Football Finals Re-Air Christmas Eve, Day
December 16, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Eight presents await high school football fans on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as FOX Sports Detroit will re-air the championship games from the 2015 MHSAA 11-Player Football Playoffs – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
The action begins at 4 p.m. each day, with the odd-numbered divisions being shown on Christmas Eve and the even-numbered title games on Christmas Day in the order they were played at Ford Field in Detroit.
Here’s the complete schedule:
Dec. 24
4 p.m. – Division 8 – Muskegon Catholic Central 7, Waterford Our Lady 0 – In a matchup dominated by defense, Muskegon Catholic’s Christian Martinez scored on a 45-yard run early in the fourth quarter for the game’s only points.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
6 p.m. – Division 2 – Detroit Martin Luther King 40, Lowell 38 – No one will ever forget King’s 95-yard drive in the last 37 seconds, and Armani Posey’s 40-yard TD pass to Donnie Corley on the game’s final play.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
8 p.m. – Division 6 – Ithaca 27, Clinton 20 – Yellowjackets quarterback Jake Smith ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns, and passed for another 180 yards and a fourth score to lead his team to the win.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
10 p.m. – Division 4 - Zeeland West 40, Flint Powers Catholic 14 – These Dux were indeed mighty on this day, as quarterback Casey Brinks directed West for the second time in three seasons to a title.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
Dec. 25
4 p.m. – Division 7 – Ishpeming 22, Pewamo-Westphalia 16 – Ozzy Corp does it all in this one, scoring all three of his team’s touchdowns and batting away a last-minute pass into the end zone to give the Hematites their third crown in four years.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
6 p.m. – Division 1 – Romeo 41, Detroit Cass Tech 27 – Bradley Tanner rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns, and Paul Hurley threw for 203 yards and one score to lead the Bulldogs.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
8 p.m. – Division 5 – Grand Rapids West Catholic 40, River Rouge 34 – Gaetano Vallone and David Fox shared the quarterback duties and combined for 288 yards rushing and 106 passing to lead the Falcons to a third straight championship.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
10 p.m. – Division 3 – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 40, Chelsea 12 – The Eaglets got two scoring passes from the combination of Brendan Tabone to K.J. Hamler, and pounded the rock for 293 yards rushing to win their second straight championship.
Watch on MHSAA.TV – Buy Video DVD – Listen on MHSAANetwork.com – Buy Audio CD
Things are winding down for the holidays on MHSAA.tv with School Broadcast Program members heading into a break.
In its seventh 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.
The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
All sporting events – Live or On-Demand – are available on a subscription basis only for their first 72 hours online. They become available for free, on-demand viewing approximately 72 hours following their completion.
Here’s the schedule of events that School Broadcast Program members plan to stream the rest of the month for broadcast at MHSAA.tv. On-Demand listings may be available as soon as one hour following an event’s completion. (List as of Dec. 15):
Wednesday – Dec. 16
- Greenville, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer & Howard City Tri-County at Comstock Park – Wrestling – 5 p.m. – LIVE
- GAC Cheer at Montrose – Girls Competitive Cheer – 5:55 p.m. – LIVE
- Escanaba at Negaunee – Girls Gymnastics – 7 p.m. – On Demand
Thursday – Dec. 17
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – Freshman Boys Basketball – 4 p.m. – LIVE
- Durand at Montrose – JV Girls Basketball – 5:25 p.m. – LIVE
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – JV Boys Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Grand Ledge at Haslett – Boys Swimming & Diving – 6 p.m. – LIVE
- Durand at Montrose – Girls Basketball – 6:55 p.m. – LIVE
- Marquette at Negaunee – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – On Demand
Friday – Dec. 18
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – Girls Basketball – 5 p.m. - LIVE
- Lansing Everett at East Lansing – Girls Basketball – 6 p.m. – On Demand
- Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. - LIVE
- Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Ice Hockey – 7:15 p.m. – LIVE
- Lansing Everett at East Lansing – Boys Basketball – 7:30 p.m. – On Demand
- Alpena Ice Hockey Tournament – TBA – LIVE
Saturday – Dec. 19
- Birmingham Brother Rice at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Ice Hockey – 5:50 p.m. – LIVE
Monday – Dec. 21
- Cadillac at Alpena – JV Girls Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Cadillac at Alpena – Girls Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Ontonagon at Calumet – Boys Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
Tuesday – Dec. 22
- Ishpeming at Calumet – Girls Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
Monday – Jan. 4, 2016
- Baraga at Calumet – Boys Basketball – 7:20 p.m. – LIVE
Tuesday – Jan. 5
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at Comstock Park – JV Boys Basketball – 5:30 p.m. – LIVE
- Mio, Onaway & Petoskey at Alpena – Wrestling - 6 p.m. – LIVE
- Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at Comstock Park – Boys Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Ionia at Haslett – Girls Basketball – 7 p.m. – LIVE
- Iron Mountain at Negaunee – Girls Basketball – 7 p.m. – On Demand
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
This week's SBP highlights package includes clips from the Portage Northern/Plainwell girls basketball and Cheboygan/Alpena ice hockey games, plus buzzer-beating shots from around the state.
Highlight Reel: Saturday Football Finals
November 28, 2016
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
The final day of the MHSAA 11-Player Football Finals at Ford Field in Detroit – powered by the Michigan Army National Guard – produced a first-time gridiron champion and a game-winning play that will be talked about for a long time.
Division 7
Pewamo-Westphalia 28, Detroit Loyola 14
Logan & Lehman Go Long - The Pewamo-Westphalia combo of quarterback Jimmy Lehman and receiver Logan Hengesbach connected for two touchdowns in the Division 7 title game against Detroit Loyola. Here's the second TD in the third quarter, with Hengesbach winning the jump ball to complete a 37-yard scoring play.
Johnson Powers Into the End Zone - Detroit Loyola gets on the board midway through the fourth quarter, when TE Keith Johnson makes a great play to catch a pass from Price Watkins and then power into the end zone to complete the 18-yard score.
Division 1
Detroit Cass Tech 49, Detroit Catholic Central 20
CC Takes the Early Lead - Detroit Catholic Central led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, taking the lead on this 35-yard pass interception return by Jack Morris.
The Peoples' Choice for Cass Tech - Detroit Cass Tech QB Rodney Hall tied a Finals record with five touchdown passes against Detroit Catholic Central - two going to Donovan Peoples-Jones, including this 49-yarder in the third quarter.
Division 5
Grand Rapids West Catholic 43, Menominee 7
Meyers Off to the Races - Grand Rapids West Catholic scored its first TD against Menominee on a pitch and catch from Gaetano Vallone to Brett Meyers covering 91 yards.
Hass Records a Finals First - Menominee uses special teams to get on the board in the third quarter. Sam Larson blocks the West Catholic field goal attempt, and Hunter Hass returns it 76 yards for a TD – the first time in Finals history a blocked field goal has been returned for a score.
Division 3
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 29, Muskegon 28
Pimpleton's Second Score - Lined up in the slot, Muskegon's Kalil Pimpleton gets his second 18-yard rushing touchdown of the Division 3 Final against Orchard Lake St. Mary's on the end-around to give his team a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.
A Catch for the Ages - In the closing seconds of the Division 3 Final, Orchard Lake St. Mary's QB Caden Prieskorn hits Ky’ren Cunningham in the end zone with an 18-yard touchdown strike to give the Eaglets the win.
The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTO: Orchard Lake St. Mary's Chris Bean celebrates during Saturday's Division 3 Final.