![Montrose SBP](/sites/default/files/2021-12/211207_fieldtrip_2H.jpg)
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.)
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Another Big Week Ahead for MHSAA TV
September 10, 2019
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The number of games being broadcast keeps going up every week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network.
Here’s a list of the upcoming varsity level events taking place over the coming week on MHSAA.tv and the NFHS Network:
Tuesday - Sept. 10
Girls Volleyball - Grand Rapids Catholic Central v. Comstock Park - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Marine City - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Manchester v. Vandercook Lake - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Mt Morris v. Chesaning - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - New Lothrop v. Montrose - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Petoskey v. Cadillac - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer – Troy Athens v. North Farmington - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Brighton v. Salem - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – White Lake Lakeland v. Waterford Mott - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Novi v. Hartland - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Saline v. Ann Arbor Pioneer - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - South Lyon v. South Lyon East - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fremont v. Reed City - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Kalamazoo Christian v. Constantine - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep - 7:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe v. Caro - 7:30 PM
Wednesday - Sept. 11
Girls Field Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Grosse Pointe North - 4:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Freeland v. Essexville Garber - 5 PM
Boys Soccer – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Warren Mott - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Freeland v. Ogemaw Heights - 6 PM
Boys Soccer - Lansing Waverly v. Fowlerville - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Williamston v. Fowlerville - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Cadillac v. Petoskey - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer - Clare v. McBain - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Freeland v. Frankenmuth - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Frankenmuth v. Ovid-Elsie - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Freeland v. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Morley Stanwood v. Kent City - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Potterville v. Pewamo-Westphalia - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - St. Charles v. Carrollton - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Harrison - Harrison v. Shepherd - 7:30 PM
Thursday - Sept. 12
Boys Tennis - Williamston v. Fowlerville - 4 PM
Boys Football – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Riverview Gabriel Richard - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Warren Woods-Tower - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Norway v. Kingsford - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Fenton v. Flint Kearsley - 6:15 PM
Girls Volleyball - Swartz Creek v. Linden - 6:15 PM
Girls Volleyball - Corunna v. Clio - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – White Lake Lakeland v. Walled Lake Central - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Macomb Lutheran North v. Royal Oak Shrine - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Highland Milford v. South Lyon - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep v. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Oakland Christian v. Brighton Stockwell Prep - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Royal Oak Shrine v. Macomb Lutheran North - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - St. Charles v. Montrose - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Holton v. Hart - 6:45 PM
Girls Volleyball - Linden v. Swartz Creek - 6:45 PM
Boys Soccer – Troy Athens v. Rochester - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – White Lake Lakeland v. Waterford Kettering - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek v. Grand Blanc - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Troy Athens v. Bloomfield Hills - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bear Lake v. Mesick - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - St. Charles v. Chesaning - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Bad Axe v. Cass City - 7:30 PM
Friday - Sept. 13
Boys Soccer - South Lyon v. Birmingham Seaholm - 6 PM
Football - Northville v. Howell - 6:45 PM
Football – Stevensville Lakeshore v. Niles - 6:55 PM
Football - Bad Axe v. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker - 7 PM
Football - Brighton v. Hartland - 7 PM
Football – Saginaw Heritage v. Saginaw - 7 PM
Football - Ithaca v. St. Louis - 7 PM
Football – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Fitzgerald - 7 PM
Football – White Lake Lakeland v. South Lyon - 7 PM
Football - Montrose v. Chesaning - 7 PM
Football - Norway v. Ishpeming - 7 PM
Football - Saline v. Adrian - 7 PM
Football - Troy v. Birmingham Seaholm - 7 PM
Football – Brownstown Woodhaven v. Lincoln Park - 7 PM
Football - Fowlerville v. Williamston - 7 PM
Football – Detroit Old Redford v. Warren DeLaSalle Collegiate - 7 PM
Football - Paw Paw v. Plainwell - 7 PM
Football – Muskegon Reeths-Puffer v. Muskegon Mona Shores - 7 PM
Football - Rochester Adams v. Lake Orion - 7 PM
Saturday - Sept. 14
Boys Soccer - Saline v. Tecumseh - 12 PM
Boys Soccer - Rockford v. Grand Ledge - 12:45 PM
Football – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Riverview Gabriel Richard - 3 PM
Girls Volleyball - Novi v. Away - 8 AM
Monday - Sept. 16
Boys Soccer - Ithaca v. Midland Bullock Creek - 5:30 PM
Boys Soccer – St. Clair Shores Lake Shore v. Sterling Heights - 6 PM
Boys Soccer - Freeland v. Saginaw Valley Lutheran - 7 PM
Boys Soccer – Flint Powers Catholic v. Grand Blanc - 7 PM
Girls Field Hockey - Saline v. Dexter - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Frankenmuth v. Pinconning Area - 7 PM
Tuesday - Sept. 17
Boys Tennis - Haslett v. Fowlerville - 4 PM
Boys Soccer – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Norway v. Rapid River - 6 PM
Girls Volleyball - Canton v. Howell - 6:15 PM
Boys Soccer - Williamston v. Fowlerville - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood v. Clarkston Everest Collegiate - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Davison v. Grand Blanc - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Durand v. New Lothrop - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Otisville LakeVille v. Montrose - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Manchester v. Addison - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Novi v. Salem - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball - Ovid-Elsie v. Mt Morris - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Flint Powers Catholic v. Midland Dow - 6:30 PM
Girls Volleyball – Grand Rapids South Christian v. Grand Rapids Christian - 6:30 PM
Boys Soccer - Petoskey v. Gaylord - 6:45 PM
Girls Volleyball – Painesdale Jeffers v. Dollar Bay - 6:50 PM
Boys Soccer – White Lake Lakeland v. Highland Milford - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Troy Athens v. Troy - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball - Big Rapids v. Fremont - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball – Muskegon Oakridge v. Hart - 7 PM
Boys Soccer - Fraser v. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep - 7:30 PM
Now in its 11th year, the