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.)
Soccer, Volleyball Streaming Wednesday
November 4, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Tune in tonight for live streams of MHSAA Boys Soccer Semifinals and continuing Girls Volleyball District action on the NFHS Network/MHSAA.tv.
Here is tonight’s schedule:
Boys Soccer
Mattawan vs. Detroit Catholic Central at Novi (Meadows Stadium) – 6 PM
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Elk Rapids at Cedar Springs HS – 6 PM
Clarkston Everest Collegiate vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian at Troy Athens HS – 7 PM
Girls Volleyball
Birmingham Groves vs. Troy Athens - 4:45 PM
Birch Run vs. Mt Morris - 5 PM
Comstock vs. Kalamazoo Christian - 5 PM
Davison vs. Fenton - 5 PM
Dearborn Heights Crestwood vs. Garden City - 5 PM
Edwardsburg vs. Berrien Springs - 5 PM
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern vs. Lowell - 5 PM
Grosse Pointe North vs. Detroit East English - 5 PM
Haslett vs. DeWitt - 5 PM
Lake Orion vs. Oxford - 5 PM
Madison Heights Bishop Foley vs. Warren Michigan Collegiate - 5 PM
Marquette vs. Traverse City West - 5 PM
Midland vs. Bay City Central - 5 PM
Ortonville Brandon vs. Goodrich - 5 PM
Otisville LakeVille vs. Burton Atherton - 5 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Madison Heights Lamphere - 5 PM
Portage Central vs. Sturgis - 5 PM
Richmond vs. St. Clair - 5 PM
Romulus vs. Grosse Ile - 5 PM
Springport vs. East Jackson - 5 PM
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian School vs. Chesterfield Austin Catholic - 5 PM
Troy vs. Auburn Hills Avondale - 5 PM
Walled Lake Central vs. Hartland - 5 PM
Westland Huron Valley Lutheran vs. Lutheran Westland - 5 PM
Battle Creek Harper Creek vs. Parchment - 5:30 PM
Cassopolis vs. Niles Brandywine - 5:30 PM
Center Line vs. St. Clair Shores South Lake - 5:30 PM
Chesaning vs. Saginaw - 5:30 PM
Grandville Calvin Christian vs. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian - 5:30 PM
Hart vs. Hesperia - 5:30 PM
Lansing Catholic vs. Portland - 5:30 PM
Leland vs. Traverse City Christian - 5:30 PM
Manistee Catholic Central vs. Brethren - 5:30 PM
Maple City Glen Lake vs. Elk Rapids - 5:30 PM
Morley Stanwood vs. Pewamo-Westphalia - 5:30 PM
New Lothrop vs. Vassar - 5:30 PM
North Branch vs. Yale - 5:30 PM
South Lyon East vs. Pinckney - 5:30 PM
Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson - 6 PM
Fraser vs. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 6 PM
Mayville vs. Peck - 6 PM
New Life Christian Academy vs. Brown City - 6 PM
Pinconning vs. Beaverton - 6 PM
Traverse City Central vs. Petoskey - 6 PM
Unionville Sebewaing vs. Harbor Beach - 6 PM
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Birmingham Seaholm - 6:30 PM
Dearborn Divine Child vs. Dearborn - 6:30 PM
Flint Hamady vs. Burton Bentley - 6:30 PM
Grand Blanc vs. Lapeer - 6:30 PM
Grand Ledge vs. St Johns - 6:30 PM
Macomb Lutheran North vs. Algonac - 6:30 PM
Niles vs. Dowagiac Union - 6:30 PM
Bridgeport vs. Saginaw Swan Valley - 7 PM
Calumet vs. Hancock - 7 PM
Clawson vs. Detroit Country Day - 7 PM
Clio vs. Caro - 7 PM
Flint Powers Catholic vs. Lake Fenton - 7 PM
Flint Powers Catholic vs. Lake Fenton - 7 PM
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central vs. East Kentwood - 7 PM
Grass Lake vs. Michigan Center - 7 PM
Holly vs. Clarkston - 7 PM
Imlay City vs. Almont - 7 PM
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix vs. Portage Northern - 7 PM
Lake Leelanau St. Mary vs. Suttons Bay - 7 PM
Lakeview vs. Carson City-Crystal - 7 PM
Mancelona vs. Traverse City St. Francis - 7 PM
Mason County Central vs. White Cloud - 7 PM
Merritt Academy vs. Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic - 7 PM
Mount Pleasant vs. Bay City Western - 7 PM
Novi vs. Plymouth - 7 PM
Onekama vs. Pentwater - 7 PM
Plymouth Christian Academy vs. Taylor Trillium Academy - 7 PM
Romulus Summit Academy North vs. Flat Rock - 7 PM
Saginaw Valley Lutheran vs. Millington - 7 PM
South Lyon vs. Howell - 7 PM
Vicksburg vs. Three Rivers - 7 PM
Watervliet vs. Bridgman - 7 PM
West Bloomfield vs. Pontiac - 7 PM
White Lake Lakeland vs. Highland Milford - 7 PM
Williamston vs. Corunna - 7 PM
Wyoming The Potter's House vs. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian - 7 PM
Royal Oak Shrine vs. Madison Heights Madison - 7:15 PM
Cass City vs. Bad Axe - 7:30 PM
Farwell vs. Houghton Lake - 7:30 PM
Kingston vs. Dryden - 7:30 PM
Memphis vs. Marlette - 7:30 PM
Warren Regina vs. East Detroit - 7:30 PM