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Postseason Comes to MHSAA.TV
February 11, 2014
Team and Individual Wrestling Districts and a pair of competitive cheer league meets were among events broadcast last week and uploaded to MHSAA.TV by our partners in the School Broadcast Program.
A total of four hockey, 17 girls and 14 boys basketball broadcasts also are among recent additions. Here's a look at all listings from last week, followed by this week's MHSAA Perspective and MHSAA.TV highlight clips.
Competitive Cheer
- Great Northern Conference at Escanaba
- O-K Blue at Comstock Park
Wrestling
- Team District: Marquette vs. Escanaba
- Team District: Mio vs. Whittemore-Prescott
- Individual District at Remus Chippewa Hills
Hockey
- Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood vs. Detroit Catholic Central
- Rockford vs. Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills
- Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood vs. Upper Canada College (ON)
- Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood vs. Brighton
Girls Basketball
- Calumet vs. Lake Linden-Hubbell
- Hemlock vs. Shepherd
- East Lansing vs. Lansing Eastern
- AuGres-Sims vs. Rogers City
- Plainwell vs. Berrien Springs
- Davison vs. Flushing
- Calumet vs. Eagle River Northland Pines (WI)
- Cheboygan vs. Petoskey
- Lincoln Alcona vs. Mio
- Onaway vs. Inland River Indian Lakes
- Posen vs. Hale
- Calumet vs. Escanaba
- Plainwell vs. Vicksburg
- Hemlock vs. Freeland
- Comstock Park vs. Sparta
- Cheboygan vs. Rudyard
- Rogers City vs. Hillman
Boys Basketball
- Comstock Park vs. East Grand Rapids
- Johannesburg-Lewiston vs. Pellston
- Cheboygan vs. Petoskey
- Comstock Park vs. Fruitport
- Posen vs. Lincoln Alcona
- East Kentwood vs. Grandville
- Hillman vs. Hale
- Hemlock vs. Shepherd
- East Lansing vs. Lansing Eastern
- East Kentwood vs. Holland West Ottawa
- Rockford vs. East Kentwood
- Cheboygan vs. Newberry
- Calumet vs. Iron River West Iron County
- Plainwell vs. Vicksburg
MHSAA Perspective: In this week's edition, John Johnson explains how situations involving the use of ineligible students quickly can become complicated - How Does This Happen?
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Division 6 Final: Play it Again, Yellowjackets
November 29, 2011
DETROIT – So began the legacy of Ithaca quarterback Travis Smith.
And so continues an incredible run by one of Michigan’s newest football powerhouses.
The Yellowjackets pushed their winning streak to 28 and claimed their second straight MHSAA championship by downing Constantine 42-14 in Friday's Division 6 Final.
They did so led by a number of last season’s top players, but minus their 2010 Final star. That’s where the sophomore Smith came in, joining the starting lineup in the season’s second week and bringing Ithaca back to Ford Field for another title.
“It’s more special just because this is the last time to suit up for most of us. We’re not going to be able to play another game next year, and we get to end on the biggest stage high school football has to offer in Michigan,” Ithaca senior linebacker/running back Garrett Miniard said.
“I think it was almost a little jealousy of the seniors last year of being able do that, being able to go out on top. I think that kept us going throughout the season, throughout the offseason. Being able to have that luxury of going out on top just like they did.
Ithaca (14-0) hasn’t lost since its 2009 Semifinal against Montague. With two more wins to start next fall, the Yellowjackets can become the 14th team on the MHSAA record book list with at least 30 straight victories.
And Smith should be there to lead the way. He connected on 18 of 25 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown Friday, and ran for 43 yards and a score. Miniard rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns, and had 14 tackles. And senior David Brown caught six passes for 122 yards and also ran for a score.
Smith followed the path this fall of another former sophomore starter at his position – Alex Niznak, who graduated in the spring, plays at Central Michigan now, but didn’t leave before leading the Yellowjackets to both their first Semifinal berth and MHSAA championship over the last two seasons. Niznak’s title game performance last season included 251 yards passing, 138 rushing and an MHSAA Finals-record five touchdowns running the ball.
Brown originally took over at quarterback this fall. But he was injured on opening night – after running for three touchdowns against Williamston – and missed significant time, allowing Smith to take hold of the offense. Smith finished his first varsity season with a not-too-shabby 2,310 passing yards, 969 rushing yards, and a combined 48 touchdowns throwing or running.
“Coach (Terry) Hessbrook told me to just go in there and do what I can do, and just play football,” Smith said. “I’ve got so many good athletes around me. I just need to get my players the ball and let them do what they can do.”
Ithaca twice had catching up to do in the Final, with Constantine (11-3) scoring first and then taking a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter – before the Yellowjackets rolled to 35 unanswered points.
“These kids had this goal since last year … of getting back here,” Hessbrook said. “We didn’t want Ithaca football to just be one and done, or a one-year wonder. And they’ve worked really hard.”
Constantine junior Ben Mallo did run 17 times for 189 yards and both scores. But the Falcons were without quarterback Tommy Reed, who was injured during last week’s Semifinal win over Ecorse. They played Ithaca to a 14-14 halftime tie before the Yellowjackets’ offense broke the game open.
“We’ve played offenses with that type of talent. Last week, for instance. And I’m sure Coach Hessbrook watched those films and saw some things he could do against us," Constantine coach Shawn Griffith said. "It’s a lot different than what we do, and you saw we caused them a little bit of problems early in the game as well. We do our thing, they do theirs. They do their thing very well. We did ours well. We just weren’t quite there on a couple drives that ended short.”