Highlight Reel: Division 2-3 Soccer Finals
June 12, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Richland Gull Lake in Division 2 and Hudsonville Unity Christian in Division 3 won MHSAA girls soccer championships Friday at Michigan State University’s DeMartin Stadium.
Click the headings below for highlights from both broadcasts on MHSAA.tv.
Division 2
Richland Gull Lake 1, Fenton 0 – Shootout
PK Save By Quesnelle Richland Gull Lake's Maddie Fouts was awarded a penalty kick 16 minutes into the second half, but Fenton goalie Abigail Quesnelle won the day with the save.
Annie Gets The Game-Winner In the shootout, Gull Lake's Annie Walbridge beats the keeper to give the Blue Devils the title.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3
Hudsonville Unity Christian 2, Detroit Country Day 1 (OT)
Yellowjackets Score First At the 18:14 mark, Detroit Country Day's Lauren Alshab drives home the game's first goal.
Unity Christian Gets The Equalizer In the second half, Abby Neinhuis takes a pass out in front and ties the game between Hudsonville Unity Christian and Detroit Country Day.
VanDyke Breakaway Game Winner Unity Christian scores the game winner in overtime in transition. Maddy VanDyke breaks free to score.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
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.)