SBP Excellence Awards Accepting Entries
January 17, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Applications are being accepted for the MHSAA’s fifth annual SBP Excellence Awards, which recognize the efforts of member schools participating in the School Broadcast Program for content produced during the 2017-18 school year.
SBP schools can submit up to two entries in each of six categories: best single-camera production, best multi-camera production, best use of graphics, best produced local commercials/features, best student play-by-play announcers and best highlight clip.
The SBP Excellence Awards will be used in selecting the Program of the Year. Other criteria for Program of the Year include quantity and quality of productions and sports covered, best command of graphics software, initiative to cover home and away athletic contests and initiative/creative in selling local advertising and subscriptions.
Montrose High School has won the Program of the Year award the past four years.
More details about the 2017-18 SBP Excellence Awards, and an online entry form, can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website. (For more details, CLICK HERE; to go to the entry form, CLICK HERE)
The deadline for submitting entries is Feb. 16, 2018, at 4 p.m.
More than 90 live sporting events are scheduled on MHSAA.tv this week, produced by SBP participants. A total of 55 games at the varsity level will be covered, 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 that wish to live stream games but lack 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 - January 16
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Otisville-Lakeville - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Girls Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Kent City at Comstock Park - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Genesee at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Otisville-Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Lake City at Harrison - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Onaway at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Stephenson at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Onaway at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Kent City at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Ferndale at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Otisville-Lakeville - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Mason at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Livonia Stevenson at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey - Escanaba at Marquette - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Genesee at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Sault St. Marie at Negaunee – 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Bellaire at Onaway – 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Houghton at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Comstock at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Grant at Fremont - 7:19 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Lake City at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Stephenson at Norway - 8 p.m.
Wednesday - January 17
- Wrestling - Paw Paw at Plainwell - 5:30 p.m.
- Cheerleading - Lake Fenton at Montrose - 6 p.m.
Thursday, January 18
- Freshman Boys Basketball - New Lothrop at Otisville-Lakeville - 4 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - New Lothrop at Otisville-Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Burton Bendle at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Howard City Tri County at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Spring Lake at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Hancock at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Beaverton at Harrison - 6 p.m.
- Girls Gymnastics – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Negaunee - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Cooks-Big Bay de Noc at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Southfield at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - New Lothrop at Otisville-Lakeville - 7 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball – Howard City Tri County at Fremont - 7 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Burton Bendle at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Hancock at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Beaverton at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Cooks-Big Bay de Noc at Norway - 8 p.m.
Friday – January 19
- JV Girls Basketball - Hartland at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Bessemer at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Hillman at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Spring Lake at Comstock Park - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Lansing Catholic at Fowlerville - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Traverse City at Alpena - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - North Dickinson at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Hartland at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Hillman at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey – Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Bessemer at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Lansing Catholic at Fowlerville - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Spring Lake at Comstock Park - 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - North Dickinson at Norway - 8 p.m.
Saturday – January 20
- Cheerleading - Harrison Invitational - 9:45 a.m.
- Cheerleading - Freeland Invitational - 12 p.m.
- Boys Ice Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Warren DeLaSalle - 2:30 p.m.
Monday – January 21
- Boys Basketball - Alma at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Painesdale-Jeffers at Lake Linden Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Tuesday – January 22
- Freshman Boys Basketball - South Haven at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Allendale at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Otisville-Lakeville at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Howell at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Montrose at Otisville-Lakeville - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Jeffers at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - South Haven at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Bessemer at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Tawas Area at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Whitehall at Fremont - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball – Niagara (WI) at Norway - 6:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Whitehall at Fremont - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Allendale at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Otisville-Lakeville at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Montrose at Otisville-Lakeville - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Howell at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Tawas Area at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Painesdale-Jeffers at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Bessemer at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - South Haven at Plainwell - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Iron Mountain at Negaunee – 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Niagara (WI) at Norway - 8 p.m.
Wednesday – January 24
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Gabriel Richard at Macomb Lutheran North - 4 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Gabriel Richard at Macomb Lutheran North - 5:30 p.m.
- Cheerleading - Allendale at Comstock Park - 6:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Sault Ste. Marie at Alpena - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Riverview Gabriel Richard at Macomb Lutheran North - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Escanaba at Negaunee – 7:30 p.m.
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on- demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. School Broadcast Program participants will also be selling Season and Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.
A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.
Highlights of games produced in the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members feature the following events:
- Ice Hockey – Detroit Catholic Central 6, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 3
- Boys Basketball – Mt. Pleasant 56, Midland 54
- Girls Basketball – Alpena 57, Traverse City West 45
Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.
With the winter sports season fully underway, StateChamps! High School Sports Show returns with new weekly editions debuting each Sunday at 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Detroit – featuring fresh editions of the MHSAA Minute.
The MHSAA Minute takes a look each week at different things happening in the life of the Association, from promoting educational programs to rules changes in high school sports. This week’s Minute promotes the upcoming Women In Sports Leadership Conference. Archived editions of MHSAA Minute can be found on the StateChamps! YouTube Channel.
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.)