Logo

High 5s: 11/28/12

November 28, 2012

The final MHSAA championships of the Fall 2012 season give us our final High 5s before heading into winter. This week, we recognize both an individual and a team that achieved new heights. 

Drake Harris
Grand Rapids Christian junior
Football

A 6-foot-4, 180-pound receiver who has committed to play both football and basketball at Michigan State beginning in 2014, Harris posted one of the finest receiving season in MHSAA history capped by playing a huge role in his team's first MHSAA championship. The Eagles beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's 40-37 in overtime Saturday for the Division 3 title. His eight catches for a Finals-record 243 yards and a touchdown put his unofficial season totals at 91 catches for 2,015 yards and 25 scores. Once confirmed, the season yardage will rank as the most in MHSAA history and 12th nationally for one season (his yards per game rank fourth and yards per catch sixth on the NFHS lists). Harris also ranked fourth for catches and second for touchdown catches on the MHSAA single-season lists.

Just ducky: "I'm probably more energized now after he hit that kick," Harris said after teammate Joel Schipper's winning field goal Saturday. "I was probably more tired a little bit during the game. But we condition all practice. We play fast. We play like Oregon, move the ball, (at) a high tempo. We're all in condition, so we really weren't that tired." 

Bring on the new guy: Harris has caught more than 3,000 yards worth of passes from senior Alex VanDeVusse over the last two seasons, but will play with a new quarterback in 2013. "I've been with Alex since sophomore year. I guess I have to start over and work hard all next season and hope to get back here."  

Be like Calvin: "Calvin Johnson, I want to be just like him when I get older. I know I'm a little skinny right now, but when I get to college, I know they'll put weight on me. I watch film on him all the time, watch him running routes. So I take my game after him. He's the best wide receiver in the NFL right now, probably one of the best wide receivers to play the game, in my opinion." 

Click to read more. 

Portland football

The Raiders, unranked despite entering the postseason 8-1, finished with their first MHSAA title won in their first trip to the Finals. Portland defeated Grand Rapids West Catholic 12-9 in the Division 5 championship game after knocking out 2011 champion Flint Powers Catholic in the Regional Final. For the playoffs, Portland outscored its five opponents 169-66 while holding three to nine or fewer points. In finishing 13-1 and setting a school record for wins, the Raiders beat nine playoff teams total including eventual Division 3 Semifinalist DeWitt. 

Click to read more. 

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

Network Loaded with Playoff Action

November 3, 2020

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

To say there’s a lot of great high school action in the coming week on the MHSAA.tv, MHSAANetwork.com and FOXSportsDetroit.com websites is an understatement.

More Girls Volleyball Tournament action than ever before runs throughout a week culminating with more than 50 Football Playoff games, the Boys Soccer Finals and two days of Cross Country Finals.

The Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals will take place Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6-7) at Michigan International Speedway, with a modified format. There will be two heats in each division for each gender.  The first race will include third-place Regional team finishers and individual qualifiers, with the second race made up of teams that finished first or second at Regionals. 

The Cross Country coverage is enhanced this year with an additional camera on the back of the course to better capture the first 800 meters, and the 1.5-mile and 2.25-mile marks of the race. The traditional Finish Line camera also will cover the action, with commentary from a crew of announcers. 

Here’s the schedule:

Friday – Nov. 6
Division 1 Finals - Boys at 9:30 and 10 a.m. - Girls at 11 and 11:30 a.m.
Division 2 Finals - Boys at 1:30 and 2 p.m. - Girls at 3 and 3:30 p.m.
 
Saturday – Nov. 7
Division 3 Finals  - Boys at 9:30 and 10 a.m. - Girls at 11 and 11:30 a.m.
Division 4 Finals - Boys at 1:30 and 2 p.m. - Girls at 3 and 3:30 p.m.

On Saturday the Boys Soccer Finals will have live audio and video streaming of its championship games from Novi and Comstock Park High Schools. Two games will be played at each site with the game times set for Noon and 3 p.m. The finalists will be determined following Semifinal play on Wednesday (Nov. 4), with all four of those games being streaming live video on MHSAA.tv and live audio on MHSAANetwork.com.

Lots of Football Playoff games will take place beginning Friday evening with three featured games as part of the FOX Sports Detroit “Game of the Week” and the FOX Sports Prep Zone.  All of these games can be seen on FoxSportsDetroit.com and on FOX Sports Go! for handheld and streaming devices like Roku. Here are this weekend games:

  • Hudsonville at Rockford – Prep Zone – Friday, 7 p.m.
  • Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at Muskegon Mona Shores – Prep Zone – Friday, 7 p.m.
  • Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek – FOX Sports Detroit “Game of the Week” – Friday, 7:30 p.m.

MHSAA.tv will play host to more than 50 District Semifinal Football Playoff games over the weekend, most produced by participants in the School Broadcast Program with traditional student crews or Pixellot units. The NFHS Network is providing bonus coverage of one additional game on Friday – Bath at Laingsburg. Here’s the complete schedule: 

Friday - Nov. 6
Suttons Bay  vs. Whittemore-Prescott   - 6 PM
Whitehall  vs. Coopersville   - 6 PM
Montrose  vs. Chesaning   - 6:40 PM
Adrian Lenawee Christian vs. Mayville   - 6:50 PM
DeWitt  vs. Lansing Waverly   - 6:50 PM
Lowell  vs. Caledonia   - 6:55 PM
Belleville  vs. Northville   - 7 PM
Birmingham Seaholm  vs. Birmingham Groves   - 7 PM
Brownstown Woodhaven  vs. Dearborn   - 7 PM
Cadillac  vs. Alma   - 7 PM
Cass City  vs. Sandusky   - 7 PM
Charlevoix  vs. Mancelona   - 7 PM
Corunna  vs. Richmond   - 7 PM
Detroit Catholic Central  vs. Novi   - 7 PM
East Grand Rapids  vs. Holland   - 7 PM
East Lansing  vs. Portage Central   - 7 PM
Fenton  vs. North Farmington   - 7 PM
Frankenmuth  vs. Almont   - 7 PM
Freeland  vs. Midland Bullock Creek   - 7 PM
Grand Rapids Catholic Central  vs. Belding  - 7 PM
Ithaca  vs. Ravenna   - 7 PM
Laingsburg  vs. Bath   - 7 PM
Madison Heights Lamphere  vs. Sterling Heights Chandler Park - 7 PM
Manistee  vs. Grayling   - 7 PM
Maple City Glen Lake  vs. Boyne City   - 7 PM
Mason  vs. Fowlerville   - 7 PM
Millington  vs. Mt Morris   - 7 PM
Muskegon Mona Shores  vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central   - 7 PM – FOX Sports Prep Zone
New Lothrop  vs. Burton Bendle   - 7 PM
Ortonville Brandon  vs. Goodrich   - 7 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Detroit Country Day   - 7 PM
Portage Northern  vs. Battle Creek  Lakeview - 7 PM
Redford Union  vs. Livonia Clarenceville   - 7 PM
Riverview Gabriel Richard vs. Jackson Lumen Christi - 7 PM
Rockford  vs. Hudsonville   - 7 PM – FOX Sports Prep Zone
Romulus Summit Academy North  vs. Dearborn Heights Robichaud   - 7 PM
Saline  vs. Ann Arbor  Huron - 7 PM
South Lyon  vs. Walled Lake Western   - 7 PM
St. Joseph  vs. Battle Creek Harper Creek   - 7 PM
Traverse City Central  vs. Swartz Creek   - 7 PM
West Bloomfield  vs. Troy   - 7 PM
White Lake Lakeland  vs. Howell   - 7 PM
Zeeland West  vs. Middleville Thornapple Kellogg   - 7 PM
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek  vs. Clinton Twp.  Chippewa Valley - 7:30 PM – FOX Sports Detroit Game of Week
 
Saturday - Nov. 7
Traverse City St. Francis  vs. Harbor Springs   - 12 PM
Hemlock  vs. Bad Axe   - 1 PM
Kinde North Huron  vs. Peck   - 1 PM
Kingsley  vs. Gladwin   - 1 PM
Midland  vs. Midland Dow   - 1 PM
Pewamo-Westphalia  vs. North Muskegon   - 1 PM
Reed City  vs. Kingsford   - 1 PM
Stevensville Lakeshore  vs. Coldwater   - 1 PM
Mount Pleasant  vs. Marquette  - 2 PM
 
Girls Volleyball District Semifinals and Finals take place Wednesday through Saturday (Nov. 3-7). Separate releases will be issued with detailed Semifinal and Final coverage.
 
This week, more 250 events at all levels in a variety of sports will be available on the NFHS Network/MHSAA.TV. Monthly subscriptions are $10.99. Click for a complete list of upcoming games, and for a complete list of on-demand games. 
 
Fans also can type their school name into the search field on the MHSAA.tv page to search for events. Varsity games being streamed also have links from the MHSAA Website’s Score Center, and from the schedules on individual school pages. Clicking on the green TV set icon listed next to an event will take you directly to a game. You can also watch on Roku enabled devices.

Now in its 12th year, 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. Pixellot – The NFHS Network’s automated streaming solution – is used by schools wishing to live stream games, but lacking the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.

NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $10.99 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on-demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. A portion of every subscription sold by an SBP school goes to benefit its program. 

A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA Website.