Football Rivalries Top This Week’s MHSAA.tv, Media Partner Broadcast Schedules

By Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

September 22, 2021

A series of football rivalries will be showcased on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network, as well as media partners Bally Sports Detroit and State Champs! Sports Network during another busy weekend of broadcasts Sept. 24-26.

This week’s Bally Sports Detroit live cable football broadcast will feature Lansing-area rivals Grand Ledge (4-0) and DeWitt (3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday with first place on the line in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue. That game can be watched on BSD’s PLUS channel or online on BSD’s website or app. On Sunday, State Champs will broadcast live on its website the annual “Boys Bowl” between Detroit Catholic League Central contenders Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (3-1) and Detroit Catholic Central (3-1), with kickoff at 1 p.m.

This weekend’s MHSAA.tv football schedule includes more than 165 games, including a number of notable Friday night rivalry clashes. Annual powers Rockford (4-0) and Hudsonville (2-2) are among four teams undefeated in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red play after two league games, and Dearborn Fordson (4-0) takes on Belleville (3-1) in a matchup that regularly helps decide the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East champion. Pewamo-Westphalia (4-0) faces Fowler (2-2) for first place in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference, Edwardsburg (4-0) and Plainwell (4-0) match up to decide the leader in the Wolverine Conference, and Frankenmuth (4-0) and Freeland (4-0) will clash for first place in the Tri-Valley Conference East. While not a league game, Boyne City (4-0) and Traverse City St. Francis (4-0) also will meet in a matchup of undefeated teams.

See links below to those and a few more events of note being broadcast on the Network this week:

FOOTBALL

Sept. 24, 6:35 p.m.: Fowler at Pewamo-Westphalia
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Novi at Canton
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Belleville at Fordson
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Freeland at Frankenmuth
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: West Bloomfield at Lake Orion
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Montrose at New Lothrop
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Edwardsburg at Plainwell
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Hudsonville at Rockford
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Muskegon Mona Shores at Zeeland East
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: Clinton Township Chippewa Valley at Romeo

Sept. 25, 1 p.m.: Boyne City at Traverse City St. Francis

VOLLEYBALL

Sept. 22, 5:25 p.m.: Kalamazoo Central at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.: Maple City Glen Lake at Leland
Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.: Cadillac at Gaylord

BOYS SOCCER

Sept. 22, 6 p.m.: Midland at Flint Powers Catholic
Sept. 25, 10 a.m.: Berkley at Rochester
Sept. 25, 12:30 p.m.: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett

The MHSAA.tv schedule total also includes more than 200 volleyball and more than 80 boys soccer matches this week. Click the links below to see all three sports’ listings in full:

Football VolleyballBoys Soccer

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 per month. Subscribers have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. School Broadcast Program participants benefit as a portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.

More than 400 MHSAA member schools are participants in the School Broadcast Program, now in its 13th year, producing games using traditional hands-on student crews or via Pixellot cameras installed at stadiums and gymnasiums across the state. A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website. 

Montrose Junior Named NFHS Network's Best

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director emeritus

April 26, 2017

Eric Vandefifer, a junior at Montrose High School, was named today the Best Student Broadcaster nationally in the NFHS Network School Broadcast Program Awards. 

For the second straight year, James Kitts, the coordinator of the School Broadcast Program at Montrose, was a finalist in the Teacher of the Year category.

Just last week, Montrose was named the “Program of the Year” in the MHSAA’s School Broadcast Program Excellence Awards for 2016-17, claiming the top honor for the fourth straight year.  Montrose took first place in four categories.

Vandefifer also was honored recently by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association as the top Student Broadcaster in Division 3. Vandefifer and his broadcast partner David Sackrider placed second in the Play-By-Play Category in the MHSAA SBP awards and first in the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation Sports Announcing Team category this year.

In its eighth 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 delayed – 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 this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of live video streams being produced by SBP members (All times Eastern):

Wednesday, April 26

Thursday, April 27

Monday, May 1

Tuesday, May 2

Be sure to check the Upcoming Events page at MHSAA.tv for schedule additions every day.

The NFHS Network has announced new pricing for 2016-17, eliminating the Day Pass and lowering the cost of a Month Pass to $9.95. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.

PHOTO: Montrose's Eric Vandefifer (left) and Conner Pyrc call an MHSAA Girls Soccer Semifinal last season for the NFHS Network. (Photo courtesy of Montrose High School digital media.)