Highlight Reel: Saturday Finals
June 14, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
The MHSAA spring sports season concluded Saturday with 10 MHSAA Finals at Old College Field at Michigan State University.
Below are highlight clips from every baseball, softball and girls soccer game plus links to watch them in full.
Baseball
Division 1: Hartland 2, Portage Northern 1 (10 inn.)
Baker's Double John Baker strokes a first inning double for Hartland to drive in its first run against Portage Northern.
Northern Ties The Game Portage Northern tied the game in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Brady Young.
Out At The Plate After his hit to tie the game, Brady Young of Portage Northern attempts to score when a pitch gets away from the catcher, but Hartland's John Baker gets the ball and the tag down.
Oliver's Walk-Off Title Shot Brett Oliver drove a ball to deep right center field to score the winning run for Hartland.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 4, Mount Pleasant 1
Oilers First In The First Mount Pleasant scored its lone run in its first at bat, with Maxwell Trucks delivering a run-scoring single.
Eaglets Go On Top Orchard Lake St. Mary's takes the lead to stay in the second inning on this run-scoring double by Joe Carlini.
Salter Salts It Away A run-scoring single in the fifth inning off the bat of Harrison Salter closed out the scoring for Orchard Lake St. Mary's.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3: Jackson Lumen Christi 8, Buchanan 0
Mogle Drives In Two Jackson Lumen Christi scored six times in the opening frame, the first two runs driven in on this single by Conner Mogle.
Fors At The Fore The other big hit in Jackson Lumen Christi's big opening inning was a two-run triple by Connor Fors.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4: Muskegon Catholic Central 10, Centreville 8
Centerville On The Board First Centerville got two runs in the first inning on Collin Schlabach's single up the middle.
Crusaders Counter Muskegon Catholic Central answered with a pair of first inning runs on a single by Jacob Holt.
Holt Is Hot Nicholas Holt drove in a valuable insurance run for Muskegon Catholic Central with this sixth inning triple.
Centreville Hangs Tough Centerville made it a tight game with three runs in the top of the seventh. This single by Coletin Gascho drove in a pair.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Softball
Division 1: Warren Regina 5, Caledonia 0
Reese Rockets Regina To The Lead Warren Regina scored the only run it would need against Caledonia on this fourth inning triple by Hailey Reese.
Hison Doubles Two Runs In A big hit for Warren Regina in a four-run fifth inning was a two-run double by Riley Hison.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2: Wayland 11, Frankenmuth 0
Morse Going Yard Leigha Morse set a Finals record with two home runs for Wayland against Frankenmuth. Here's the first one in the second inning.
Bethany Teunissen Homers A four-run seventh inning for Wayland featured the long ball. Here's a home run by Bethany Teunissen.
More Morse - Three-Run Tater Leigha Morse cranked her second home run in the seventh inning, a three-run shot to left field.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 2, Bronson 0
Beaubien Helps Herself The only runs of Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central's win over Bronson came on this two-out home run by pitcher Meghan Beaubien.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4: Unionville-Sebewaing 5, Kalamazoo Christian 0
USA On The Board Unionville-Sebewaing scores its first two runs on this fourth inning single by Madison Zimmer.
Big Hit For Bauer Nicole Bauer singles in the fifth inning, driving in two runs for Unionville Sebewaing.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Girls Soccer
Division 3: Saline 4, Grand Blanc 0
Due to technical difficulties, no highlights are available from this game.
Division 4: Grandville Calvin Christian 2, Lansing Christian 1
Calvin Christian Scores First Hillary Curry gets the first goal of the Division 4 title game, taking a pass from Emily VanVliet.
VanVliet & Curry Connect Again In the second half, Hilary Curry scores again, heading in a cross from Emily VanVliet. It gave Grandville Calvin Christian a 2-0 lead at the time.
Pilgrims Cut Lead Late in the game, Lansing Christian gets on the board when Rebecca Hull connects on a penalty kick.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
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.)