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

Warren DeLaSalle 7, Saline 6

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

Holland Christian 8, Linden 5 

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

Richmond 2, Vicksburg 0 

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.

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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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.TVBuy Video DVDListen on MHSAANetwork.comBuy 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

Thursday – Dec. 17

Friday – Dec. 18

Saturday – Dec. 19

Monday – Dec. 21

Tuesday – Dec. 22

Monday – Jan. 4, 2016

Tuesday – Jan. 5

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.