Classes Still Create Hoosier Hysteria
July 27, 2017
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
This is the fourth part in a series on MHSAA tournament classification, past and present, that will be published over the next two weeks. This series originally ran in this spring's edition of MHSAA benchmarks.
Twenty years ago, Bloomington North High School won the Indiana High School Athletic Association boys basketball championship, defeating Delta 75-54 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
The date, March 22, 1997, is at the same time revered and disdained by traditionalists in the state who saw it as the last schoolboy championship game the state would ever host.
That’s how devout the game of basketball, particularly interscholastic basketball, had become in the Hoosier state during the 87 years a state champion – one state champion, to be precise – was crowned.
Following that 1997 season, the IHSAA moved to a four-class system for its roundball tournaments, like so many of its state association counterparts had done years earlier.
It would be shocking to find more than a small percentage of current high school basketball players around the country unfamiliar with the iconic movie Hoosiers, even though the film is now more than 30 years old.
And, the storyline for that blockbuster unfolded more than 30 years prior to its release, when small-town, undermanned Milan High School defeated Muncie Central High School 32-30 in the 1954 IHSAA title game.
Perhaps it’s because of the David vs Goliath notion, or the fame of the movie that replaced Milan with the fictional Hickory and real-life star Bobby Plump with Hollywood hero Jimmy Chitwood, or the simple fact that Indiana had something other states didn’t.
Whatever the reason, plenty of opposition remains to this day to basketball classification in the state.
The fact is, the small rural schools were regularly being beaten handily by the much larger suburban and city schools as the tournament progressed each season.
Small schools also were closing at a rapid rate following the state’s School Reorganization Act in 1959, as students converged on larger, centralized county schools. From 1960 to 2000, the number of schools entering the tournament dropped from 694 to 381, and in 1997 a total of 382 schools and 4,584 athletes began competition at the Sectional level (the first level of the IHSAA Basketball Tournament).
It was at the entry level of the tournament where school administrators felt the pain of the new class system, but not necessarily for the same nostalgic reasons as the fans who either attended or boycotted the tournament.
At the Sectional round of the tournament, the IHSAA was culling just 2 percent of the revenue, with the participating schools splitting the balance. So, when Sectional attendance dropped by 14 percent in that first year of class basketball, many schools realized a financial loss. It was money they had grown to count on in prior years to help fund various aspects of the department.
Schools cumulatively received more than $900,000 from Sectional competition in 1998, but that total was down from more than $1 million in the last year of the single-class tournament.
Yet, the current format provides a great deal more opportunity and realistic chances at championship runs for schools of all enrollments.
To date, 60 additional teams have championship or runner-up trophies on display in school trophy cases around Indiana.
That was the mission in front of then-IHSAA commissioner Bob Gardner (now National Federation executive director) once the board made its decision: to give thousands more student-athletes the opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
As any statistician knows, figures can be manipulated to tell any side of a story. Declining attendance in year one of class basketball is such a number.
The truth is tournament attendance had been on a steady downward spiral since its peak of just over 1.5 million in 1962. By the last single-class event in 1997, the total attendance was half that.
The challenge then and today, as it is for all state associations, is to find that delicate balance for those holding onto tradition, those holding onto trophies, and the number of trophies to hand out.
Editor’s Note: Stories from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette in 1998 and from a 2007 issue of Indianapolis Monthly provided facts in this article.
UP Tennis Finals to be Streamed Live
September 29, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
For the first time, action from the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals will have live streaming video on the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv, with the School Broadcast Program crew from Negaunee High School providing the coverage at the Division 1 event.
Coverage is scheduled to begin at noon, EDT, on Thursday (Oct. 1), weather permitting, with the semifinals of singles competition. There will be a dedicated camera for each flight, covering two courts for the semis and then the championship match which follows.
SBP crews have a history of delivering championships taking place in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette High School has produced the U.P. Swimming & Diving Finals for several years, and Marquette also produced an MHSAA Skiing Final in 2016.
More than 700 events in multiple sports at multiple levels fill the coming week’s schedule for the NFHS Network and MHSAA.tv. In the coming week, nearly 300 varsity events – more than half of them in volleyball – will be available. Monthly subscriptions are $10.99. Click for a complete list of upcoming games and on-demand broadcasts.
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.
Here is a list of Varsity sports events taking place over the coming week on the NFHS Network/MHSAA.tv (Home team generally listed first):
Football
Friday - Oct. 2
Redford Union vs. Redford Thurston - 5 PM
East Grand Rapids vs. Grand Rapids Northview - 5:30 PM
Pewamo-Westphalia vs. Dansville - 6:45 PM
Garden City vs. Dearborn Heights Annapolis - 7 PM
Durand vs. Otisville LakeVille - 7 PM
Portage Northern vs. Richland Gull Lake - 7 PM
Brighton vs. Canton - 7 PM
Mayville vs. New Haven Merritt Academy - 7 PM
Cadillac vs. Traverse City Central - 7 PM
Negaunee vs. L'Anse - 7 PM
Walled Lake Central vs. Walled Lake Northern - 7 PM
East Lansing vs. Lansing Waverly - 7 PM
Birmingham Seaholm vs. Rochester Adams - 7 PM
Cass City vs. Harbor Beach - 7 PM
Howell vs. Hartland - 7 PM
Livonia Clarenceville vs. Dearborn Advanced Technology Academy - 7 PM
St Johns vs. Mason - 7 PM
Dearborn Divine Child vs. White Lake Lakeland - 7 PM
Saginaw Swan Valley vs. Bay City John Glenn- 7 PM
Fowlerville vs. Holt - 7 PM
Munising vs. Superior Central - 7 PM
Watervliet vs. Constantine - 7 PM
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills - 7 PM
Montrose vs. New Lothrop - 7 PM
Hemlock vs. Midland Bullock Creek - 7 PM
South Lyon East vs. Highland Milford - 7 PM
Romulus Summit Academy North vs. Detroit Leadership Academy - 7 PM
Waterford Kettering vs. Walled Lake Western - 7 PM
Madison Heights Lamphere vs. Center Line - 7 PM
Ovid-Elsie vs. Chesaning - 7 PM
Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Cedar Springs - 7 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Detroit Country Day - 7 PM
Zeeland West vs. Zeeland East - 7 PM
St. Joseph vs. Portage Central - 7 PM
DeWitt vs. Okemos - 7 PM
Troy Athens vs. Auburn Hills Avondale - 7 PM
Troy vs. Berkley - 7 PM
Plainwell vs. Edwardsburg - 7 PM
Clare vs. Farwell - 7 PM
Saginaw Heritage vs. Midland Dow - 7 PM
Traverse City St. Francis vs. Kingsley - 7 PM
Corunna vs. Ortonville Brandon - 7 PM
Jackson Lumen Christi Catholic vs. Battle Creek Harper Creek - 7 PM
Fulton vs. Laingsburg - 7 PM
Saturday - Oct. 3
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore vs. Port Huron - 1 PM
Warren Woods-Tower vs. Roseville - 1 PM
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood vs. Detroit Loyola - 1 PM
Traverse City West vs. Petoskey - 1 PM
Boys Soccer
Tuesday - Sept. 29
Reed City vs. Fremont - 4:30 PM
Chesaning vs. Durand - 6 PM
Stevensville Lakeshore vs. St. Joseph - 6:30 PM
Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills - 6:45 PM
Petoskey vs. Alpena - 6:45 PM
Troy vs. North Farmington - 7 PM
Livonia Clarenceville vs. Oakland Christian - 7 PM
West Bloomfield vs. Oxford - 7 PM
Saline vs. Ypsilanti Community - 7 PM
Dearborn Divine Child vs. Detroit U Of D Jesuit - 7 PM
Seaholm vs. Troy Athens - 7 PM
Notre Dame Preparatory School vs. TBA - 7:30 PM
Detroit Catholic Central vs. Birmingham Brother Rice - 7:30 PM
Wednesday - Sept. 30
Garden City vs. Redford Thurston - 5:30 PM
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore vs. St. Clair - 6 PM
Vicksburg vs. Bronson - 6 PM
Fenton vs. Goodrich - 6:15 PM
Plainwell vs. Sturgis - 6:30 PM
Cedar Springs vs. TBA - 6:45 PM
Hemlock vs. Ithaca - 7 PM
Madison Heights Lamphere vs. Roseville - 7 PM
Clare vs. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy – 7 PM
Thursday - Oct. 1
Manchester vs. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard - 5:30 PM
Royal Oak Shrine vs. Clarkston Everest Collegiate - 5:30 PM
East Grand Rapids vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern - 5:45 PM
Portage Central vs. St. Joseph - 6:30 PM
Stevensville Lakeshore vs. Kalamazoo Central - 6:30 PM
Cadillac vs. Petoskey - 6:45 PM
Livonia Clarenceville vs. Detroit Cesar Chavez Academy - 7 PM
Northville vs. Hartland - 7 PM
Birmingham Groves vs. Auburn Hills Avondale - 7 PM
Novi vs. Canton - 7 PM
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central - 7:15 PM
Chesaning vs. Byron Area - 7:30 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Goodrich - 7:30 PM
Detroit Catholic Central vs. Warren De La Salle Collegiate - 7:30 PM
Friday - Oct. 2
Livonia Clarenceville vs. Westland Huron Valley Lutheran - 4 PM
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore vs. Madison Heights Lamphere - 4:30 PM
Bay City John Glenn vs. Gaylord - 5 PM
South Lyon vs. Highland Milford - 5:30 PM
Wayland Union vs. Hamilton - 6:45 PM
Saturday - Oct. 3
Petoskey vs. Elk Rapids - 12 AM
Comstock Park vs. Ravenna - 10 AM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard - 10 AM
Holt vs. Lansing Catholic - 11 AM
West Bloomfield vs. North Farmington - 11:30 AM
St. Joseph vs. Battle Creek Central - 11:30 AM
Birmingham Groves vs. Ferndale - 2 PM
Walled Lake Central vs. Walled Lake Western - 7 PM
Monday - Oct. 5
Watervliet vs. Saugatuck - 4:30 PM
Ithaca vs. Saginaw Valley Lutheran - 4:30 PM
Bay City John Glenn vs. Freeland - 4:30 PM
Warren Woods-Tower vs. St. Clair Shores Lakeshore - 5 PM
Cass City vs. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker - 5:30 PM
Romulus Summit Academy North vs. Dearborn Henry Ford Academy - 6 PM
Vicksburg vs. Edwardsburg - 6 PM
Corunna vs. Linden - 6:15 PM
Heritage vs. Midland - 6:45 PM
South Lyon East vs. TBA - 7 PM
Clare vs. Ogemaw Heights - 7 PM
Macomb Dakota vs. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley - 7 PM
Grand Blanc vs. Davison - 7 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett - 7:30 PM
Tuesday - Oct. 6
St. Joseph vs. Kalamazoo Central - 6:30 PM
East Grand Rapids vs. TBA - 6:45 PM
Troy vs. Birmingham Seaholm - 7 PM
Novi vs. Brighton - 7 PM
Troy Athens vs. Rochester Adams - 7 PM
Girls Volleyball
Tuesday - Sept. 29
Dearborn Heights Robichaud vs. Ferndale University - 4 PM
Durand vs. New Lothrop - 4:30 PM
Williamston vs. TBA - 5 PM
Bear Lake vs. Manistee Catholic Central - 6 PM
DeWitt vs. East Lansing - 6 PM
Zeeland East vs. Muskegon - 6 PM
Kinde North Huron vs. Akron-Fairgrove - 6 PM
Wayland Union vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern - 6 PM
Fowlerville vs. Haslett - 6 PM
Peck vs. Deckerville - 6 PM
Holt vs. Lansing Waverly - 6 PM
Mt Morris vs. Ovid-Elsie - 6 PM
Mayville vs. Genesee - 6 PM
St Johns vs. Grand Ledge - 6:05 PM
Norway vs. Bark River-Harris - 6:15 PM
Montrose vs. Otisville LakeVille - 6:15 PM
Hartland vs. Plymouth - 6:15 PM
Dollar Bay vs. Ontonagon - 6:20 PM
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore vs. Warren Cousino - 6:30 PM
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Schoolcraft - 6:30 PM
Negaunee vs. Hancock - 6:30 PM
Westland Huron Valley Lutheran vs. Whitmore Lake - 6:30 PM
Northville vs. Brighton - 6:30 PM
Walled Lake Central vs. South Lyon - 6:30 PM
Walled Lake Western vs. Waterford Mott - 6:30 PM
Walled Lake Northern vs. South Lyon East - 6:30 PM
Watervliet vs. Parchment - 6:30 PM
Grand Blanc vs. Bay City Western - 6:30 PM
St Charles vs. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary - 6:50 PM
Hopkins vs. Wyoming Godwin Heights School - 7 PM
Macomb Lutheran North vs. Algonac - 7 PM
Troy vs. Farmington - 7 PM
Garden City vs. Dearborn Heights Annapolis - 7 PM
Brownstown Woodhaven vs. Allen Park - 7 PM
Fremont vs. Grant - 7 PM
Escanaba vs. Menominee - 7 PM
Big Rapids vs. Reed City - 7 PM
Marcellus vs. White Pigeon - 7 PM
Saginaw Heritage vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill - 7 PM
Bloomfield Hills vs. West Bloomfield - 7 PM
Riverview Gabriel Richard Catholic vs. TBA - 7:15 PM
Livonia Clarenceville vs. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest - 7:30 PM
Pellston vs. Onaway - 7:30 PM
Bad Axe vs. Unionville Sebewaing - 7:30 PM
Kingston vs. Dryden - 7:30 PM
Durand vs. New Lothrop – Part 2 - 7:30 PM
Cass City vs. Reese - 7:30 PM
Wednesday - Sept. 30
Harrison vs. Pinconning - 5 PM
Holly vs. Swartz Creek - 5:15 PM
Linden vs. Flint Kearsley - 5:15 PM
Flushing vs. Fenton - 5:15 PM
Corunna vs. Owosso - 6:15 PM
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood vs. Allen Park Cabrini - 6:30 PM
Pewamo-Westphalia vs. Portland St. Patrick - 6:30 PM
Riverview Gabriel Richard Catholic vs. Macomb Lutheran North - 7 PM
Cadillac vs. Petoskey - 7 PM
Traverse City West vs. Traverse City Central - 7 PM
Waterford Our Lady vs. Warren Regina - 7 PM
Saginaw Swan Valley vs. Bay City John Glenn - 7 PM
Bridgeport vs. Frankenmuth - 7 PM
Dearborn Divine Child vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian - 7:15 PM
Thursday - Oct. 1
Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern - 4 PM
Armada vs. Algonac - 6 PM
Madison Heights Lamphere vs. Clawson - 6 PM
East Grand Rapids vs. Grand Rapids Northview - 6 PM
Zeeland East vs. Holland - 6 PM
Munising vs. Ishpeming - 6 PM
Mayville vs. Peck - 6 PM
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore vs. Ferndale - 6 PM
Plainwell vs. Edwardsburg - 6 PM
Mason vs. Williamston - 6 PM
Hartland vs. Livonia Churchill - 6:15 PM
Lowell vs. Greenville - 6:15 PM
Warren Woods-Tower vs. Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse - 6:15 PM
Dollar Bay vs. Painesdale Jeffers - 6:20 PM
Novi vs. Dearborn - 6:30 PM
Brighton vs. Belleville - 6:30 PM
Howell vs. Livonia Stevenson - 6:30 PM
Flint Powers Catholic vs. Midland Dow - 6:30 PM
Northville vs. Dearborn Fordson - 6:30 PM
Grand Blanc vs. Saginaw - 6:30 PM
Highland Milford vs. South Lyon East - 6:30 PM
Ann Arbor Greenhills vs. Lutheran Westland - 6:30 PM
White Lake Lakeland vs. South Lyon - 6:30 PM
Walled Lake Western vs. Walled Lake Northern - 6:30 PM
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Calhoun Christian - 6:30 PM
Lake Orion vs. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek - 7 PM
Gladstone vs. Gwinn - 7 PM
Brethren vs. Bear Lake - 7 PM
Grandville Calvin Christian vs. Belding - 7 PM
East Kentwood vs. Grandville - 7 PM
Maple City Glen Lake vs. Traverse City St. Francis - 7 PM
Marcellus vs. Centreville - 7 PM
Rockford vs. Hudsonville - 7 PM
Hart vs. Whitehall - 7 PM
Birmingham Seaholm vs. Bloomfield Hills - 7 PM
Troy Athens vs. Auburn Hills Avondale - 7 PM
Pellston vs. Indian River Inland Lakes - 7:30 PM
Dryden vs. Deckerville - 7:30 PM
Livonia Clarenceville vs. Oakland Christian - 7:30 PM
Kingston vs. Genesee - 7:30 PM
Caro vs. Bad Axe - 7:30 PM
Friday - Oct. 2
Plymouth Christian Academy vs. Brighton Charyl Stockwell Prep - 7 PM
Saturday - Oct. 3
Westland Huron Valley Lutheran vs. Bloomfield Hills Roeper - 8 AM
Saline vs. TBA - 8:30 AM
Cass City vs. TBA - 8:30 AM
Hart vs. Ludington - 8:30 AM
Troy Athens vs. TBA - 8:30 AM
Mt Morris vs. TBA - 8:30 AM
Part 1 | Multi-team Event @ Pentwater - 8:30 AM
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Greenville - 9 AM
Ovid-Elsie vs. Byron Area - 9 AM
Hopkins vs. Wayland Union - 9 AM
East Grand Rapids vs. Forest Hills Eastern - 9 AM
Part 2 | Multi-team Event @ Pentwater - 1:30 PM
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Grand Rapids Christian - 2:30 PM
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek vs. Grand Rapids Christian - 4 PM
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. TBA - 5:30 PM
Monday - Oct. 5
Frankenmuth vs. Saginaw Valley Lutheran - 5 PM
Norway vs. Powers North Central - 6 PM
East Lansing vs. Okemos - 6 PM
Armada vs. Richmond - 6 PM
Houghton vs. Marquette 6:30 PM
St. Joseph vs. Battle Creek Central - 6:30 PM
Bay City John Glenn vs. Pinconning - 7 PM
Tuesday - Oct. 6
Dearborn Heights Robichaud vs. Dearborn Heights Crestwood - 4 PM
Madison Heights Lamphere vs. New Haven - 6 PM
Maple Valley vs. TBA - 6 PM
DeWitt vs. Fowlerville - 6 PM
Zeeland West vs. Muskegon Mona Shores - 6 PM
Holt vs. Ionia - 6 PM
Williamston vs. Grand Ledge - 6 PM
Sturgis vs. Edwardsburg - 6 PM
Grand Rapids Christian vs. Byron Center - 6 PM
Wayland Union vs. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills - 6 PM
Mayville vs. Bay City All Saints - 6 PM
Chesaning vs. Ovid-Elsie - 6:15 PM
Otisville LakeVille vs. New Lothrop - 6:15 PM
Ovid-Elsie vs. Chesaning - 6:15 PM
Brighton vs. Canton - 6:30 PM
Flint Powers Catholic vs. TBA - 6:30 PM
St. Clair Lake Shore vs. Sterling Heights - 6:30 PM
Suttons Bay vs. Kingsley - 6:30 PM
Highland Milford vs. White Lake Lakeland - 6:30 PM
Southfield Christian vs. Livonia Clarenceville - 6:30 PM
Houghton vs. Calumet - 6:30 PM
Manchester vs. Napoleon - 6:30 PM
Howell vs. Hartland - 6:30 PM
Frankfort vs. Leland - 6:30 PM
Watervliet vs. Fennville - 6:30 PM
South Lyon vs. Walled Lake Northern - 6:30 PM
South Lyon East vs. Walled Lake Western - 6:30 PM
Saline vs. Ann Arbor Pioneer - 7 PM
Morley Stanwood vs. Kent City - 7 PM
West Bloomfield vs. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek - 7 PM
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Lansing Catholic - 7 PM
Maple City Glen Lake vs. Onekama - 7 PM
Plymouth Christian Academy vs. Lutheran Westland - 7 PM
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Dearborn Divine Child - 7 PM
East Kentwood vs. Holland West Ottawa - 7 PM
Hart vs. Ravenna - 7 PM
Bear Lake vs. Big Rapids Crossroads Charter - 7 PM
Pentwater vs. Mason County Eastern - 7 PM
Dryden vs. Owendale-Gagetown - 7:30 PM
Caro vs. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker - 7:30 PM
Kingston vs. Akron-Fairgrove - 7:30 PM
Bad Axe vs. Cass City - 7:30 PM
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.