Volleyball Matches Spike on MHSAA.TV
November 11, 2013
Volleyball took center stage on MHSAA.TV last week, with 22 District games including a number of Finals broadcast and now available on-demand.
Also, 10 football District Finals featuring teams from all over the state and league swimming and diving championships from the Capital Area Activities Conference Red all are viewable, thanks to the School Broadcast Program and Fox Sports Detroit Prep Zone.
Here's a look at some of what you'll see at MHSAA.TV, followed by the Prep Zone lineup for this Friday, our weekly MHSAA Perspective and highlights from last week's games:
- Elk Rapids vs. Charlevoix volleyball
- Hillman vs. Posen volleyball
- East Jordan vs. Johannesburg-Lewiston volleyball
- Rockford vs. Grand Rapids Northview volleyball
- Hale vs. Atlanta volleyball
- Mason vs. Holt volleyball
- East Lansing vs. Lansing Waverly volleyball
- AuGres-Sims vs. Fairview volleyball
- Davison vs. Lapeer East volleyball
- Charlevoix vs. Mancelona volleyball
- Onaway vs. Wolverine volleyball
- Lakeview vs. St. Louis volleyball
- Boyne City vs. Johannesburg-Lewiston volleyball
- Posen vs. Rogers City volleyball
- East Lansing vs. Haslett volleyball
- Grand Ledge vs. Battle Creek Central volleyball
- Boyne City vs. Charlevoix volleyball
- Okemos vs. Lansing Eastern volleyball
- AuGres-Sims vs. Atlanta volleyball
- Onaway vs. Rogers City volleyball
- Grand Ledge vs. Battle Creek Lakeview volleyball
- Okemos vs. Haslett volleyball
- Pewamo-Westphalia vs. Carson City-Crystal football
- Saline vs. Temperance-Bedford football
- Oak Park vs. Detroit U-D Jesuit football
- Battle Creek Lakeview vs. Portage Central football
- Rockford vs. Hudsonville football
- Belding vs. Comstock Park football
- Watervliet vs. Schoolcraft football
- Johannesburg-Lewiston vs. St. Ignace football
- Montrose vs. Saginaw Nouvel football
- Lake City vs. Lincoln Alcona football
- CAAC Red girls swimming and diving championships
Prep Zone: MHSAA Prep Zone on FOXSportsDetroit.com will again Friday stream live video of four playoff games.This week's games kick off at 7 p.m. EDT:
- Battle Creek Pennfield at Grand Rapids South Christian
- Saginaw Swan Valley at Lansing Sexton
- Melvindale at St. Clair
- St. Ignace at Beal City
MHSAA Perspective: Our John Johnson talks about how professional football's occupational hazards are not necessarily those of the high school level - Occupational Hazard
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.