Highlight Reel: Soccer, Baseball/Softball Finals
June 18, 2016
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
The 2015-16 high school sports year concluded early Saturday evening at Old College Field on the Michigan State University campus, as the last champions of MHSAA Tournaments were crowned in Baseball, Softball and Girls Soccer.
Below are links to video highlights from Saturday’s games. Click on the final scores to watch them in their entirety and purchase DVDs.
Baseball
Division 1
O’Keefe Goes Yard - The first home run hit in baseball at McLane Stadium since the MHSAA Finals returned to East Lansing two years ago came off the bat of Saline's Sean O'Keefe in the fifth inning against Warren DeLaSalle; it tied the game at the time.
Bush Drives In Two - Warren DeLaSalle took the lead in the sixth inning on a one-out single by Bryce Bush, which drove in two runs.
Game-Ending Double Play - With the bases loaded and one out, Warren DeLaSalle ends the Division 1 Final with a double play.
Division 2
No Missing Link Here - Linden scored five times in the fourth inning to take the lead. Catcher Jamon Link delivers a bases-loaded single to drive in the first run.
The Big Hit For The Maroons - Holland Christian scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning against Linden, the last two runs on this drive down the left field line by pitcher Mike Mokma, who also threw a complete game, striking out 14.
Division 3
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 12, New Lothrop 0 (5 innings)
Two-Run Single For Fannon - The third inning saw Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett score four times, with two of those runs coming in on this single by Sean Fannon.
Division 4
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 10, Portland St. Patrick 3
Riley Hits A Rope - Parkway Christian starting pitcher Riley McManus helped his own cause in the second inning with this two-run single, which was part of a five-run at-bat.
Shamrocks Score In Seventh - Portland St. Patrick got some offense in the final inning, resulting in this RBI single by Travis Moyer.
Softball
Division 1
Farmington Hills Mercy 4, Macomb Dakota 0
Around The Horn Double Play - Here's a defensive gem by Macomb Dakota - a double play in the sixth inning against Farmington Hills Mercy. Mercy broke the Division 1 Final open in the next inning to win, 4-0.
Belans’ Blast - Nicole Belans took the first pitch in the top of the seventh inning over the left field fence for Farmington Hills Mercy to ignite a three-run uprising against Macomb Dakota.
Division 2
Kudary Makes The Catch - A great defensive play in the Richmond-Vicksburg game came in the fifth inning when Vicksburg's Carlie Kudary ran down a Amy Thueme fly ball.
Caught At Third - An alert defensive play by Vicksburg catches two Richmond runners at third base to thwart a seventh inning threat.
Division 3
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 6, Grandville Calvin Christian 0
Grace Drives Two Home - Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central added to its lead against Grandville Calvin Christian with three runs in the fifth inning, two coming on this two-out single by Grace Mikesell.
Preserving The Perfect Game - It took a great defensive play by Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central second baseman Peyton Bollenberg in the seventh inning to preserve the perfect game for pitcher Meghan Beaubien.
Division 4
Unionville-Sebewaing 1, Indian River Inland Lakes 0
Patriots Successfully Squeeze It - The only run of the Division 4 Final came in the sixth inning when Unionville Sebewaing's Marisa Morton bunted Kayla Gremel home.
Soccer
Division 2
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 2, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 1 (OT-Shootout)
Huskies Go Long Ball - Forest Hills Northern used this goal by Natalie Belsito off a long free kick to take a 1-0 lead.
Irish Tie It Up - With time winding down in regulation, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep scored on a free kick by Payton Williams to force overtime.
There’s Your Game Winner - Things went to the eighth round of penalty kicks before Rosella LoChirco came through to give Pontiac Notre Dame the Division 2 title.
Division 3
Hudsonville Unity Christian 2, Flint Powers Catholic 0
VanZalen Scores - Hudsonville Unity Christian took a 1-0 lead on Flint Powers Catholic in the first half when Alaina VanZalen goes to the near side for the goal.
One-V-One Insurance - Alexis Ponstein goes on a long run and ends up one on one with the goalkeeper to get an insurance goal for Hudsonville Unity Christian in the second half.
PHOTO: A Holland Christian batter connects with a pitch during the Division 2 Baseball Final.
PSAs Tout Value of School Sports
December 13, 2016
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
A pair of public service announcements promoting the value – and values – of school-based sports are now available for download from the MHSAA Website.
The annual Student-Athlete Belief Statement, featuring the 2016-17 members of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, is a 60-second message the Association has produced since the SAC created the belief statement in 2007:
As the voice of Michigan’s student-athletes, the Student Advisory Council’s role is to convey the message of how high school sports are supposed to be played. We are responsible for helping the MHSAA maintain a positive and healthy atmosphere in which interscholastic athletes can thrive.
We believe athletes should be competitive, sportsmanlike and excel academically. We believe students in the stands should have fun, but not take the focus away from the game. We believe coaches should act as teachers, helping student-athletes develop while still keeping high school sports in perspective. We believe that parents should always be positive role models and be supportive of their child’s decisions. We believe officials commit their own time to high school sports and respect should always be shown and given to them.
The most important goal for student-athletes is to enjoy high school sports while keeping a high level of respect between all those involved in the games.
The second message was created by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association in cooperation with The Sports Neurology Clinic at the CORE Institute in Brighton, which the MHSAA first aired during the 11-Player Football Finals in December. The 30-second Opportunities of Sport message promotes the values school sports provide to young people and addresses a need to understand concussions.
Both messages are posted in a high definition format suitable for over-the-air broadcast and a web resolution suitable for posting online. Additional messages promoting officials recruitment and other MHSAA messages can be found on the Public Service Announcement page of the MHSAA Website.
Another busy week looms ahead with live streaming video on MHSAA.tv being produced by members of the School Broadcast Program. Last week, SBP schools created more than 60 events, split between athletic and non-athletic programs.
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 delayed – 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 this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams produced by SBP members:
Tuesday, Dec. 13
- Girls Basketball – Mt. Pleasant at Midland Dow, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Hopkins at Comstock Park, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Pontiac Notre Dame Prep at Lake Orion, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Onaway at Indian River Inland Lakes, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Negaunee at Marquette, 7:10 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Ontonagon at Lake Linden-Hubbell, 7:20 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 14
- Ice Hockey – Grosse Pointe South at Detroit Catholic Central, 7:10 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Remus Chippewa Hills at Vestaburg, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 15
- Boys Swimming & Diving – DeWitt at East Lansing, 6 p.m.
- Ice Hockey – Kingsford at Calumet, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Toronto St. John Paul at Alpena, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16
- Boys Basketball – Cedar Springs at Comstock Park, 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Cadillac at Alpena, 7 p.m.
- Ice Hockey – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 7:20 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet, 7:20 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Cedar Springs at Comstock Park, 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Breckenridge at Vestaburg, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17
- Ice Hockey – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood at Birmingham Brother Rice, 7:20 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 20
- Boys Basketball – Romeo at Lake Orion, 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball – Zeeland West at Comstock Park, 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Petoskey at Alpena, 7 p.m.
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.
A weekly staple on the MHSAA.tv website and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube is back for another year with highlights of selected games last week produced by members of the Association’s School Broadcast Program.
This week’s highlights package consists of clips of a Boys Basketball game between Bellaire at Charlevoix; and ice hockey game pitting Warren DeLaSalle at Marquette; and a Girls Basketball game between Escanaba at Negaunee. See below.
Schools interested in becoming a part of the School Broadcast Program should contact John Johnson at the MHSAA Office.
DVDs of MHSAA Fall Championships make a great Christmas gift, and are available for ordering through PrepFilms.com. All Final games in Football, Girls Volleyball and Boys Soccer are available, as are all of the Volleyball Semifinals and a variety of Football Playoff contests from the first four weeks of that tournament. DVDs are $24.95 each.
Audio of all of the Finals in Football, Volleyball and Soccer from the fall sports season, plus the Semifinals of Volleyball also are available for Instant download through the MHSAA Network website. Instant downloads are $4.99 each. Click on Archives.