MHSAA.TV Makeover Goes LIVE

August 26, 2014

A new look awaits visitors to the MHSAA.tv website this season, a makeover which will allow fans to clip and share highlights and easily track their favorite school.

MHSAA.tv is one of more than 40 states on the NFHS Network, powered by PlayOn! Sports. The highlights clip and share features, among others, are available with free basic memberships. Viewers can subscribe to watch live and freshly-uploaded sporting events, with a portion of the subscription going back to their school. Contests being aired involving schools using Digital Scout for statistics may also include live stats. Games become available for free viewing after 72 hours.

The MHSAA.tv re-launch coincides with the first full week of competition for the 2014-15 school year and fresh school-created content, plus the season debut of MHSAA Football Friday Overtime on FOX Sports Detroit and MHSAA Perspective on a statewide radio network.

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. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions. As many as 60 MHSAA member schools annually participate in the program, which is in its sixth year.

Here’s the schedule of School Broadcast Program members planning to cover varsity competition this week for broadcast at MHSAA.tv  (As of Aug. 25):

Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.

Beginning this Friday and running for 13 weeks at midnight is MHSAA Football Friday Overtime on FOX Sports Detroit. Mickey York and Rob Rubick return to host the weekly 30-minute highlights show. The show will re-air Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sunday mornings – check your local listings. (This week at Noon)

The following games are scheduled to be highlighted this week on Football Friday Overtime:

  • Saginaw Swan Valley at Saginaw Nouvel
  • Saginaw Arthur Hill at Saginaw Heritage
  • Macomb Dakota at Clarkston
  • Orchard Lake St. Mary’s vs. Southfield at Prep Kickoff Classic, Detroit
  • Detroit Cass Tech vs. Oak Park at Prep Kickoff Classic, Detroit
  • Ypsilanti Community at Ann Arbor Pioneer
  • Westland John Glenn at Ann Arbor Skyline

Beginning its 10th season this week is the radio commentary MHSAA Perspective – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard, which will air on over 60 radio stations across the state generally during the local broadcasts of high school games.  The program runs for 30 weeks through the end of the winter sports season. MHSAA Perspective can also be accessed from the home page of the MHSAA Website. 

In this week's edition, John Johnson talks about new rules for practice and games in football this season: Safety Trumps Everything 

Division 3 Final: Eaglets Fly Again

November 29, 2011

Five times since its most recent MHSAA football championship, Orchard Lake St. Mary returned to the championship game – and lost.

Saturday night there was no stopping the Eaglets – or their running attack – at the Division 3 Final at Ford Field.

St. Mary rushed for 478 yards – and after near-misses the last two seasons won its first championship since 2000 with a 45-7 win over top-ranked Mount Pleasant.

"I knew what it felt like to lose, so it gave me the fire and other teammates the fire to win,” St. Mary senior running back Spencer McInnis said. “It’s unexplainable. It’s awesome. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a kid. I always knew I was going to go to St. Mary’s. It’s just a great feeling.”

The Eaglets (12-2) had fallen by eight and three to East Grand Rapids in the last two Finals, and in a five-overtime classic in 2007. They entered the playoffs ranked No. 4 by The Associated Press – but as champions of the Detroit Catholic League Central, which sent three teams to Ford Field this fall.

“It was great to win again,” said St. Mary coach George Porritt, who finished his 23rd season leading the program. “It’s a collective effort from these kids, and it’s been all year long.”

McInnis ran for 213 of the team’s 478 rushing yards, and took three of his 23 carries into the end zone. Junior brother Parker McInnis ran for 96 yards and a score, as did junior fullback Grant Niemiec. Senior James Ross added another running touchdown.

“We were in position to make some tackles, and it wasn’t a scheme thing or guys getting blocked. It’s just that their athletes made our guys miss, or we couldn’t tackle them,” Mount Pleasant coach Jason McIntyre said. “I’ve never seen backs that we couldn’t tackle one on one or two on one. A lot of teams will have one great back, and you can focus and rally there. But they had three and four.”

The Oilers’ usually-strong running game finished with just 122 yards, led by senior quarterback Ryan Elliott’s 40. He also had Mount Pleasant’s lone score. It was the team’s first Finals appearance – and only loss this fall as it finished 13-1.

Junior defensive back Cory Williams led the Oilers with nine tackles. Senior lineman Dylan Zerki led the Eaglets with 11, and Ross had 10.

Click for full stats and play-by-play.