Ford Field Trip Gives Students Taste of Football Finals Broadcasting
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 7, 2021
Four levels above them, in the press box, a group of prospective broadcasters were touring the facilities. The high school students had spent the Fall sports season streaming games to the NFHS Network and now were learning about a career in broadcasting from Eric Vandefifer, a Montrose High grad currently serving as the radio voice of Saginaw Valley State University basketball and as a contributor to a variety of high school broadcast channels including the MHSAA Network.
Seven years ago, Vandefifer was in a similar situation. He was part of a field trip to Ford Field for the Finals that helped him realize sports broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue. Those field trips were headed by Tom Skinner and Thom Lengyel, who became mentors to Vandefifer. As a high school junior in 2017, Vandefifer was named Best Student Broadcaster nationally by the NFHS Network.
“With Tom Skinner now deceased and Thom Lengyel retired from the broadcast business, I just felt like I had to continue this and their legacy,” Vandefifer said. “It was important to me to keep it going because when I was in school, it was something I looked forward to.”
Nearly 50 students from Lowell, Montrose, Lake Orion, Mount Pleasant and Ann Arbor Greenhills high schools made the Nov. 26-27 trip to Ford Field. They were able to film highlights, interview players, practice announcing the games, meet other members of the press and more. For Vandefifer, giving back to students who are in the position he once was is very rewarding.
“We had the ability to feel like real media members for a day. I wanted to be able to give other students that same opportunity,” Vandefifer said. “Seeing kids who have a love for sportscasting and that drive to get better gives me real hope for the next generation in this business.”
And after the field trips were done each day, Vandefifer put his headphones on, got behind the microphone and called the two afternoon games for the MHSAA Championship Network.
PHOTOS (Top) Eighth grader Sam Belill, left, and freshman Owen Leitelt from Montrose practice calling a game from the Ford Field press box. (Middle) Mount Pleasant make a stop at the press conference room. (Photos provided by the Montrose and Mount Pleasant School Broadcast Programs.)
Fall Finals Audio Downloads Available
December 14, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Saving that special moment from an MHSAA Championship to your computer or handheld device has never been easier, with audio downloads of fall championships in Football, Boys Soccer and Girls Volleyball available from the MHSAA Network Website.
Simply go to MHSAANetwork.com, and scroll down the page to find your game; then click Buy Download. Audio downloads are $4.99 each. The following games are available for audio download:
11-Player Football Finals: Div. 1 – Clarkston (3) v. West Bloomfield (2); Div. 2 – Warren DeLaSalle (41) v. Livonia Franklin (6); Div. 3 – Muskegon (28) v. Farmington Hills Harrison (10); Div. 4 – Grand Rapids Catholic Central (42) v. Edwardsburg (31); Div. 5 – Grand Rapids West Catholic (34) v. Saginaw Swan Valley (7); Div. 6 – Jackson Lumen Christi (40) v. Ithaca (34); Div. 7 – Pewamo-Westphalia (21) v. Saugatuck (0); Div. 8 – Ottawa Lake-Whiteford (42) v. Saginaw Nouvel (21).
8-Player Football Finals: Div. 1 – Central Lake (32) v., Deckerville (30); Div. 2 – Crystal Falls Forest Park (54) v. Portland St. Patrick (12).
Boys Soccer Finals: Div. 1 – Detroit Catholic Central (1) v. Walled Lake Central (0); Div. 2 – Holland 3 v. East Lansing (0); Div. 3 – Flint Powers Catholic (4) v. Ludington (2); Div. 4 – Ann Arbor Greenhills (1) v. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (0).
Girls Volleyball Finals: Class A – Novi (3) v. Bloomfield Hills Marian (0); Class B – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (3) v. Lake Odessa Lakewood (0); Class C – Bronson (3) v. Laingsburg (1); Class D – Plymouth Christian (3) v. Fowler (0).
Girls Volleyball Semifinals: Class A – Marian (3) v. Farmington Hills Mercy (1) and Novi (3) v. DeWitt (0); Class B – Lakewood (3) v. Livonia Ladywood (1) and Notre Dame Prep (3) v. Fruitport (0); Class C – Laingsburg (3) v. Wixom St. Catherine (1) and Bronson (3) v. Calumet (0); Class D – Fowler (3) v. Munising (0) and Plymouth Christian (3) v. Rogers City (1).
All of the 8-Player Football, Girls Volleyball Semifinals and Finals, and Boys Soccer events are also available for purchase as video DVDs through the NFHS Network. Go to MHSAA.tv – click on Buy DVDs at the top of the screen – select your game – and then click the Get DVD button beneath the video player. DVDs are $24.95 each. Information about the 11-Player Football Finals DVDs will be available soon.
A bevy of high school sporting events can be found this week on MHSAA.tv produced by Association members taking part in the School Broadcast Program. Be sure to check Upcoming Events on the MHSAA.tv home page daily for last-minute additions.
In its ninth 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 lack the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams available being produced by SBP members:
Wednesday – December 13
Girls Basketball - Lansing Sexton at Fowlerville - 7 P.M.
Girls Basketball – Sault Ste. Marie at Alpena – 7 P.M.
Thursday – December 14
Boys Basketball - Perry at Fowlerville - 4 P.M.
Freshman Boys Basketball – Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – 4 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball – Cedar Springs at Comstock Park – 5:30 P.M.
Girls Basketball - Portland at Fowlerville - 5:30 P.M.
Girls Basketball – Watersmeet at Lake Linden-Hubbell – 5:45 P.M.
Wrestling – Marquette Dual – 6 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Portland at Fowlerville - 6 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Haslett at Fowlerville - 6 P.M.
Girls Competitive Cheer – GAC Meet at Montrose – 6 P.M.
Girls Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 7 P.M.
Freshman Boys Basketball – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball – Rochester Adams at Lake Orion – 7 P.M.
Ice Hockey – Hancock at Marquette – 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball – Gaylord at Alpena – 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball – Calumet at Lake Linden-Hubbell – 7:20 P.M.
Boys Basketball – Harrison at Clare – 7:30 P.M.
Friday – December 15
Freshman Girls Basketball – Dearborn Divine Child at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Durand at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Burton Atherton at Montrose - 5:30 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball - Howell at Novi - 5:30 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball – Dearborn Divine Child at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Portland at Fowlerville - 6 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball - Clare at Harrison - 6 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 6 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Ontonagon at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 6 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball - Onaway at Rogers City - 6 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball – Crystal Falls Forest Park at Norway - 6:30 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Durand at Otisville Lakeville - 7 P.M.
Varsity Boys Ice Hockey - Utica at Calumet - 7 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Gaylord at Alpena - 7 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Howell at Novi - 7 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Onaway at Rogers City - 7 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton at Montrose - 7 P.M.
Varsity Boys Ice Hockey - Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood - 7:15 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Chassell at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7:20 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball - Clare at Harrison - 7:30 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Portland at Fowlerville - 7:30 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball – Dearborn Divine Child at Macomb Lutheran North - 7:30 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 7:30 P.M.
Varsity Boys Basketball - Menominee at Negaunee - 7:30 P.M.
Varsity Girls Basketball – Crystal Falls Forest Park at Norway - 8:00 P.M.
Saturday – December 16
Wrestling – Marquette Invitational – 9 A.M.
Ice Hockey – Plymouth at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – 4:45 P.M.
Monday – December 18
Freshman Boys Basketball – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 4:30 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball - Ontonagon at Calumet - 5:45 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball - Coleman at Harrison - 6 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 6 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball – Bark River-Harris at Norway - 6:30 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Baraga at Lake Linden-Hubbell - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Ontonagon at Calumet - 7:15 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball – Saginaw Swan Valley at Freeland - 7:30 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Coleman at Harrison - 7:30 P.M.
Boys Basketball – Bark River-Harris at Norway - 8 P.M.
Tuesday – December 19
Freshman Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton at Otisville Lakeville - 4 P.M.
Freshman Girls Basketball – Battle Creek Lakeview at Plainwell - 4:15 P.M.
Girls Basketball - New Lothrop at Montrose - 5:30 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton at Otisville Lakeville - 5:30 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball - Grand Blanc at Novi - 5:30 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball – Battle Creek Lakeview at Plainwell - 5:45 P.M.
JV Boys Basketball - Baraga at Calumet - 5:45 P.M.
Girls Basketball - Alcona at Alpena - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Haslett at Fowlerville - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton at Otisville Lakeville - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball - New Lothrop at Montrose - 7 P.M.
Girls Basketball – Muskegon Orchard View at Fremont - 7 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Davison at Lake Orion - 7 P.M.
Girls Basketball - Grand Blanc at Novi - 7 P.M.
Girls Basketball – Battle Creek Lakeview at Plainwell - 7:15 P.M.
Boys Basketball - Baraga at Calumet - 7:15 P.M.
Wednesday – December 20
Swimming & Diving - Marquette - 3:30 P.M.
Freshman Girls Basketball – Saginaw Heritage at Freeland - 4:30 P.M.
Varsity Wrestling – OK Quad at Comstock Park - 5 P.M.
Varsity Wrestling - Vicksburg at Plainwell - 5:30 P.M.
Ice Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Birmingham Brother Rice - 5:45 P.M.
JV Girls Basketball – Saginaw Heritage at Freeland - 6 P.M.
Ice Hockey - Petoskey at Alpena - 7 P.M.
Girls Basketball - Saginaw Heritage at Freeland - 7:30 P.M.
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 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. School Broadcast Program participants will also be selling Season and 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.
Highlights of games produced in the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members feature the following events:
Girls Basketball – East Lansing (52) vs. DeWitt (51) – Dec. 5
Ice Hockey – Marquette (3) vs. Warren DeLaSalle (2-OT) – Dec. 9
Girls Basketball – Farwell (39) vs. Harrison (38) – Dec. 8
Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.