This Week on MHSAA.TV
October 22, 2014
Just in time for a heavy month of postseason tournament coverage, three month-long subscriptions to MHSAA.tv will be given away this week using the Association’s social media presence.
On Thursday, one winner will be drawn at random at 3 p.m. from Twitter users retweeting information about the giveaway. On Friday, two winners will be randomly selected at 3 p.m. from an Instagram post asking users to “Share” or “Like” the giveaway on Facebook. Complete details can be found on each platform.
The passes will be good for 30 days, and will allow winners to view more than 125 hours of live MHSAA tournament action in cross country, football, boys soccer, girls swimming & diving, and volleyball, plus other live events across the country on NFHSNetwork.com. A Month Pass sells for $14.95 on the MHSAA.tv
Live coverage on MHSAA.tv of the MHSAA Boys Soccer Tournament continued Tuesday with Regional Semifinal activity at four sites. Four more games are available live tonight:
Div. 1 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
Saline v. Grand Haven – 5 p.m.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central v. Okemos – 7 p.m.
Div. 3 at Clare
Elk Rapids v. Grant – 5 p.m.
Ludington v. Tawas – 7 p.m.
All live games are available on MHSAA.tv on a subscription basis. Subscriptions run either $9.95 for a Day Pass or $14.95 for a Month Pass. Games will become available for free on-demand viewing three days after they have been played.
Subscriptions support individual school programs, and many schools are now offering discounted annual passes through their portal pages, which will also allow for live viewing of nearly 300 live MHSAA postseason tournament events throughout the school year.
Below are highlights cut from last week’s live soccer games, with links to the games in full:
RODRIGUEZ SCORES FOR NORTHVILLE - With 5:39 left in the second half, Johnny Rodriguez lofts a shot over the goalie to give Northville a 1-0 victory over Walled Lake Central.
FIRST SPRING LAKE GOAL - Ryan Zietlow finds the back of the net in the first half of Spring Lake's District Semifinal win over Fruitport. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.
KEEGAN GEORGE GETS SECOND SPRING LAKE GOAL - Spring Lake scores quickly after a Fruitport goal kick early in the second half on this blast from Keegan George. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.
HASTINGS GAME WINNER - Caleb Sherwood gets the only goal of the game for Hastings in its District semifinal win over Battle Creek Harper Creek. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here
ETHAN GREEN SCORES - Ethan Green steals the ball from the Battle Creek Central keeper and scores late in Plainwell's win in the District Semifinals. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.
DEREK SNYDER SCORES - Plainwell scored at will in the last 20 minutes against Battle Creek Central. Derek Snyder scores off a restart to give the Trojans the lead to stay. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here.
ANTHONY POLLACK SCORES FOR FRASER - Anthony Pollack gets the first goal of the game when Fraser met Grosse Pointe South. Watch the whole game by Clicking Here
Following are events from last week now available on-demand:
Soccer
- Grosse Pointe South vs. Fraser at St. Clair Shores Lakeview
- Warren DeLaSalle vs. Grosse Pointe North at St. Clair Shores Lakeview
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern vs. Comstock Park at Forest Hills Northern
- Muskegon Reeths-Puffer vs. Muskegon at Sparta
- Fruitport vs. Spring Lake at Sparta
- Battle Creek Harper Creek vs. Hastings at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
- Battle Creek Central vs. Plainwell at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
- Montrose vs. Corunna at Montrose
- Grayling vs. Elk Rapids at Grayling
- Novi vs. Detroit Catholic Central at Novi
- Walled Lake Central vs. Northville at Novi
Volleyball
- Mason at Owosso
- Watervliet at Lawton
- Holt at East Lansing
- Oscoda at Lincoln Alcona
- Rogers City at Hillman
- Calumet at Negaunee
- Fairview at Whittemore-Prescott
- Fife Lake Forest Area at Central Lake
- Rogers City at Hillman
- Tawas at Pinconning
- Montabella at Central Montcalm
- Pinconning at Whittemore-Prescott
- L'Anse at Calumet
- Atlanta at Rogers City
- East Jordan at Grayling
Football
- Marquette at Negaunee
- Flint Beecher at Montrose
- Mancelona at Central Lake
- Oscoda at Rogers City
- Manton at Lincoln Alcona
- Grand Ledge at East Lansing
- Brimley at Posen
- Pickford at Onaway
- Whittemore-Prescott at Hillman
- Harrison at Clare
- Dowagiac at Paw Paw
- Greenville at Cedar Springs
- Allendale at Comstock Park
- Saginaw Heritage at Davison
- Detroit Consortium at Mason
Swimming and Diving
- Grand Ledge at East Lansing
MHSAA.tv Highlights: This week's package includes clips from the Clare/Harrison and Flint Beecher/Montrose football games and Stanton Central Montcalm/Blanchard Montabella volleyball match.
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.”