Nearly 90 Events This Week on MHSAA TV
December 5, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
A record number of high school sporting events can be found this week on MHSAA.tv produced by Association members taking part in the School Broadcast Program.
A total of 89 sporting events – 55 at the varsity level – are on the schedule for this week, with more to be added as the week progresses. Be sure to check Upcoming Events on the MHSAA.tv home page daily for last-minute additions.
In its ninth 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. Pixellot – the NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution - is used by schools wishing to live stream games but lacking in the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members:
Tuesday - Dec. 5
Freshman Boys Basketball - Birch Run at Otisville Lakeville - 4 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Portage Northern at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Hamilton at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Birch Run at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Ann Arbor Skyline at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Portage Northern at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Livonia Ladywood at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Hale at Rogers City – 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Cheboygan at Alpena - 7 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Marquette at Calumet - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Hamilton at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Auburn Hills Avondale at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Birch Run at Otisville Lakeville - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Ann Arbor Skyline at Novi - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Hale at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Beal City at Vestaburg – 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Gladstone at Marquette - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Portage Northern at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Baraga at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Livonia Ladywood at Macomb Lutheran North - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Escanaba at Negaunee – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday - Dec. 6
JV Girls Basketball - South Lyon at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - South Lyon at Novi - 7 p.m.
Thursday - Dec. 7
Freshman Boys Basketball - Warren Michigan Collegiate at Macomb Lutheran North - 4 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Gladwin at Freeland - 4:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Warren Michigan Collegiate at Macomb Lutheran North - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Standish Sterling at Freeland - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Posen at Rogers City – 6 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Warren Michigan Collegiate at Macomb Lutheran North - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Posen at Rogers City – 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Standish Sterling at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Calumet at Negaunee – 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Blessed Cardinal Newman (Ont.) at Alpena - 8 p.m.
Friday - Dec. 8
Freshman Boys Basketball - Three Rivers at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball – Bloomfield Hills Marian at Macomb Lutheran North- 4:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Montrose at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Three Rivers at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Traverse City at Alpena - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Eaton Rapids at Fowlerville - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Farwell at Harrison - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Bloomfield Hills Marian at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Cooks Big Bay de Noc at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Rochester Adams at Calumet - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Oxford at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Montrose at Otisville Lakeville - 7 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey – Warren De La Salle at Marquette - 7 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey - Hartland at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Three Rivers at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Eaton Rapids at Fowlerville - 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Farwell at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Bloomfield Hills Marian at Macomb Lutheran North - 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Houghton at Negaunee – 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Cooks Big Bay de Noc at Norway 8 p.m.
Saturday - Dec. 9
Boys Ice Hockey – Warren De La Salle at Marquette - 1 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Grosse Pointe South - 7:40 p.m.
Girls Competitive Cheer - Comstock Park Invitational - 9 a.m.
Monday - Dec. 11
Freshman Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Freeland - 4:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Ewen-Trout Creek at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Freeland - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Marion at Harrison - 6 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Rock-Mid Peninsula at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Lake Orion at Clarkston - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Ewen-Trout Creek at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Chesaning at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Marion at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball – Rock-Mid Peninsula at Norway - 8 p.m.
Tuesday - Dec. 12
Swimming & Diving - Rudyard at Marquette - 3:30 p.m.
Freshman Boys Basketball – Mt. Morris at Otisville Lakeville - 4 p.m.
Freshman Girls Basketball - Dowagiac at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
Freshman Boys Basketball – Madison Heights Bishop Foley at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Hopkins at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball – Mt. Morris at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball – Mt. Morris at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
JV Boys Basketball - Troy at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Hancock at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
JV Girls Basketball - Dowagiac at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Lansing Sexton at Fowlerville - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Farmington Hills Mercy at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Hopkins at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Mt. Morris at Otisville Lakeville - 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Troy at Novi - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Oscoda at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Hancock at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Gladstone at Marquette - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball - Dowagiac at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Painesdale Jeffers at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
Boys Basketball - Perry at Fowlerville - 7:30 p.m.
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.)