![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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UP Swim/Dive Finals to Stream Live
February 13, 2019
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Six straight weekends of Winter Finals tournament coverage on MHSAA.tv begins this week, with coverage Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16) of the Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals at Marquette High School.
Coverage of the Diving Finals takes place Friday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Swimming Finals will be contested Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
Over the remainder of the Winter season, MHSAA.tv will have live coverage of the following:
- Team Dual Wrestling Quarterfinals-Semifinals-Finals – Feb. 22-23
- Individual Wrestling Finals – March 1-2
- Girls Competitive Cheer Finals – March 1-2
- Ice Hockey Semifinals & Finals – March 7-8-9
- L.P. Boys Swimming & Diving Finals – March 9
- Boys Basketball Quarterfinals & Semifinals – March 12, 14-15
- Girls Basketball Quarterfinals & Semifinals – March 19, 21-22
Fans can purchase a Month Pass to watch on the NFHS Network for $9.95, which allows three log-ons. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country for 30 days. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live.
In addition to this weekend’s swimming action, there will be coverage of Wrestling Regionals and Girls Competitive Cheer Districts produced by School Broadcast Program participants.
The Regional phase of the Team Wrestling Tournament takes place Wednesday (Feb. 13), and the Regional round of the Individual Wrestling Tournament is scheduled for Saturday (Feb. 16). Competitive Cheer Districts are Friday and Saturday.
Here’s the schedule for the Team Wrestling Regional action to be covered:
Division 1
Grandville
5:30 p.m. – Hudsonville v. Grandville; Rockford v. Traverse City West
6:45 p.m. – Final
Division 2
Cedar Springs
5:30 p.m. – Muskegon Reeths-Puffer v. Cedar Springs; Ada Forest Hills Eastern v. Allendale
6:45 p.m. – Final
Here’s the schedule for the Individual Wrestling Regional action to be covered:
Division 1
Saline – 10 a.m.
Division 2
Fremont – 10 a.m.
Here’s the schedule for the Girls Competitive Cheer Districts to be covered:
Division 1
Rockford – Saturday – 10 a.m.
Lake Orion – Saturday – 10 a.m.
Novi – Saturday – 11 a.m.
Division 2
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore – Saturday – 10 a.m.
Linden – Saturday – 10 a.m.
Mt. Pleasant – Saturday – 11 a.m.
Division 3
Comstock Park – Friday – 6 p.m.
Here’s the remainder of week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members. Check the online schedule throughout the week for late changes.
Tuesday - Feb. 12
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Northville at Howell - 3:50 PM
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Bay City Western at Saginaw Heritage - 4 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Kalamazoo Christian at Plainwell - 4 PM
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Mt. Morris - 4 PM
- Freshman Girls Basketball - Holland at Grandville - 4 PM
- Freshman Boys Basketball – Lakes Valley crossover at White Lake Lakeland - 4 PM
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Plainwell at Kalamazoo Christian - 4:15 PM
- Boys Basketball – Mishawaka Marian IN at Stevensville Lakeshore - 4:15 PM
- Freshman Boys Basketball - New Baltimore Anchor Bay at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 4:30 PM
- Girls Ice Hockey - Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 5 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - New Lothrop at Otisville-Lakeville - 5:20 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Caledonia at Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Holland at Grandville - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Flushing at Fenton - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Northville at Howell - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball – Lakes Valley crossover at White Lake Lakeland - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Ortonville-Brandon at Flint Kearsley - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Brooklyn Columbia Central at Manchester - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Montrose at Ovid-Elsie - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Spring Lake at Comstock Park - 5:30 PM
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Monroe at Saline - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Kalamazoo Christian at Plainwell - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Mt. Morris - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Sterling Heights Parkway Christian at Southfield Christian - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Plainwell at Kalamazoo Christian - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball – Bay City Western at Saginaw Heritage - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Monroe at Saline - 5:30 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Hartland at Novi - 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball – Beal City at Morley Stanwood – 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball – Royal Oak Shrine v. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (CHSL Tournament), 5:30 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - L'Anse at Calumet - 5:45 PM
- JV Girls Basketball – Gwinn at Negaunee – 5:45 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - New Baltimore Anchor Bay at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 6 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Whitehall at Hart - 6 PM
- Boys Basketball - Corunna at Fowlerville - 6 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Goodrich at Freeland - 6 PM
- Girls Basketball - Allegan at Plainwell - 6 PM
- Boys Basketball - Croswell-Lexington at Bad Axe - 6 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Carrollton at Frankenmuth - 6 PM
- JV Girls Basketball - Midland Bullock Creek at Hemlock - 6 PM
- JV Boys Basketball - Crystal Falls Forest Park at Norway - 6:30 PM
- Boys Basketball - New Lothrop at Otisville-Lakeville - 6:50 PM
- Boys Basketball - Northville at Howell - 6:50 PM
- Boys Basketball - Sterling Heights Parkway Christian at Southfield Christian - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball – Bay City Western at Saginaw Heritage - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Caledonia at Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - Brooklyn Columbia Central at Manchester - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - Monroe at Saline - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball – Lakes Valley crossover at White Lake Lakeland - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Kalamazoo Christian at Plainwell - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball – Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart at Vestaburg - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Spring Lake at Comstock Park - 7 PM
- Boys Ice Hockey - Houghton at Calumet - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Holland at Grandville - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Mt. Morris - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Flushing at Fenton - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Hartland at Novi - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - Pontiac Notre Dame Prep at Lake Orion - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - Plainwell at Kalamazoo Christian - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - Ortonville-Brandon at Flint Kearsley - 7 PM
- Girls Basketball - Montrose at Ovid-Elsie - 7 PM
- Boys Basketball – Beal City at Morley Stanwood – 7 PM
- Ice Hockey – Hancock at Marquette – 7 PM
- Boys Basketball - L'Anse at Calumet - 7:15 PM
- Boys Basketball – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s v. Detroit U-D Jesuit (CHSL Tournament), 7:15 PM
- Boys Basketball - New Baltimore Anchor Bay at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - 7:30 PM
- Girls Basketball - Midland Bullock Creek at Hemlock - 7:30 PM
- Girls Basketball - Corunna at Fowlerville - 7:30 PM
- Girls Basketball - Carrollton at Frankenmuth - 7:30 PM
- Girls Basketball - Goodrich at Freeland - 7:30 PM
- Boys Basketball - Whitehall at Hart - 7:30 PM
- Boys Basketball - Allegan at Plainwell - 7:30 PM
- Boys Basketball - Crystal Falls Forest Park at Norway - 8 PM
Wednesday - Feb. 13&