Highlight Reel: Boys Soccer Finals
November 7, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, Mason, Grand Rapids South Christian and Burton Genesee Christian won MHSAA boys soccer championships Saturday.
Click below for MHSAA.tv highlights from all four games, plus links to watch them in full.
Division 1
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 2, Canton 0
Rangers First Goal - Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central scored once in each half in the Division 1 title game against Canton. Anthony Bowie gets the first tally with 17:25 left in the period.
Insurance Goal By Haji - With 1:30 left to play, Forest Hills Central gets its second goal, by Mohamed Haji.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2
Mason 3, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 2 (Shootout)
VanNortwick Blast - Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern scored first in the Division 2 title game with Mason. Evan VanNortwick's blast from way out found the top of the net with 15:13 left in the first half.
Bulldogs Tie It - Early in the second half, Mason's Christian Jordan heads in a corner kick to tied the score at 1-1.
Barrington Bangs It In - Things looked good for Forest Hills Northern when Travis Barrington headed in a cross with 2:32 left against Mason to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
Wild Goal Ties It Again - In a wild play in front of the net, Mason's Christian Jordan gets the goal with 38 seconds left in regulation to tie the game against Forest Hills Northern at 2-2.
Shefkiu Finishes It - On the final kick of the shootout, Mason's Lirim Shefkiu scores to give the Bulldogs the Division 2 title.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3
Grand Rapids South Christian 1, Williamston 0 (Shootout)
Selvius Stops - The big save in the shootout for Grand Rapids South Christian came when Sailors keeper Carter Selvius stopped a shot by Austin Brown of Williamston.
Championship Kick - In the shootout, Zach DeKock scored the winning goal for Grand Rapids South Christian.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4
Genesee Christian 3, Kalamazoo Hackett 2 (OT)
Soldiers Score First - Cole Russell gets the game's first goal with 10:01 left in the first half for Genesee Christian.
Knoll Goal - Kalamazoo Hackett ties the game 10 minutes into the second half when Will Knoll directs the ball in off a restart.
Rose Smelling Sweet - Genesee Christian took a momentary lead with nine minutes left in regulation when Tyler Rose scored.
Amat Knocks Down The Door - Hackett tied the game at 2-2 with 7:11 left in regulation when James Amat knocked in Max Keenan's free kick.
Oliver’s Twist For The Win - Jesse Oliver got the game winner for Genesee Christian with about a minute left in the first overtime period.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
PHOTO: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Mohamed Haji (10) had one of his team’s two goals in the Division 1 Final.
Hoops on Film: 1958 Class A Boys Final
July 23, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
A matchup of future NBA players hailing from opposite sides of the state is highlighted this week as part of MHSAA.tv’s Hoops On Film Series.
From the late 1940’s to the mid 1970’s the Michigan High School Athletic Association shot portions of the action at its boys and girls basketball finals on 16mm film. The films were loaned out, primarily to the participating schools, to help them relive the moments of playing in a championship game.
While many of the old films have wandered astray over time, about 60 games still exist in the MHSAA archives. Anyone in possession of such a film is encouraged to contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office ([email protected]) to discuss having the film converted to a digital format.
Some of the films only have portions of the second half and the post-game awards; some have most of the action. None of the films have sound. They range in length from 10 minutes to about an hour. A new film will be posted online each Monday through the week of August 17. DVD’s may be purchased directly from the MHSAA.tv Website – just click the Get DVD button below the player.
Here’s a look at this week’s game, with recap courtesy of MHSAA historian Ron Pesch:
Detroit Austin 71, Benton Harbor 68 – 1958 Class A Boys Final - Benton Harbor clung to a slim 49-48 lead after three periods of play, but Detroit Austin Catholic's Dave DeBusschere scored five field goals during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 71-68 victory over the Tigers in Class A. DeBusschere finished with 32 points. Dominant in their respective areas of the state, the schools were favorites to meet in the Final. The game marked Benton Harbor's second straight appearance in the championship game, while Austin was only in its third year as a four-year high school. Chet Walker, who finished with 25 points for the Tigers, would go on to a distinguished career with Bradley University and the Chicago Bulls. DeBusschere went on to play for the University of Detroit, the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.
Previous releases:
1976 Class D Girls Final: Lake City 58, Perkins 48 - Watch
1971 Class A Boys Final: Flint Northern 79, Detroit Kettering 78 - Watch
1954 Class A Boys Final: Muskegon Heights 43, Flint Northern 41 (OT) - Watch
1973 Class C Boys Final: Detroit East Catholic 50, Saginaw St. Stephen 49 - Watch