS Network.
“With Tom Skinner now deceased and Thom Lengyel retired from the broadcast business, I just felt like I had to continue this and their legacy,” Vandefifer said. “It was important to me to keep it going because when I was in school, it was something I looked forward to.”
Nearly 50 students from Lowell, Montrose, Lake Orion, Mount Pleasant and Ann Arbor Greenhills high schools made the Nov. 26-27 trip to Ford Field. They were able to film highlights, interview players, practice announcing the games, meet other members of the press and more. For Vandefifer, giving back to students who are in the position he once was is very rewarding.
“We had the ability to feel like real media members for a day. I wanted to be able to give other students that same opportunity,” Vandefifer said. “Seeing kids who have a love for sportscasting and that drive to get better gives me real hope for the next generation in this business.”
And after the field trips were done each day, Vandefifer put his headphones on, got behind the microphone and called the two afternoon games for the MHSAA Championship Network.
PHOTOS (Top) Eighth grader Sam Belill, left, and freshman Owen Leitelt from Montrose practice calling a game from the Ford Field press box. (Middle) Mount Pleasant make a stop at the press conference room. (Photos provided by the Montrose and Mount Pleasant School Broadcast Programs.)