Football Finals Re-Air Christmas Eve, Day
December 16, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Eight presents await high school football fans on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as FOX Sports Detroit will re-air the championship games from the 2015 MHSAA 11-Player Football Playoffs – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
The action begins at 4 p.m. each day, with the odd-numbered divisions being shown on Christmas Eve and the even-numbered title games on Christmas Day in the order they were played at Ford Field in Detroit.
Here’s the complete schedule:
Dec. 24
4 p.m. – Division 8 – Muskegon Catholic Central 7, Waterford Our Lady 0 – In a matchup dominated by defense, Muskegon Catholic’s Christian Martinez scored on a 45-yard run early in the fourth quarter for the game’s only points.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
6 p.m. – Division 2 – Detroit Martin Luther King 40, Lowell 38 – No one will ever forget King’s 95-yard drive in the last 37 seconds, and Armani Posey’s 40-yard TD pass to Donnie Corley on the game’s final play.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
8 p.m. – Division 6 – Ithaca 27, Clinton 20 – Yellowjackets quarterback Jake Smith ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns, and passed for another 180 yards and a fourth score to lead his team to the win.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
10 p.m. – Division 4 - Zeeland West 40, Flint Powers Catholic 14 – These Dux were indeed mighty on this day, as quarterback Casey Brinks directed West for the second time in three seasons to a title.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
Dec. 25
4 p.m. – Division 7 – Ishpeming 22, Pewamo-Westphalia 16 – Ozzy Corp does it all in this one, scoring all three of his team’s touchdowns and batting away a last-minute pass into the end zone to give the Hematites their third crown in four years.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
6 p.m. – Division 1 – Romeo 41, Detroit Cass Tech 27 – Bradley Tanner rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns, and Paul Hurley threw for 203 yards and one score to lead the Bulldogs.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
8 p.m. – Division 5 – Grand Rapids West Catholic 40, River Rouge 34 – Gaetano Vallone and David Fox shared the quarterback duties and combined for 288 yards rushing and 106 passing to lead the Falcons to a third straight championship.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
10 p.m. – Division 3 – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 40, Chelsea 12 – The Eaglets got two scoring passes from the combination of Brendan Tabone to K.J. Hamler, and pounded the rock for 293 yards rushing to win their second straight championship.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
Things are winding down for the holidays on MHSAA.tv with School Broadcast Program members heading into a break.
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.
All sporting events – Live or On-Demand – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.
Here’s the schedule of events that School Broadcast Program members plan to stream the rest of the month for broadcast at MHSAA.tv. On-Demand listings may be available as soon as one hour following an event’s completion. (List as of Dec. 15):
Wednesday – Dec. 16
- Greenville, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer & Howard City Tri-County at Comstock Park – Wrestling – 5 p.m. – LIVE
- GAC Cheer at Montrose – Girls Competitive Cheer – 5:55 p.m. – LIVE
- Escanaba at Negaunee – Girls Gymnastics – 7 p.m. – On Demand
Thursday – Dec. 17
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – Freshman Boys Basketball – 4 p.m. – LIVE
- Durand at Montrose – JV Girls Basketball – 5:25 p.m. – LIVE
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – JV Boys Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Grand Ledge at Haslett – Boys Swimming & Diving – 6 p.m. – LIVE
- Durand at Montrose – Girls Basketball – 6:55 p.m. – LIVE
- Marquette at Negaunee – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – On Demand
Friday – Dec. 18
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – Girls Basketball – 5 p.m. - LIVE
- Lansing Everett at East Lansing – Girls Basketball – 6 p.m. – On Demand
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. - LIVE
- Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Ice Hockey – 7:15 p.m. – LIVE
- Lansing Everett at East Lansing – Boys Basketball – 7:30 p.m. – On Demand
- Alpena Ice Hockey Tournament – TBA – LIVE
Saturday – Dec. 19
- Birmingham Brother Rice at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Ice Hockey – 5:50 p.m. – LIVE
Monday – Dec. 21
- Cadillac at Alpena – JV Girls Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Cadillac at Alpena – Girls Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Ontonagon at Calumet – Boys Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
Tuesday – Dec. 22
- Ishpeming at Calumet – Girls Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
Monday – Jan. 4, 2016
- Baraga at Calumet – Boys Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
Tuesday – Jan. 5
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at Comstock Park – JV Boys Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Mio, Onaway & Petoskey at Alpena – Wrestling - 6 p.m. – LIVE
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at Comstock Park – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Ionia at Haslett – Girls Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Iron Mountain at Negaunee – Girls Basketball – 7 p.m. – On Demand
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
This week's SBP highlights package includes clips from the Portage Northern/Plainwell girls basketball and Cheboygan/Alpena ice hockey games, plus buzzer-beating shots from around the state.
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.)