Football Finals Re-Air for Christmas

December 20, 2016

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director

FOX Sports Detroit will present Michigan high school football fans with eight presents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, re-airing the championship games from the 2016 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 35, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 6 – Muskegon Catholic Central broke this one open in the second half. QB Cameron Martinez ran for 154 yards and one TD while passing for a second score.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

6 p.m. – Division 2 – Detroit Martin Luther King 18, Walled Lake Western 0 – King does it with defense, picking off four Western passes and returning two of them for touchdowns.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

8 p.m. – Division 6 – Jackson Lumen Christi 26, Maple City Glen Lake 14 – Bo Bell comes up big for Lumen Christi, rushing for 238 yards and one TD.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

10 p.m. – Division 4 - Grand Rapids Catholic Central 10, Detroit Country Day 7 – This one was dominated by the defenses. The only GRCC first down of the day came on a fourth-quarter 44-yard touchdown pitch-and-catch from Jack Bowen to Michael Brown.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

Dec. 25

4 p.m. – Division 7 – Pewamo-Westphalia 28, Detroit Loyola 14 – Nothing can stop the PW Pirates. Jimmy Lehman throws for two touchdowns and rushes for a third against the Loyola Bulldogs.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

6 p.m. – Division 1 – Detroit Cass Tech 49, Detroit Catholic Central 20 – Cass Tech QB Rodney Hall ties a Final game record with five touchdown passes against DCC.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

8 p.m. – Division 5 – Grand Rapids West Catholic 43, Menominee 7 - Gaetano Vallone passes for 311 yards and four scores as the Falcons fly over the Maroons.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

10 p.m. – Division 3 – Orchard Lake St Mary's 29, Muskegon 28 – This went down to the wire. Ky’ren Cunningham dives to catch an 18-yard pass from Caden Prieskorn with four seconds to go to give the Eaglets the win.

Watch @ MHSAA.TV - Buy Video DVD - Listen @ MHSAANetwork.com - Instant Audio Download

DVD’s cost $24.95, and Instant Audio Downloads are $4.99.

Things are winding down for the holidays on MHSAA.tv with School Broadcast Program members heading into a break.

In its eighth 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 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. 16):

Tuesday, Dec. 20

Wednesday, Dec. 21

Thursday, Dec. 22

Tuesday, Jan. 3

The NFHS Network has announced new pricing for 2016-17, eliminating the Day Pass and lowering the cost of a Month Pass to $9.95. 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. Some schools also will be selling Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a 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.

Fans can also access scores of games in-progress on the NFHS Network website via ScoreStream. Click on the Scores button in the upper right corner.

Hoops on Film: 1976 Class D Girls Final

July 13, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director

One of the earliest championship games in MHSAA girls basketball history is featured 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:

Lake City 58, Perkins 48 – 1976 Class D Girls Final - Abby Currier scored 26 points and Becky Sessions added 22 as Lake City cruised past Perkins, 58-48, for the Class D title. Lynette Royer led Perkins with 23 points. This was the fourth Class D Final, as the girls basketball tournament started in 1973, and remains the lone championship game won by Lake City. The season before, the Trojans had bowed out in the Semifinals against eventual champion Flint Holy Rosary. The two teams met again in the semis in 1976, and this time it was Lake City which prevailed, advancing to the Final the following morning against Perkins and winning the school’s first MHSAA crown in any sport. It was the only appearance ever in an MHSAA statewide tournament final for Perkins, which merged the following year with nearby Rock to form Mid-Peninsula High School, about a half-hour’s drive north of Escanaba.  The newly-formed Wolverines would win the Class D crown in 1977.

Previous releases:
1973 Class C Boys Final: Detroit East Catholic 50, Saginaw St. Stephen 49 - Watch
1954 Class A Boys Final: Muskegon Heights 43, Flint Northern 41 (OT) - Watch
1971 Class A Boys Final: Flint Northern 79, Detroit Kettering 78 - Watch